A Tuesday morning in April. It’s past 11 a.m. and the parking lot is filling up nicely. The hundreds of tourists who get out of the cars have hardly set foot outside when they already take out their smartphone to immortalize the moment, sometimes forgetting to observe the jewel other than through the screen of their laptop. In the conversations, we sometimes hear Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, German, English, Dutch. On this spring Tuesday, Francophones are almost a minority around one of the jewels of their heritage.
On this sunny day, there will be thousands of them crossing on foot, by bike or by shuttle to reach Normandy’s most beautiful sights. As Mont Saint-Michel approaches, the excitement of visitors is felt. These tourists from all over the world are preparing to explore one of the most internationally known French monuments. They face one of the most visited places in France, with more than two million passages each year. A bestseller.
After having been deprived of a good part of its foreign tourists because of the pandemic, the Marvel has gradually regained its “normal” attendance in 2022, until reaching the peak of 36,000 visitors on a single day last August. The problem is that the rock of Normandy is absolutely not sized to accommodate so many visitors. “There are people everywhere, all the time, it’s crazy,” says Pascal, a regular here who has worked here for thirty-five years. “I only went there once on August 15, it was horrible. We climbed step by step while waiting for the one in front to move forward, ”recalls Julie.
The price in the summer was well raised
In an attempt to solve the problem, the new public establishment of Mont Saint-Michel wanted to act on the price of compulsory car parks at the entrance to the site, by offering decreasing prices during off-peak periods. As of January 1, the amount of parking is dictated by the time of year you come. It will cost you 8 euros to stay less than three hours in winter, 14 euros in mid season and 17 euros in high summer. Previously, the price fluctuated between 10 and 15 euros. In July and August, the price for staying more than three hours increases to 21 euros, a fairly clear increase. “We think it’s the best way to better distribute the flows and make the visit more peaceful, more pleasant for everyone. Our challenge is to smooth attendance, ”says Thomas Velter, director of the public establishment of Mont-Saint-Michel, created three years ago.
In addition to having revised all its pricing, the community has set up free admission every evening from 6:30 p.m. (except in summer). A way to make visitors stay in the evening but also to recover local visitors, who tend to desert since the establishment of compulsory parking and the impossibility of parking at the foot of the Mount as before. “We know that the works have driven away the closest residents. Our desire is to reconnect the Mount, to give it a territorial anchor. It’s a small revolution,” assures Thomas Velter.
Implemented on January 1, this new pricing plan may have already produced its first effects. During the February holidays, attendance was very good at Normandy’s leading tourist site. The next Easter holidays, but especially the coming summer, will serve as a benchmark to measure the longer-term effect.