Castle of Mont Saint. Impregnable castle Mont Saint-Michel (13 photos)

You can find analogues - but Mont Saint-Michel is absolutely unique. There is simply no rival in the world to a lonely mountain in the middle of a perfectly flat plain; a mountain crowned by a stern monastery and surrounded by impenetrable walls; a mountain whose slopes sheltered an entire medieval city with tiny winding streets; a mountain that the highest tides in Europe twice a day turn into an impregnable island, and the surrounding plain into a raging ocean. The path to get there is not easy, but from year to year millions of people flock here - to feel involved in a true miracle, at least for a few hours.

UNESCO included Mont Saint-Michel on the List of World Heritage Sites, guidebooks proudly call it the “eighth wonder of the world,” and the French themselves simply call their favorite attraction the Mountain.

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How to get to Mont Saint Michel

The easiest and most economical way to get to Mont Saint-Michel is to take a direct bus from Paris. On Saturdays and Sundays, Flixbus buses leave from La Défense early in the morning and return to the capital late in the evening. The journey takes about 5 hours, passengers are taken directly to the walls of Mont Saint-Michel. A round-trip ticket will cost less than 50 EUR, you can book it at the office. carrier's website. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

On weekdays, getting to the Mountain is a little more difficult: first you need to connect to the TGV high-speed train at Montparnasse station, get to Rennes, and then change to a bus from the local Keolys network. A combined train-bus ticket can be purchased at the office. website of the SNCF company, which is in charge of all French railways. The travel time is comparable to the bus option, and for a one-way ticket you will have to pay at least 50 EUR.

The third way to get to Mont Saint-Michel from Paris can easily be considered exotic: at the Rennes railway station you need to change to a local train to the town of Pontorson, and then take a minibus to Mont Saint-Michel (travel time is about 20 minutes, ticket price 2.50 EUR). For those traveling to Mont Saint-Michel from Normandy, this method is quite acceptable: several trains run daily from Rouen to Pontorson.

Mont Saint-Michel can also be reached by car - the road from Paris along the A13 toll motorway takes about 4 hours and costs 15 EUR. The route through Alençon along the free highway N10 is shorter in mileage, but longer in time and very tiring for the driver - the road runs through many towns with narrow intersections, pedestrian crossings and frequent speed limits of up to 50 km/h.

Search for flights to Paris (the nearest airport to Mont Saint-Michel)

A little history

In Gallo-Roman times, a dense forest rustled on the site of the present Bay of Saint-Michel, and the future Mountain was a low hill. The first Christian hermits chose it as a place of solitude and prayer. Local residents brought food to the ascetics and buried their remains in due course. The previously unnamed hill began to be called Grave Mountain. By the 7th century, the ocean swallowed up the land, and the Mountain acquired its modern shape, and in 709 the first monastery was founded on the top. Over the centuries, it grew, changed owners several times, survived many wars and sieges, was once burned to the ground and rebuilt stone by stone - until it was closed during the French Revolution. The monks were expelled, their cells were turned into cells for political prisoners. The darkest period of Mont Saint-Michel lasted almost 100 years, and only at the end of the 19th century the prison was closed and Mont Saint-Michel received the status of a national museum. In 1966, part of the monastery was returned to the Catholic Church, and now the Benedictine brothers celebrate Mass daily in the abbey chapel.

Transport

The transport system of Mont Saint-Michel is somewhat exotic, but very convenient and fully corresponds to the special atmosphere of this place. 3 km from the monastery, next to the 24-hour paid parking (half an hour is free, a day ticket will cost car owners 11.50 EUR) there is a stop for unusual electric buses. They were designed specifically for Mont Saint-Michel, and they do not have the usual “front” and “rear” - the driver’s cabins are located on both sides. They cover the path to the mountain in 12 minutes, making stops along the way at hotels and restaurants in the town of La Caserne on the shore of the bay. Buses run from 7:30 to midnight at intervals of several minutes and travel is free.

For lovers of antiquity, there is an alternative: carriages pulled by a pair of Norman heavy trucks reach the mountain in 25 minutes. Capacity is up to 24 passengers, one-way ticket costs 5 EUR.

Beautiful Mont Saint Michel

Communications and Wi-Fi

There are no problems with mobile communications in Mont Saint-Michel - 3G and 4G networks are available anywhere on the island. The situation with Wi-Fi is less rosy; you can only discover a free access point by chance. In this sense, it is easier for hotel guests and restaurant clients than for tourists visiting for a few hours - free Wi-Fi has long become a standard in such establishments. The password to a hotel chain is usually written either on the wall of the room or on a special laminated card - it is placed on the table before guests check-in. Finding the password to restaurant chains is not always easy - it is not customary to post it openly. Sometimes it is printed at the bottom of the menu, but in most cases you will have to ask the waiter for help.

