Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most breathtaking sights in France, a soaring medieval abbey crowning a rocky island in a vast bay of some of the greatest tides in Europe, a UNESCO wonder. A tangle of steep medieval streets climbs from the walls to the abbey at the summit, and at high tide the mount becomes an island cut off from the land.

History

Before the first monastery was built in the 8th century the island was called Mont Tombe, and legend says that in 708 the archangel Michael appeared to Aubert, bishop of Avranches, and told him to build a church on the rock. In 933 William I Longsword annexed the Cotentin and made the mount part of Normandy, Norman ducal patronage paid for the abbey's architecture, and in 1067 the monastery backed William the Conqueror's claim to England, for which he gave it lands including St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. Abbot Pierre le Roy added new fortifications in 1386-1410, and in the Hundred Years' War English forces besieged the mount twice without taking it, in 1423-1424 and in 1433-1434, when they left behind two bombards that are still on display (Wikipedia, Mont-Saint-Michel).

What to look for

• The abbey - the soaring medieval monastery crowning the island summit.
• The medieval village - the steep, walled main street climbing to the abbey.
• The great tides - the vast bay and the fast-moving tides around the mount.
• The approach view - the classic sight of the mount rising from the bay.

When to go

Spring to autumn for mild weather and the best light; it is dramatic year-round. The great tides, when the sea races in, are worth timing with a tide table. Early or late, or an overnight, avoids the day-trip crush.

Before you go

It is extremely popular, so the single narrow street up to the abbey is packed by day, best avoided at midday. A shuttle or walk crosses the causeway from the car parks. The tides are dangerous on the sands, so heed warnings and guides.

Nearby

The Normandy coast and Brittany spread around; Saint-Malo is within reach.