Getting to Mont St Michel during December 2019 Strike.

Rent a car. That is how we got there several years ago.

Seems I need to be more specific. We don’t want to drive due to the Transportation strike. We know there are several road blocks that truck drivers are doing. Please if anyone can provide an informed answer, we would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Are you flying into Paris? What day?

Yes, CDG on the 25th, next day going to MSM.

Rent a car was an "informed decision." Please don't dismiss it. There may, or may not be road blockages by truckers. But the train is much more likely to not be an option during a strike. And at least with a car, you have many different routes and options open to you. I'd advise you not to request advice and then dismiss it when it is offered. Personally, I can't imagine going to Normandy without a car anyway. But it is your trip.

One could hope that nobody bothers to strike during the holidays. Or you could cancel the side trip to MSM (which sounds like a hassle for one night) and ask if your Paris hotel can accommodate you one more night. I'm not the type to cancel an entire trip to France.

Do you already have train tickets? What are the penalties for cancelling your MSM hotel now?

I did some research on plan b as i am flying into CDG on the 27th.

The options are not looking too good for you. All you can hope is that the strike ends by then.

Even the car rental places would be swamped.

And is possible to go to Normandy without car and have a fulfilling time like I have had.

I guess I’ll have to cancel. Thanks God There are no penalties with our hotel in MSM. Our friends are there, and they said it took them 2 hours to get to their hotel from CDG on their taxi ride due to traffic jams. Louvre museum was partially closed as understandably the employees can’t get to their jobs. People are walking for hours. It’s crazy 🙁 They had tickets to the museums and already lost some money with cancellations. They got refunds on their train tickets. Hoping tomorrow they will end this mess with something feasible for everybody. Although I highly doubt the unions will accept.

I understand; I am traveling with my two nephews 16 and 21 their first time out. We have 3 nights in Paris December 27-30, they want to go to all these places that draw long lines that you would be smart to book in advance but I have not;

I have not booked anything as far as lodging yet in France, except in Collioure for New Years eve and day; If Paris is shut down we may just stay at the airport and fly to Spain and train in from that way using Spanish rail RENFE from Barcelona that is not part of the strike.

Let’s hope for the best. We haven’t got any tickets either.

You might have to look at border towns to get into Colmar like Basel Switzerland has airport close by

Thanks Jazz. Checking flights now, seems like a good option.

A 2 hour ride from CDG to a hotel in Paris is not uncommon. It is about the average time I have experienced for all of my visits when it was just an average day with no one on strike. It just depends on the time of day.

I think the car option would be the best to get to MSM no matter what the other transport situations might be. I am not fond of renting cars in Europe, but getting there would just be easier by car. Of course with the other transportation options on strike, there may not be any cars available anyway, or the price may have been raised to take advantage of those having to rent.

I've been to France during strikes (rail, air, taxi, etc.). I've never seen everything shut down; there is always a way to work around them. When trains strike, fewer trains run but they don't stop completely. Trains are more crowded and the overall experience is less pleasant, but it's not the end of the world.

When taxis strike, take the metro or RER.

When pilots or aircraft mechanics are on strike, same thing. Fewer flights operate but they don't stop completely.

The news on the strikes is updated regularly, almost like a weather report. If you keep an eye on the latest news, you'll know how to work around any delays or disruptions.

I haven't had anything yet that disrupted road traffic but I'd expect it to be like a big accident. The strike news will tell you how to get around the traffic snarl.

I have had to change flights before because of Air France pilots striking, and I've noticed that transportation workers in France seem to strike a lot, thus for our trip in April 2020 I decided to just rent a car from the airport to get us to Normandy so we can work around things to get where we need to get. I wouldn't dismiss the advice to rent a car and do that perhaps.

I just spent the last 4 nights in Paris and am now in Brittany. The strike is very important to the French people and we should support efforts to fight against taking away their pensions. Some inconveniences for tourists, for sure, but we should show solidarity and learn ourselves what true Libertè, Egalite et Fraternitè looks like. The ballet dancers just performed for free outside the Opera in solidarity with the strike (sorry to say I missed it). How amazing is that!