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Mont Saint Michel Hotels

Local hotels are clearly divided into two groups: hotels from the first are located inside the city fortifications (intra muros), from the second - in the town of La Caserne in the immediate vicinity of Mont Saint-Michel. The hotel rooms are cramped, not the most pleasant smells can be heard from the restaurants downstairs, you will have to first take a minibus to get to your accommodation, and then walk up the Grande Rue, crowded with tourists. But the proximity to all the attractions and the opportunity to watch the tide from your “own” windows are worth it.

Hotels in La Caserne are designed in modern times, there is a higher level of comfort at reasonable prices - with early booking, a room in a 2* hotel will cost only 55 EUR. Among the advantages of staying overnight in La Caserne are convenient hotel parking, a stunning view of Mont Saint-Michel at night, as well as a vibrant and varied nightlife.

What to bring

The choice of souvenirs in Mont Saint-Michel is huge: shops along the main street fight for every client, offering a wide range of goods for every taste and budget - from magnets for a couple of euros to a full set of knight's armor for the price of an average car.

In addition to the usual tourist set, it is customary to take away as souvenirs elegant plates with images of the abbey, small copies of the statue of the Archangel Michael decorating the monastery spire, funny stone figurines of musicians and jugglers made in medieval technology, models of sailing ships, figurines made of Norman porcelain, as well as souvenirs replicas of bladed weapons.

Among the culinary products, the most popular are crispy butter cookies “from Mother Poulard”, “Quin-aman” pies from neighboring Brittany, as well as local salted caramel - it is packaged and sold individually.

Cuisine and restaurants of Mont Saint-Michel

People don’t go to Mont Saint-Michel for gastronomic pleasures; sophisticated, expensive restaurants here would simply go out of business. The local cuisine is simple, tasty and inexpensive - exactly what a weary traveler needs.

All bars, cafes, snack bars and pancake houses are located exclusively on Grande Rue - it is useless to look for food in other places on the island. These establishments are accustomed to quickly serving the tourist flow, and you can count on a short, hearty snack at a price of 12 to 25 EUR. Snacks and sandwiches to take away will cost 3-4 EUR each.

There are few restaurants in Mont Saint-Michel, they exist only at hotels and sometimes live at the pace of the guests - they serve for a long time, but it is there that you can taste the Mountain's signature dish at an affordable price - lamb fillet raised in the local water meadows (it is believed that Ocean salt naturally permeates the meat and gives it a unique flavor). Dinner in such a restaurant will cost 80-120 EUR and will take several hours, but while waiting for food you can watch the ebb and flow of the tides - all restaurants here have panoramic terraces overlooking the bay.

Guides in Mont Saint Michel

Entertainment and attractions

Mont Saint-Michel is a landmark in itself. The majestic fortress city on a lonely mountain, surrounded alternately by the ocean and by a damp sandy plain, invariably makes a strong impression on travelers.

By the way, it was the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel that became the prototype for the fortress of Minas Tirith in the film “The Lord of the Rings”.

Access to Mont Saint-Michel itself is free, and any tourist can enter the city through the Royal Gate, simultaneously examining a cannon from the Hundred Years War, marvel at the two-meter width of the local “Grand Rue” (Grande Rue) and pick up souvenirs there. If your build permits, you can take a chance and climb to the upper tier along crooked alleys - in some places you will have to squeeze through sideways. At the top, after passing the gates of the abbey and walking along the walls, you can thoughtfully select an “observation post” and meet the tide with a camera in your hands. On the way back, it’s worth stopping by the tiny city church and ending the tour with a walk along the fortress walls of the lower tier, returning to the Royal Gate. If you have time and energy left, you can walk along the granite blocks along the island to the small chapel of Saint-Aubert - it used to serve as a place for prayer vigils.

An adult tourist will have to pay 10 EUR to enter the abbey (office site in English), children are admitted free of charge.

The Constable's House, Archaeoscope, Historical and Maritime Museums are somewhat lost against the background of other attractions, but they are also interesting in their own way. A combined ticket to visit all 4 will cost 18 EUR, more information can be obtained at the office. website (in English).

5 things to do in Mont Saint Michel

1. Walk under the echoing arches of the abbey and go down to its heart - the chapel of Notre-Dame-Sous-Terre.
2. Meet the tide while standing at the stone parapet of the upper fortifications.
3. At low tide, go out onto the damp sand of the bay and look at the Mountain from all sides.
4. Buy souvenirs in the shops on Grande Rue.
5. Try the famous omelet “from Mother Poulard”

Weather

The climate in northern France is mild. In general, you can rely on the weather forecast for Normandy, but it is worth taking into account some features of the bay: the ocean has leveled the surface for kilometers around the Mountain, so the westerly wind blows around Mont Saint-Michel as it wants - this is especially felt on the upper observation decks. Tides constantly wet the surrounding sand, so in winter there is a high risk of fog, and in summer high humidity combined with the scorching sun makes many tourists faint.

