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Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The modern history of Mont St. Michel goes back to 8th century when a small church was built on the top of the island's rock, and in 10th century community of Benedictines settled on the island. For almost one thousand years the Abbey of St Michel was a great spiritual center and a famous place of pilgrimage for the Medieval occident. During French Revolution and Empire, the abbey become a prison. Later, the Abbey was restored and in 1966 a religious community moved back to abbatial dwellings, and the place re-established its spiritual presence. The medieval village surrounding the Abbey with its winding streets and medieval architecture is a nice place to explore.

Mont St. Michel is also known for the highest tides in Europe - up to 15 meters difference between low and high water.The sea at times can go 7.5 miles (15 km) from the coast.

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The most convenient way to reach Mont Saint Michel is by car (about 4.5 hours from Paris). You should target route A84 south-west to Pontorson and continue to Avranches. Merge with route D43 and follow signs to Mont-St-Michel. Parking at Mont St. Michel is €5. To travel by train take TGV from Gare Montparnasse, Paris to Rennes and then by bus (from railway station square) to the island (take about 1.5 hours, ticket about €12). There are also two airports you can use to travel to Mont St. Michel: one is in Rennes serving local routes to French some cities; another is Dinard-Pleurtuit-Saint Malo Airport (about 40 miles or 70 kilometers from Mont St. Michel) with flights to London and several other cities in UK served by Aurigny and Ryanair.

The only way around Mont St Michel is on foot.

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It depends on your preferences: if good and warm weather is what you want, go there in July and August. To avoid crowds, come to the island before or after pick summer months. Anyway, the worst months to come are November, December, January and February

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Mont Saint Michel has a number of small hotels located within the island township. Inside walls, we recommend Hotel Du Guesclin, a small and inexpensive 10-room hotel, €70 - €90. On the mainland opt for Hotel Mercure Mont Saint Michel is hotel located 1.2 miles (2 km) from Mont Saint Michel Abbey near to the Couesnon River. It has 100 modern, spacious rooms with air conditioning, wooded park, car park, bar and meeting rooms. Rates are from €100 to €400. Research and book hotels in or near Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France

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Main activities on the island include visiting the Abbey and its church and surrounding village. There are also several museums with Musée Historique and the dungeons of Mont St. Michel being the most interesting. You may also want to visit Chapelle Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, the Carolingian church built in 10th century.

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Mont Saint Michel is always accessible as the causeway (about 1.2 miles or 2 km long) is never completely covered by the water. Some parking lots at the foot of the Mount can be covered with water during high tides; however, cars can be parked on the causeway. To observe the tide at Mont Saint-Michel, consult the tide time tables (available on the Mont St. Michel official web site) and be ready two hours before (when the water starts to rise up) the time indicated. The tide at Mont St. Michel is one of the fastest - never attempt any walk on tidal flats surrounding the island without checking the tide tables.. While planning your visit keep in mind that highest tides take place 36 to 48 hours after the full and new moons.

Mont St. Michel is a very popular tourist destination and can be very crowded especially during pick summer months. By some estimates, about three and a half million people (including pilgrims and tourists) visit every year the island. This has some impact, for example, it is very difficult (if at all) to find on the island a good place to eat. Poor service is not unusual.

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Tags: Aurigny; Avranches; Basse-Normandie; Benedictines; causeway (3); Chapelle Notre-Dame-sous-Terre; Couesnon River; Dinard-Pleurtuit-Saint Malo Airport; France (7); highest tides; Hotel Du Guesclin; Hotel Mercure Mont Saint Michel; Lillemer; Lower Normandy; Mont-Dol; Mont Saint-Michel; Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Michel; Pontorson; Rennes; Ryanair; Saint Michael's Mount; Tombelaine; UNESCO World Heritage Site (19)

Web Sites:   Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel - Centre des monuments nationaux
  Destination Mont St Michel depuis Paris, Rennes et Dol-de-Bretagne avec la ligne d’autocar régionale
  Opération de rétablissement du caractère maritime du Mont-Saint-Michel
  Site officiel de l'office de tourisme du mont saint michel

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