Tips about Mont-Saint Michel

Mont St Michel is packed like sardines from about 10:30-11 to 5 pm in August. There is one narrow street to the top (small alternate paths but you won’t know how to find them unless coming down).
Mont St Michel is best for spending 1 night, and being there from 5pm to 11 the next morning.
Can’t buy tickets ahead for anything. The only thing to visit is the monastery (or is it an abbey?) at the top which is free, unless that’s changed recently.
MSM only has tourist restaurants, stop and read menus on your way up. The famous Mme Poulard resto does omelets, but verrry expensive. In 2001 a plain omelet was $32. Haven’t looked at their prices since.
Four hours is a decent amount of time, more is better.
I love MSM, but only between 5pm-11am.

What Susan said. Not that the Mont is not worth visiting during the mid-day crush, but it is much better very early or late. Best bet is to go late afternoon, stay overnight, see it again in the morning, and head out by mid-morning when the tour buses begin to arrive. You can get a decent meal on the island in the evening. Not spectacular, but better than the "showmanship" omelettes. And if you pick right, you'll have a great view of the bay—better than the food, but atmosphere is everything. No tickets needed, but do venture off the well-trod path to the abbey—either on the way up via the ramparts, or the way down via the little paths that bypass the main drag.

We were just at Mt St Michel last week. It is fabulous and we were there early (9:30) and beat the the rush. We had a rental car so can’t comment on trans arrangements. If you do have a car, parking is 14 euros and make sure you take your ticket w you. There is also a ticket required to visit the Abbey. Cost was 12 euro s each I think. We used The Rick Steves self guided tour in his Normandy snapshot book. It was great. Use his tips in the book. We had a.fantastic visit. Spent 2-3 hours in the island.

1. The Abbey at the top is both worth seeing and a great view. I walked up the ramparts to get there then back down through the main street. There are a handful of small things to see around the island. I think I referred to either something from the RS guide or something from the TI to know where to look. I wasn't there in time to do the low tide walks on the bay. It looked like a fun activity for the entire family. It's something you can do on your own but it might be better to have a guide with local knowledge (where not to walk, when to head in to beat the tide).

2. I didn't eat there. I planned to get an omelette but the price (35 -50 euro per omelette) was too much for me. There may be some vegetarian options (salad, french fries). Once I decided not to eat there, I didn't pay much attention to the options.

3. The only safety tip would probably be walking on the bay when the tide is out (as mentioned above). It might not be safe to go without a guide.

4. I took the shuttle from the parking area. It's about a ten minute ride, probably double that to walk. I think it's best to save your walking energy for the island.

5. I think minimum is a half day at MSM, either between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner. I did it in the afternoon, arriving early afternoon and staying until almost dinner time. I enjoyed my time there. It was last half of September. It was fairly crowded on the main street but not crazy crowded. I arrived at the Abbey maybe an hour before last entry and it wasn't crowded at all (neither were the ramparts). The things I would have like to have added to my visit would be walking on the bay at low tide and seeing both low and high tides. I saw low tide when I arrived but didn't stop for a walk on the bay because I wouldn't have time to get to the Abbey. I was thinking of coming back for high tide in the evening but it was projected to be overcast so there would be no view.

I stayed in nearby Cancale. They're famous for their oysters. I went to a place overlooking the bay (recommended by my lodging) and had oysters for dinner at what I'd call a normal rural French dinner price, under 20 euro for oysters and a beer. I paid similar for Moules Frites and a beer in Dinan. I had a good crepe (with a view) in St. Malo for lunch but it was on the pricey side (nothing compared to MSM though).

Def go early or late. We stayed at the end of the causeway and it was great not to have to go during busy hours, noted by someone earlier. Might be worth considering.

For me, the trip was all about seeing the structure...not so much seeing the inside that is filled with shops and restaurants. We had a rainy day, so that impacted our visit.

It is marvelous.

There is an alternate path up to the top which I took last year and am so grateful to have learned of it from this forum. I shared the tip with others on the shuttle bus I arrived on. Three of us took this path and we were the only ones who made it to the top. The others gave up in the crush of people going up the main path - what a shame. I came down on the main path and could see for myself how awful it would have been. (This was mid September). The alternate route is to the left of the one main gate. As you approach the gate, veer left and just start walking up a fairly wide path. There were perhaps 40 of us in total along the route versus hoards on the main route. Along the way, the views of the ocean and flats are breathtaking, I was able to make it to the top in time for the (complementary) guided tour which started at 11. The guide pointed out many things I would have missed on my own so do suggest it, I walked down the main path so I could stop at the small church and cemetary which was nice to see. Overall, an amazing place to see!