The ocean not only affects the microclimate of the Mountain - often the life of a tourist depends on it. The tide comes suddenly and moves the water at the speed of a running person, so before going for a walk you should definitely study the tide schedule at the office. website (in English).

The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is the most visited attraction in France after Paris. And if you've ever seen a photograph of him, you probably understand why this is so. It looks simply magical and fabulous. It can be seen from several tens of kilometers around. A huge ancient castle on a high mountain, surrounded by the sea, which retreats several kilometers from the foot of the mountain in the morning, and quickly returns in the evening, what could be more beautiful?

Currently, the island has only a few dozen inhabitants. The total number of visitors to the complex per year is 1.5 - 1.8, and according to some sources - up to 3.5 million people, and about 650 thousand tourists come to the abbey in July-August.

In this article I will talk about how you can visit this unique historical site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your own, how much it will cost and what you can see outside the walls of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. And how to best plan your visit so as not to miss anything.

How to get to Mont Saint Michel

You can take a tour from Paris and they will do everything for you.

By car
You can rent a car, this is especially beneficial if you are 3-4 people; travel by public transport in this case can cost a pretty penny. The car can be found on the rental car metasearch engine . The distance from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel is only 358 km, the journey takes no more than 4 hours along the highway; if you wish, you can do it in one day, but to see the ebb and flow of the tides it is better to stay overnight.

By public transport
You can get there by public transport from Paris. To do this you will have to use three types of transport.

1. You need to take the TGV high-speed train to Rennes at Montparnasse station, travel time 2 hours, website for purchasing tickets voyages-sncf.com, the site is available in Russian.
2. In Rennes, change to a regional train to Pontorson station, travel time 48 minutes, website for purchasing train tickets www.sncf.com Purchasing tickets through the website is recommended as it can be cheaper than at the station ticket office. The site is available in English.
3. Direct bus to Mont Saint Michel.

The cost of the trip can vary from 35 € to 100 €; it is recommended to buy tickets three months in advance; in this regard, renting a car may be much more relevant.

Parking

Cost: 30 minutes free, up to 2 hours 6-30 €, day 12 €. Two hours is absolutely not enough for a thorough inspection of the abbey. There are many parking workers, they professionally fill the parking lot, leaving not a single empty space. That is, we are definitely ready for a large influx of tourists in Mont Saint Michel.

Previously, parking was under the very walls of Mont Saint-Michel, but now everything is different. Parking is on the mainland.

We arrived at Mont Saint-Michel at about 10 am, 07/14/2013 (the day promised to be hot.

Tourist information center

First of all, we headed to the tourist information center. There you can watch a short video presentation of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in 3D, there are also toilets, brochures and models of the abbey. There we learned that active construction of a bridge was underway and the dam would be demolished. The dam has existed since 1879 and has caused waterlogging in the surrounding areas. At the moment (2016) the bridge has already been completed.

There are several hotels right on the island, they are located in old historical buildings. It is better to choose hotels on the mainland in the immediate vicinity of the abbey, so that you can walk to the sea in the evening and watch the tide.

The Grand Rue, the main street, begins right outside the gates of the abbey; almost every French city has its own Grand Rue, for example in. This street is lined with souvenir shops and cafes, the prices are steep, but this is the second most visited place in France after Paris, that says it all. The crowd of people in July was very dense.

All buildings of the abbey are on three levels. First you need to climb to the very top of the church, and then, during the descent, inspect different rooms, going out to observation decks to enjoy the views.

There is shade on the Main Street, so it’s comfortable to walk along it, but the stairs are partially in the sun, which makes it a little hot.

And a little more to the top.

Everyone here is already entering through the side door into the ancient church.

Mass in the Abbey Church of Mont Saint-Michel

We were lucky and got to witness Sunday mass. For me personally, it was more like a theatrical performance than religious worship. There were only tourists in the church and almost all of them were filming what was happening on their phones. There was a rope hanging from the crosshairs of the church and the monk (see photo below) swung on it for a while and everyone heard the bell ringing, then this monk turned to face us and it turned out that it was a woman.

The breadth of European morals never ceases to amaze me. Next came a procession of clergy dressed in elegant church clothes, this time they were men. Then the priest ascended the pulpit and began to preach, at which point we left the mass. When entering the church, no one puts scarves on their heads, I mean women, and does not cover their shoulders, i.e. it is no longer an active church, but a tourist attraction.

From the church you can immediately get to the highest observation deck. Look at the new facade of the church, despite the fact that the facade is new, it has already managed to grow with lichen. The top of the spire is decorated with the figure of St. Michael. The spire was built already in the 19th century.

