Mont Saint-Michel is one of the places that one visits at least once in a lifetime. Because? An abbey and a village perched on a rocky outcrop rise in the center of a plain which, at high tide, is invaded by the sea, turning the abbey into an island.
The phenomenon is spectacular and fast. In a few seconds, the landscape changes completely to return, at low tide, to be one with the continent. We have created a useful guide on how to visit and get to Mont Saint Michel, in the North of France.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel is a Benedictine abbey on the border between Normandy and Brittany. Mont-Saint-Michel instead (which is written with two hyphens) is the name of the very small municipality that includes the abbey and the entire fortress on which the village is located.
This rock has always been considered a sacred place. The Celts performed their rituals and, according to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in the year 709 in Sant’Aubertu, and asked that a church dedicated to him be built at that point. The saint, who at that time was also bishop of those areas, ignored the request twice until San Michele burned his head with his finger. The skull of Sant’Auberto with the forum is kept in the cathedral of Avranches.
To avoid further repercussions from Saint Michel, an oratory was built in a cave on the mountain and the rock took the name of Mont-Saint-Michel-au-péril-de-la-Mer.
In the 1900s the Benedictine abbey was built with a village at the foot needed to accommodate the many pilgrims. In the Hundred Years’ War, it was turned into a fortress and resisted the British for 11 years. This siege went down in history as the longest in the Middle Ages.
After the French revolution, Mont Saint-Michel became a prison, and only in the last century, it became a Benedictine abbey again.
15 things you should know before you leave
Below are 15 things you should know and (maybe) still don’t know about the island (which is sometimes not an island) and the most visited abbey. France:
1. Mont Saint-Michel is a very touristic place
It is estimated that the actual number of people who come to Mont Saint Michel is 3,000,000 per year. The number of entrances to the abbey is also around 1,200,000 tickets each year.
2. The mountain is dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo
For this reason, on the gulla of the church of San Michel, there is a golden statue depicting the saint.
3. How high is Mont Saint Michel?
Thanks to this statue, Mont Saint Michel reaches a height of 170 meters.
4. Other measures
Continuing with the measurements, we add that the island is about 960 meters in circumference and an area of about 7 hectares. Parking is paid, if you want to save something you will have to prepare yourself for a nice walk.
5. Souvenir shops
It is a real showcase of souvenir shops with a total of 24 shops in just 300 meters.
6. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site
Apart from these inconveniences, it is worth visiting at least once in a lifetime: this is shown by the fact that it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.
7. Mont Saint Michel was one of the first French monuments to obtain this recognition
Along with it, the Palace of Versailles and the Cathedral of Chartres have been proclaimed UNESCO Heritage.
8. Origin
Originally Mont Saint Michel was an abbey built inside the forest of Scissy. The shore was more than 48 km away. From the third century onwards the level of the land gradually decreased and the sea slowly took over the forest. According to what is said it was a particularly violent equine tide in 709 to submerge the forest permanently.
9. Is it inhabited?
Yes, only 40 people live in the monastery.
10. It was originally a sacred mountain
Before Christianity it was considered a sacred mountain and there was already a shrine that was dedicated to Beleno, the Gallic god of the sun.
11. He was also in prison
After the French revolution, the last monks were expelled from the abbey, which became a prison: from 1793 onwards more than 300 priests were sent to prison for refusing the new civil constitution of the clergy.
12. Famous Visitors
One of the most frequent visitors was the composer Claude Debussy, who had the inspiration here to compose one of his most important preludes, “The Submerged Cathedral”.
13. Cinema set
The cinema also used the mountain as a film set. In Armageddon, you can see a bucolic shot of Mont Saint-Michel on the horizon with two shepherds tending sheep (the mount in the film is in Ireland). Terrence Malick, in his film To the Wonderpays special tribute to Mont Saint Michel in the film with Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko.
14. It was used as a video game setting
It is also present as an environment for Assassin’s Creed.
15. When does it become an island?
Mont Saint-Michel becomes an island only at certain times of the day and in particular tidal conditions. This started happening again from 2015, thanks to the works that redesigned the beach, freed it from the wreckage and thanks to the construction of the footbridge. It had been running since 1879.
The tides of Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is one of the places in the world where the phenomenon of tides is most evident. The high tide can reach up to 15 meters high and transform the fortress into an island.
Tides are caused in part by the attraction of the sun and moon on bodies of water. Low and high tides alternate every day, but only a few times a month the tide becomes particularly high and there is talk of high tides. Here you will find the tide calendar for Mont Saint-Michel to admire the incredible phenomenon of the tide.
Mont Saint-Michel Abbey
Mont Saint-Michel and its bay have been classified among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1979. Even without witnessing the phenomenon of the tides, the visit to Mont Saint-Michel is still definitely worth the effort.
The impression, just above the bridge, should be catapulted to a place where time seems to have stopped, in a rural stone village built just below the imposing Abbey.
The abbey was originally built in the middle of the forest of Scissy 48 km from the sea. It was a huge equinox tide, from what historical sources report, to determine land subsidence. Claude Debussy he loves Mont Saint-Michel and here he was inspired by its submerged Cathedral. Today it is a little more difficult to be inspired by the abbey, which is full of souvenir shops and is very touristy, but despite this, the atmosphere remains fascinating.
Did you know that Mont Saint-Michel has twins? It is called San Michael Mountain and is situated on a Cornish island connected at low tide to the mainland by a causeway.
Access times of the Abbey
The last access of the day is allowed one hour before closing. Here are the times:
From January 2 to April 30: Open daily 9.30-18.00
From 2 May to 31 August: Open daily 9.00-19.00
From 1 September to 31 December: Open daily 9.30-18.00
Closing: 1 January, 1 May and 25 December
When You Go
It is always worth planning a trip to Mont Saint Michel. However, there are particular days of the year known as the days of the Great Storm, in which the tides have a coefficient greater than 100 and surround Mont Saint Michel, making it a real island. In this link, you will find the tide times and forecasts year by year.
How to get
By car
Take the A11 towards Chartres-Le Mans-Laval and exit at Fougères and then continue towards Mont Saint-Michel. Alternatively, you can take the A13 to Rouen then Caen, and the A84 to Mont Saint-Michel.
With of the line
Several buses lead to Mont Saint Michel.
From Rennes or Dol de Bretagne to Mont Saint-Michel. From Pontorson to Mont Saint-Michel to Granville to Mont Saint-Michel (line 6) Manéo.
On the train
With the Mont-Saint-Michel train that leaves Paris Montparnasse for Villedieu Les Poêles station. From here, take the correspondence bus to Mont Saint-Michel.
From Paris Montparnasse you can take the TGV to Rennes (2 hours) to take the correspondence with the regional train (TER) from Rennes to Pontorson then a bus to Mont Saint-Michel or a direct correspondence by bus from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel .
Alternatively, you can leave Paris Montparnasse by TGV to Dol de Bretagne (2 hours 40) and then take the direct bus connection from Dol de Bretagne to Mont Saint-Michel.
By bike
You can reach Mont Saint Michel by bike, cycling along 400 km of cycle paths, green roads, and Veloscenic roads.