Gates at Mont St Michel

You're not locked in. You can leave any time you wish.

Thank you. Good to know. I obviously misunderstood some of the things I have been reading up on.

You are probably thinking about the gates in the parking area. You leave your car on the mainland, and there are gates there. I don't remember having trouble getting out... but I did have trouble getting in. There was some crazy way of letting them know where I was staying, and I did not fully understand the instructions. After a bit of driving around and being confused and asking the guards, we finally got in. Your hotel should send you a 'code' ...but I was still confused!

Terry K... might be speaking from before the new parking lots were built on the mainland (?) We were there in June, 2012 and there were fully-automated tollbooth-style gates for exit from the parking lot. We did see some user-confusion over automated payment, with (mid-day) humans on hand to take cash from people who couldn't make their credit card work, reachiing out from the driver's window. I would suggest that you walk a little farther and use the stand-up (pedestrian-walkway) parking-payment kiosks beside the welcome building near the parking toilet building. These validate your parking card and return it to you. And perhaps your hotel might give you a hint about the best procedure. Maybe they have built more of these kiosks since the summer. I don't mean to make this sound intimidating, which it does when written down! My point is that you could be delayed leaving the new parking lot by a line of confused tourist cars in the daytime, and you could be delayed alone at dawn by yourself. The "new" situation is much better than the "old" situation. But you have a very long drive planned that morning of departure. See the .PDF map, http://www.accueilmontsaintmichel.com/file/en/professionals/downloads/5volets%20MStM%20GB.pdf

Thanks everyone for your feedback. From what I can tell, the drive from Mont St Michel to Bayeux is 1.5 hours. Does that sound correct? Here is the larger question......We are a family of 7 with 5 kids ranging from 13 - 3. They are pretty battle tested road warriors but am I biting off too much by sleeping at MSM, gettting up early and getting out of there in order to get to the D-day beaches by 9 - 9:30 a.m. for a full day tour??? Is it better to pass on MSM this trip and have a more leisurely day in Loire Valley before heading to Normandy?

The very best you can do is and hour and a quarter if you cut west on the D275 toward the freeway and push the speed limit by five the once you're on it. That's from the parking lot, not from inside the walls. What I'd do is finish MSM, then head for Arranches for supper and sleep there. I can't see a heck of a lot of sense in paying more, then busting your tail, to stay some place with your eyes closed.

Try using the search box (top right) to find a few of us who dare to say it isn't necessary to sleep on MSM. As one of four children (but not a parent myself) I really question the need for a family of 7 to sleep on board. Romance is one thing, practicality is another. Since you have a car, you have a lot of freedom to pick a charming town or a charming hotel to stay in. I only did it once, and we stopped for cider and lunch on the way, but I can't imagine making the MSM-coast trip in exactly the Google Maps time. I'd allow two hours. Did you mean the tour is a pre-paid departure? That's a big ticket to be late for. And if I had a car, I might use Rick's DIY tour in the book.

One day when I'm flat broke (one notch down from right now) I'm going to start a betting pool against any and all, including software, against how long it takes to get somewhere. All I'd ask is for a ten percent window. I don't know what google says in this case. The stupid thing can be wrong both ways. In two hours I could drive it, have lunch, and be leaning against the wall of the Bayeux tourist office wondering if I had time for a cup of coffee.

@Tim... I was just there this past Nov. and the problem is getting IN to the specific area you are supposed to park in if you are staying on the island. Yes, there is an office (manned) or the kiosk to pay to get out. But, there was a call box to open the gate and I can't remember exactly what happened, but it was confusing. I vote for a stay on the island... It was really special to be there without many tourists and to be able to wander around, take pictures, and enjoy the ambience. My 14 year old grandson thinks of it as one of the highlights of our trip. Edit: Didn't see how tight your schedule is. Not even sure the shuttle buses run that early to get you off the island and back to the parking lot in time...but, if you can arrange a bit more time there, it is unique and I think the kids would love it.