France’s most-visited site outside Paris is feeling a bit too-visited in the middle of the day, and a bit lonely in the evenings and early mornings. So, Mont Saint-Michel is trying to convince visitors to come early or stay later.
The tiny island with the famous abbey, sitting on an islet just off the Normandy coast, has fewer than 50 full-time residents, a wide selection of food and souvenir shops, and 132 hotel rooms, all but a handful quite expensive. On its busiest day, up to 36,000 visitors have been clocked, resulting in scenes like the one above, on the village’s main and only street.
Tourism officials note that most visitors arrive from mainland parking lots before lunch, eat, visit and return to the off-island visitor center and parking area by mid-afternoon. Before 10 am and after 4 pm, it’s much less busy and much easier to move about and see the sights.
Thomas Velter, head of the foundation responsible for Mont Saint-Michel listed measure being taken to spread out the crowds, including social media messages, free parking early and late, and adjusting schedules of the shuttles that carry visitors from the off-island parking to the island’s gates.
The foundation is also encouraging visitors to consider other seasons; 30% of visitors come in July and August, while year-round only 4.5% of days see peak crowds.
Image: Grande Rue, Mont Saint-Michel (JonathanL/TravelGumbo)
