I will be driving to Mont St. Michel from Amsterdam area. Does anyone know how long that might take? I would like to know if there is parking facilities at the foot of the castle and how much? Or should I park on the mainland? Do they provide some sort of shuttle to the entrance? If anyone can recommend a cheap and good place to stay near there, I would appreciate it.
|||
First of all, Mont St-Michel is not a castle; it%26#39;s an island with a hill-top abbey and its medieval precincts atop. You park in a lot outside the walls and then walk in and climb up a usually very crowded street; there are many steps to the abbey entrance. There is no shuttle, as walking from the parking lot doesn%26#39;t take very long--but be sure to observe the signs posted about where to park to avoid water on the ground at high tide.
There are a few hotels actually on the Mont and some just across the causeway.
Do some background reading on the Mont before you visit--it really helps to know what you will be seeing.
|||
Thank you Catullus for the info. I know there are lots of steps....I%26#39;ve been there 30+ years ago when I was a student at Beaux Arts. I think things must have changed a lot around there. I was hoping for specific info regarding parking and fees and perhaps specific nice B%26amp;B I should look into. I did a lot of research on the history of the place already. I am looking for more practical info that anyone who has been there recently that can give a few tips about where to leave the car. I read that the parking right outside the wall is for low tide only and to park on the causeway you need some sort of permit. Any one can share the info?
|||
We stayed at the small hotel the St Pierre. Be sure to get a bayview room as the village view rooms are incredibly noisy all night.
I have never seen so many parked cars as there were at MSM. However, if you have a booking confirmation sheet the parking attendants let us park quite close to the walls so we could easily take our luggage inside. I presume this would still be the case.
The causeway never gets cut off by the tides and they only allow parking in the areas that won%26#39;t go under. Buses tend to park in the flood areas and move when the tide turns, so don%26#39;t fear you will be parked and the car drowned overnight.
This place was a human traffic jam when we arrived. The main and only street was completely blocked by people. If that happens you can walk up the ramparts.
Nice for a night. I wouldn%26#39;t stay longer. And I don%26#39;t think there is a good restaurant on the island.
|||
Driving times:
www.viamichelin.com or maps.google.com
MSM:
As mentioned, you park at the causeway. From the causeway, you walk to the Mont itself (about 3 to 5 minutes depending on how far you parked). To get up to the abbey, there are quite a few steps to negotiate.
I recommend you stay across MSM at the mainland part. There are many hotels there worth considering that might be cheaper. Try not to eat within MSM itself either as the restaurants are very much catered to tourists, meaning average food at expensive prices.
|||
Thank you LynnB48...Your info is very helpful. Can you tell me what time of year you were there when it was a wall of people? I will be going around then end of April. I hope that is still considered a low season. Any other tip on B%26amp;B off the island?
|||
Thank you Sammyfloyd....Your Michelin driving software link was great! Thank you very much. I love it. I already planning different route on it. It is funny that when I was a student at Beaux Arts in Paris and visited MSM for the first time 30+ years ago, my classmate who share my hotel room at MSM was the heir to Michelin family. I remembered that he gave me the Michelin travel guide and invited me to his family castle in the Loire!!!! Too bad I didn%26#39;t keep intouch with him.
|||
April won%26#39;t really be low reason at the Mont--we were there in pouring rain at 9 a.m. in October, and things were still packed. Access to the abbey is restricted by the size of the one street and the not-wide set of stairs going up; it doesn%26#39;t take a lot of people to form a roadblock. It will be easier is you use the ramparts for access if you have no wish to look at the shops along the village street.
|||
It will take about 7.5 to 8 hours to drive from Amsterdam if you take the autoroutes. If you take N or D roads it will take considerably longer.
As others have said, you won%26#39;t have problems parking, the attendants will guide you - I think it costs about 4 or 5 euros.
I can%26#39;t comment on accommodation as I only live 45 minutes from the Mont so have never had cause to stay there!
April won%26#39;t be low season - no time is low season. We%26#39;ve taken friends there mid-week in February and it was still packed. My advice would be to go as late in the day as you can (bearing in mind that the abbey closes around 6pm if you want to look around it) as a lot of the coach tours leave by about 5pm. In April it will be light until well after 9pm so you will have plenty of time to walk around after visiting the abbey.
|||
Thairose
it was late August so peak time, but it was also 7 years ago so I guess it will only have increased by now. As there is really only the one street and everyone has to go up and down it, it was packed. There is another route via the ramparts which is nicer anyway.
But being there when people have left is really lovely.
This is the website with opening and closing times and info about guides etc. April does not have all the advantages some times have. When we were there, unexpectedly, the abbey was open till 9pm.
…monuments-nationaux.fr/en/bdd/page/visites
|||
Thank you Thiaumerie, It is nice to get a post from a local person. I have more questions. On the way to MSM I will pass thru Rouen and Honfleur. I watch DVD on Normandie and they recommended to visit Honfleur. It looks very interesting. I definitely will stop and see the Cathedral at Rouen since I am an Architect and had been studied about this cathedral for years, not to mention Claude Monet famous painting. I don%26#39;t think I will have time to visit Giverny though. The question is, if I want to spend the night, would be nicer to stay in a small village like Honfleur and enjoy the waterfront harbor at night or should I stay in a big city like Rouen? How long is it to drive to Mont St. Michel from Honfleur? Or would you recommend me to stay closer to Mont St. Michel like the town of Granville or Avranches? Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment