The Mont Saint-Michel Shuttle
Le Passeur runs between the mainland car park and the island every day of the year, and it is free. It does not stop at the gate: the terminus is 350 metres short of the ramparts, so the last stretch is on foot whatever you do.
Le Passeur is free, and the parking fee is what pays for it
There is no fare and no ticket. The charge for leaving your car at Beauvoir covers the shuttle and the Tourist Information Centre’s facilities as well. If you arrive on an organised departure, the coach uses the same car park and you join the same shuttle.
Hours and frequency, by season
| Season | First and last | Maximum wait |
|---|---|---|
| November – February | 08:30 – 22:00 | About 12 minutes |
| March – June, September – October | 07:30 – 23:00 | About 12 minutes |
| July – August | 07:00 – 01:00 | About 12 minutes |
Timetable published by the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel. Frequency is a maximum wait, not a fixed interval.
The late finish in summer is the reason to stay for the evening. The Mont is lit after dark, the day visitors have gone, and there is still a shuttle back at midnight.
Where it stops — 350 metres short of the ramparts
The terminus sits on the bridge, and from there you walk the last 350 metres to the gate. It is flat and it takes four or five minutes. This surprises people, and it is behind more than one traveller review complaining that a four-hour visit felt shorter than four hours: there is a queue at each end and a walk at each end, and both come out of the same budget.
The transfer, step by step
- Park at Beauvoir. First 30 minutes free; after that €10–€28 depending on season and length of stay.
- Walk to the shuttle stop. It is signposted from the Tourist Information Centre at the car park.
- Ride about 12 minutes. Standing room, both directions, and busiest between eleven and three.
- Walk the last 350 metres. Across the bridge to the gate.
- Reverse it in the evening. The last departure is 22:00 in winter and 01:00 in high summer.
Walking the 2.5 km instead
About forty minutes, flat the whole way, across the Pont-passerelle. In good weather it is the better arrival: the Mont grows in front of you, you can stop for photographs at the point where the bridge crosses the water, and you skip the queue entirely. Coming back at the end of a long day, most people take the shuttle.
The Maringotte, and getting there with reduced mobility
A horse-drawn Maringotte runs the same route as a paid alternative for anyone who would rather not ride a bus or walk. The shuttle itself is wheelchair accessible, and so is the esplanade at the far end. What is not accessible is the island above the gate: around 350 steps and no lift, which every departure listed here states in its own accessibility notes. Planning your visit sets out what is manageable and what is not.
On the biggest tides the esplanade at the entrance floods. The tourist office’s advice is to wait about an hour for it to drain rather than look for another way in — and the flooding is predictable weeks ahead. The tide page explains how to read a coefficient before you pick a date.
Arriving on a tour instead?
Every departure listed drives to the same car park and uses the same free shuttle, with the parking already covered by your fare.
Sources
- Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel — Centre des monuments nationaux: opening hours, admission and free-entry categories.
- Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel — parking tariffs and the Passeur timetable.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, list entry 80 — the 1979 inscription, criteria and property area.
- Mont-Saint-Michel tourist office — walking times, steps, tide schedules and bay safety.
Hours, fares and tide times change. Check the official page before you travel.
Compare every departure on Mont Saint-Michel Tours.