2 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, based cheap in Pontorson No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The old causeway closed in 2014, so every visitor parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk; skip anyone selling a horse-drawn Maringote ride, it is reportedly discontinued. The bay’s tide swings roughly 14 meters, among the highest in continental Europe, and floods fast enough to trap solo walkers in quicksand, so the sands are a licensed-guide-only crossing.

3 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, based cheap in Pontorson (plus a free day in Saint-Malo and Dinan) No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The old causeway closed in 2014, so every visitor parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk; skip anyone selling a horse-drawn Maringote ride, it is reportedly discontinued.

4 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, based cheap in Pontorson, then out into Normandy No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The causeway that once let vehicles drive up to the abbey is gone; every visitor now parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk. A paid horse-drawn Maringote carriage still shows up in older trip write-ups, but it is reportedly discontinued, so do not build a schedule around it.

5 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, based cheap in Pontorson (plus a Normandy and Brittany loop) No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The old causeway closed in 2014, so every visitor parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk; skip anyone selling a horse-drawn Maringote ride, it is reportedly discontinued. The bay’s tide swings roughly 14 meters, among the highest in continental Europe, and floods fast enough to trap solo walkers in quicksand, so the sands are a licensed-guide-only crossing.

6 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, a budget Normandy-Brittany loop No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The old causeway that once let vehicles drive up to the abbey is gone; every visitor now parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk. A paid horse-drawn Maringote carriage still turns up in older trip write-ups, but it is reportedly discontinued, so do not build a schedule around it.

7 days at Mont-Saint-Michel, a full budget Normandy-Brittany road trip No car reaches Mont-Saint-Michel. The old causeway that once let vehicles drive up to the abbey closed in 2014; every visitor now parks at a mainland lot roughly 2.5km out (hedge EUR 9-28 a day depending on season) and covers the last stretch on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35-45 minute walk. A paid horse-drawn Maringote carriage still turns up in older trip write-ups, but it is reportedly discontinued, so do not build a schedule around it.

Mont-Saint-Michel on a budget: the short version Mont-Saint-Michel bans cars on the last stretch to the abbey. You park at a paid mainland car park roughly 2.5km out, then cover the gap on the free Le Passeur shuttle or a 35 to 45 minute walk across the bridge; the old horse-drawn Maringote carriage is reportedly no longer running, so do not plan around it. The bay’s tides swing by close to 14 meters, among the highest in continental Europe, and the sand hides quicksand, so the only safe way onto the flats themselves is with a licensed guide, never alone.