Mont St. Michel in winter
 

We are planning to be in Paris in late December. I've always wanted to see Mont St. Michel but the two things that make me hesitate going are the additional price of $500+ (train and hotel) and the concern about the weather at this time of year! Does anyone have any experience visiting during rainy and/or cloudy weather? Any opinions about it? I want to make a decision because I will have to purchase the train tickets soon, before they go up (again).

Also, I saw a route via the town of Villedieu-les-Poeles and I've only seen routes via Rennes and Pontorson, so I'm a little nervous to book it. If anyone can shed light about this, that would be great too!

Many years ago I went to Mont St-Michel in March. We went to evening mass in the church at the top and a storm roared around us, the only visitors in the church that evening, welcomed by priest & small congregation. It was pretty wonderful. We stayed the night, it seemed we were the only non-residents there, alone for dinner in a restaurant. It cleared next day as we wandered around and we had blue skies before we left. I wouldn't let the possibility of weather stop you. My memory of the place is enhanced by the memory of the wind & rain & atmosphere, not to mention having it almost to ourselves.

I don't think weather should be a factor - le MSM is pretty awesome no matter what the weather - but I'm a bit flummoxed as to why it should cost you $500+ for train and hotel.

StCirq: I checked on both voyages-sncf and trainline.eu from Paris to Mont St. Michel and the round trip price came out to 462 euros - 200 euros Paris to MSM alone. The hotel is $138 for one night.

If you have an alternate way to book cheaper tickets, please let me know!!

Doesn't surprise me that it could cost that much for a hotel right at the Mont at that time of year, if you stay 2 nights. That's a holiday period and that is the going rate (about $250 per night) at some of those hotels like Le Relais St Michel, La Mere Poulard, etc, even 3* hotels.

Even in a more modest hotel, the rail fare is going to be around 70 euro per person for the cheap route, so that's 150 euro right there, but if you only stayed one night, it should be cheaper.

There are various routes to get there (train then bus) and yes, one is to take an IC train to Villedieu-les-Poeles and than a bus. I suppose you are wanting that route because it is less than half the price of the TGV train. That's because it is an IC train. It is a real place, if that's your concern--if SNCF sells that ticket, it is perfectly legitimate (and they do). The overall time isn't that much different, so sure, I'd take that as IC train are perfectly okay. It's a real small station, regional trains like TER go through it. Sometimes a small station is nice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_d...es-Po%C3%AAles

Checking the SNCF site, I see fares of 124-137€ RT from Paris to Rennes. It's late to be buying tickets, so they're more expensive, but still that's not a lot. Presumably you can find a hotel or B&B close by for not too much.

I saw fares of only 35 euro one-way going via that IC train, but we don't know exactly what date we are talking about, of course. I checked 12/29 going. The TGV fares were a lot more expensive, of course, but they are only 80 euro that day going (115 if you do want first class). But I thought the question was specifically about booking the IC train which is so much cheaper. The time isn't that different in total (3:47 hrs vs. 3:37 hrs). the return train is about 80-90 euros second class, don't appear to be any ICs, at least not on 12/30 or 12/31. There are on 12/29 returning, also, but that's the way it goes.

I don't see any way to get a RT TGV for 137 euro, at least not on the dates I checked, this is probably the issue.

I think the hotel is already cheap at $138.

I went to Mt St Michel from Saint Malo on January 2 2016. Weather wise it was about between 45 and 50 degrees. About noon the sun broke threw the clouds and I remember sweating in my coat because of all the stairs involved in exploring.

I checked where I always by train tickets
https://www.trainline.eu/search/

You are too late as far as finding a cheaper fare for travel at the end of the month is concerned.

What you're up against, with the cost at this late stage, and the uncertainties of the weather and the holiday season, makes me think a postponement is in order.

We were there in late November at a time when the locals told us it was "unseasonably cold" (as was our unheated stone cottage...). Our day on the Mont was difficult to enjoy, winds, drizzle, slippery ground - sure, it is an awesome location, but if you can see yourselves going at some other time in the future, skip it for now.

Maybe plan on combining it with some other exploit rather than a side-trip from Paris? Lots of good options here.

For example, as a side-trip from London (Stansted) with Ryanair into Dinard for about ten GBP, then rent a car - Mont St. Michel is an hour away, and the fabulous rugged coastline of Bretagne about two hours in the other direction.
Or drive up to Sainte Mere Eglise (two hours) for a tour of the D-Day beaches etc if you have never done that.

Yes, the hotel is cheap at $138, not on the mount itself though. The one on the mount is $277! I have both on hold for now. We would stay overnight on 12/30, so it's unfortunate that there are no cheaper fares coming back to Paris on 12/31!

It will be a splurge at this point if we do go! I don't know when we would be back, so we might bite the bullet and go for it despite the weather and cost.

Thank you all for your opinions and for checking to make sure my estimates were accurate!!

By the way, the price is $500 for three people...

@ MmePerdue -- thanks for sharing such a wonderful memory!

@ richmich6 -- sorry, I can't add anything meaningful to what others have said -- except that I am truly glad that I spent a night on Mont St Michel, rather than nearby. The opportunities to see it after day trippers left, and to begin my tour of the monastery before they got there next day, made every splurge penny worth it to me. JMO. Good luck!

I went to Mont Saint Michel in November last time and stayed at the Mercure in the hotel zone on the mainland, which had extremely reasonable rates at that time of year. The stop for the free tram was right in front of the hotel, and it runs about every 10 minutes until 1 a.m. so I was able to wander around the island both day and night without any crowds.

Thank you! Still considering it...

Why don't you rent a car ? Will certainly be cheaper and augment your choice of hotels.
Villedieu les poeles is a great stop btw.
I was in mont saint Michel once in early January. Cold as hell. Great.

The weather is generally unpredictable at this time of year, not only in Normandy and Brittany, usually fairly the same as in Paris. The difference is that on Mt St Michel itself, it gets windy, so you should take warm clothes and layers with you.
The advantage of this period is the atmosphere, because you can often get the Mont almost for yourself, even during the day. So even if you choose accommodation not right in MSM, but in towns around (some are also very beautiful and with lower rates for a room or B&B), you should be able to experience a quiet MSM.