"Le Mont Saint Michel, the western wonder" Mont Saint Michel by Pavlik_NL

Mont Saint Michel Travel Guide: 296 reviews and 957 photos

Le Mont Saint Michel, finally I am there!

A visit to Le Mont, a dream come true

At highschool, in the class where we got French lessons, most classmates were looking at the posters of the Eifeltower and the Arc de Triomph. I myself was much more intriged by the poster of Le Mont Saint Michel. The Eifel tower was not even 100 years old then and the Arc de Triomph also only was there for a few centuries. Le Mont Saint Michel already excisted for more then a thousand years! Attracted throughout the centuries first thousands and thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe every year and now attracts millions of tourists annually. It actually is the second tourist attraction after Paris in France! By some (and I am one of them) this remarkable island full of monumental buildings, belongs in the row of World wonders and for many centuries the nickname of Le Mont Saint Michel was "the Western wonder".

A visit as a tourist and as a pilgrim

The lovely inner court of the abbey

So, I knew Le Mont Saint Michel from this poster in my classroom and from the stories that our French teachers told about it. Of course I am curious enough to read about it too, but it took more then two decades to forfill the ultimate dream to have a pilgrimage myself to Le Mont Saint Michel. In 2006 our family decided to have our summer holiday in Normandy France and although our homebase was at the tip of Cotentin peninsula (Maupertus-sur-Mer near Cherbourg) and still more then 180 kilometres from our camping, I immediately reserved one full day to visit this magnificent place. This day became absolutely beautiful and I still dream to visit this special place again (though I usually not like to repeat a travel, as there is so much more to discover in this world).

Le Mont and the bay, an exceptional duo

Magnificent nature in the Bay of Mont Saint Michel

Le Mont Saint Michel is a small island in the bay that bares it's name (Bay of Mont Saint Michel). This enormous wide bay is the ultimate example of the extreme tidal differences around Normandy. The sea retreats here for more then 30 kilometers, leaving a vast plain on which people can walk on the bottom of the sea. In ancient times, Le Mont became an island completely twice a day. This was in defensive strategy a clever thing, but had also a supernatural effect on the status of sanctuary of Le Mont. Pilgrims that visited the abbey were amazed about this natural phenomena, as well as from the dazzling beauty of the buildings on top of the rocky island. Sadly enough due to human interferance, the bay has been sanded in. This has caused that slowly large parts around Le Mont Saint Michel are becoming land (polders), only to be washed over by the sea at the highest tides (once a month). Only then the island becomes an island again ... but! ... a huge project has started now to eventually return the natural order in this part of the bay and bring the former speciality back to the island of Mont Saint Michel.

Intro Updated Dec 6, 2007
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Reviews (25)

The Normandian flag waving over Le Mont - Mont Saint Michel

Le Mont, Bretagne or Normandy Local Customs (7)

On Le Mont Saint Michel the Normandian flag is waving proudly, but ... is it actually Normandy or Bretagne where this... more travel advice

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Gothic ... the original! Local Customs (7)

Here on Le Mont Saint Michel the first experiments on Gothic architecture took place, from which it is said to have... more travel advice

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The worst restaurant ever Restaurants (1)

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The original Chapel Saint Michel Off The Beaten Path (7)

It's hard to find, it's hard to reach. The original chaple devoted to Saint Michel is still there. The very small... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Dec 6, 2007

8 photos

Visit to Le Mont Saint Michel by a pilgrim tourist

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Comments (3)

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ettiewyn May 12, 2012 at 12:13 AM

Hi Paul, wow, fantastic tips and pictures! I really enjoyed reading, this must be a fascinating place. I never knew it was so crowded, though!
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kokoryko Feb 18, 2010 at 1:59 PM

This is a beautiful page, with lots of history and information. The little chapel attracts me more than the tourist crowded alleys. . :) The tides are part of the magic of this place. Gothic experiment? I learn every day on VT!
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cmthomas Dec 6, 2007 at 6:40 AM

Wonderful pics and commentary on Mont St. Michel, Paul. Well worth 5* ratings! Thanks for sharing. Clarence