Tips for a Mt-Saint-Michel visit

My wife, Liz, and I were in France in August ’12 and visited Mont-Saint-Michel. Here are some tips for ITN readers planning to visit the Mont.

Mont-Saint-Michel is the second-most visited site in France, next to Versailles. A new parking lot and shuttle system were inaugurated in the spring of 2012, but they hold some challenges for first-time visitors.

Finding the entrance is no problem, as French roads are clearly marked. At the entrance, there is a ticket machine just before the barrier pole. You punch a button to retrieve a ticket, and attendants distribute maps of the area showing the locations of the parking lot, information center and shuttle-service stop.

You must carry the ticket with you, because after your visit to the Mont, you have to pay for parking and validate the ticket at one of the pay machines near the information booth. The machines are located in a partially concealed enclosure, behind and to the right of the nearby restroom building. It is not clearly marked on the map.

At the parking lot exit, you insert your validated ticket into another machine to raise the barrier pole.

Try to park as close as possible to the end of the parking lot in the direction of the information booth; the lot is vast, and you could add 10 or more minutes to your walk unless you do so.

The shuttle buses are not connected with the parking lot. The bus stop is another 10- to 15-minute walk from the lot along the main thoroughfare, which is lined with restaurants and shops. You take a short bus ride and then walk a relatively short distance to the Mont, itself.

To avoid crowds, it is best to arrive after 4 p.m., when most of the tourist buses have departed. Entry to the Mont is free, but a visit to the abbey costs €9 (about $12). The abbey closes at 7 p.m. to prepare for the candlelight evening service at 7:30. Another ticket must be purchased to attend that service.

Food and snacks are available within the Mont, but if you want to try the famous omelet meals at La Mère Poulard (Grand Rue BP 18, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France; phone +[33] 2 33 89 68 68), located just inside the gate, be prepared for sticker shock. Those meals start at €25 ($32).

Despite the travails of parking and taking the shuttle, plus the expense, the Mont is a world-class tourist site and definitely worthwhile to see.

JACK KAUFMAN
Lake Quivira, KS