NORMANDY - France 2014 - page 462

for the abbey, tour times for walks outside the island, bus schedules, and the tide table
(HorairesdesMarées), whichisessentialifyouplantoexplorethemudflatsoutsideMont
St-Michel (island TI daily July-Aug 9:00-19:00, March-June and Sept-Oct 9:00-12:30 &
14:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-17:00; tel. [phone], www.ot-mont-
saintmichel.com ) . A post office (PTT) and ATM are 50 yards beyond the TI.
Arrival in Mont St-Michel
Prepare for lots of walking, particularly if you arrive by car and are not sleeping on the
island or in nearby La Caserne.
By Train: The nearest train station is in Pontorson (called Pontorson-Mont St-
Michel). The few trains that stop here are met by a bus waiting to take passengers right
to the gates of Mont St-Michel (about €3, 12 buses/day July-Aug, 8/day Sept-June, fewer
on Sun, 20 minutes). Taxis between Pontorson and Mont St-Michel get you to the navette
(island shuttle) stop and cost about €20 (€30 after 19:00 and on weekends/holidays; tel.
02 33 60 33 23 or 02 33 60 82 70). If you plan to arrive on Saturday night, beware that
Sunday train service from Pontorson is almost nonexistent.
By Bus: Buses from Rennes and St-Malo stop next to the navette stop at the parking
lot (for details, see “Mont St-Michel Connections” at the end of this chapter). From
Bayeux, it's faster to arrive on Hôtel Churchill's minivan shuttle (see here ) .
By Car: If you're staying at a hotel on the island, follow signs for La Caserne and
enter the gated hotel parking area—call your hotel ahead of time for the code. Those stay-
ing in La Caserne can drive right to their hotel, but you need a code number to open a gate
blocking the access road (€12 access fee; get code and directions from your hotelier).
Day-trippers are directed to a sea of parking. The layout is confusing; follow the
parkingsignswithacaricon.TakeyourparkingticketandpayatthemachinesneartheTI
when you leave (€12 flat fee, good for 24 hours, no re-entry privileges—if you leave and
return on the same day, you'll pay another €12, machines accept cash and US credit cards,
parking tel. [phone]).
From the remote parking lot or La Caserne village, you can either walk to the island,
or take the short ride on the free shuttle (departures every few minutes). You can also ride
in the horse-drawn maringote (double-decker wagon, €5).
Helpful Hints
Tides: The tides here rise above 50 feet—the largest and most dangerous in Europe, and
secondintheworldaftertheBayofFundybetweenNewBrunswickandNovaScotia,
Canada. High tides (grandes marées) lap against the TI door (where you'll find tide
hours posted).