The observation deck offers stunning views of the sea at low tide.

From the church you can go straight to the cloister. This cloister was built in 1965. It is very beautiful, such a small cozy garden, the clicking of camera shutters rightly announces it.

On the first, topmost tier there is also an extensive refectory with two huge fireplaces. The first tier was given to the monks.

The history of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel dates back to 708. Naturally, not all buildings were built at once. Construction went on for centuries. According to legend, Saint Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert three times and three times ordered him to build a temple on Mount Mont Tomb. The following bas-relief illustrates this legend. This bas-relief is installed in the passage to the second tier of the abbey.

The second tier is dedicated to the military, knights. Since in the Middle Ages there were a lot of robbers who wanted to profit at the expense of others, the military played their role in protecting the abbey, it was impossible to do without them. In addition to just robbers, the abbey also had to resist military invasions. But fortunately, the high rock was very well guarded by the sea and it was difficult to storm the mountain, protected by the daily ebb and flow of tides.

In the Hall of the Large Columns there are as many as 10 columns with a diameter of 5 meters. Only four of us managed to hug such a column. Such thick columns were built to support the upper tier.

The oldest room preserved in the abbey is the Saint-Martin crypt. It exists in the same form in which it was built in 1050.

In the Middle Ages, Mont Saint-Michel became an important place of pilgrimage. In the 10th century, Benedictine monks settled in the abbey, and a village began to grow down the mountainside, which in the 16th century reached the foot of the cliff.

Having remained an impregnable fortress during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is a striking example of military architecture. Its walls and fortifications withstood all attacks by the British and turned the mountain into a symbolic place of national identity.

During the revolution, the activities of the religious community were stopped and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison. In 1874, Mont Saint-Michel was given the status of a historical monument and the abbey became the subject of extensive restoration work.

Since then and to this day, restoration work has not stopped, covering more and more new areas of the abbey. Restoration work allows visitors to meet again the former splendor of the abbey, which the inhabitants of the Middle Ages imagined as a heavenly Jerusalem on earth, a prototype of paradise.

The heat does not interfere with visiting the abbey. On the way up, narrow streets provide protection from the scorching sun, and coolness reigns inside, preserved by thick ancient walls. Mont Saint Michel is an absolute must see in France and Normandy in particular. This is a completely unique monument of medieval religious architecture.

In the Middle Ages, numerous pilgrims flocked here, and now numerous tourists, in general, little has changed. Mont Saint-Michel continues to attract many thousands of people with its unique beauty and originality. Unfortunately, we didn’t walk around on the sand, it was very hot, we didn’t see the night lights, so there’s a reason to come back.

On the border of two French counties, Brittany and Normandy, in the middle of the Cusnon River there is an island-castle with huge rocky shores rising 80 meters above the water surface.

It is called, which is translated into Russian from French as Mount St Michael.

The Legend of the Castle Island

Legend has it that the construction of Mont Saint-Michel, which was an abbey in the Middle Ages, was started by Aubert, a French archbishop, after the Archangel Michael appeared to him three times in a dream in 709. The winged guest said that a fortress should be built on a rock that rises above the sea.

Twice Aubert did not listen to the angel, and Mont Saint-Michel would never have been built if the archangel’s patience had not run out. During the third visit, the heavenly messenger decided to reinforce his words with a click on the forehead, during which the angel’s sword burned through the priest’s cassock. Ober considered this argument weighty enough to overcome his laziness and fulfill Mikhail’s request.

Pyramid in the ocean

Mont Saint-Michel was built by the Normans, contemporaries of William the Conqueror. The kings of all Europe, in search of heaven on earth, made pilgrimages to him. During the Hundred Years' War, the great castle did not surrender to the English conquerors for 30 years of siege.

Twice a year, on the days of the autumn and spring equinox, the water of the Cusnon River rises to the level of the castle walls. The tide comes in extremely quickly, so unwary tourists have a chance of not having time to reach the fortress. The water turns the castle into an island connected to the continent by a causeway.

Visited this magical place Victor Hugo, master of the pen and father of Notre Dame Cathedral, considered the architectural complex “Miracle” located on the island the most beautiful in Europe, and Mont Saint-Michel himself dubbed it a pyramid in the ocean.

Visit to the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel

For several dozen centuries, people have been going to this place along a road called the “Way of Paradise.” They go for a reason, but to ask for help and consolation from Archangel Michael.

If you are traveling on a tour package to Paris, then your tour operator can organize you an excursion trip to the island of Mont Saint-Michel, but only for one day.

It’s much better to go there on your own to wander through the medieval streets of this island-castle, discover different hidden corners and imagine how history comes to life before your eyes...

You will have to stay in a hotel with a three-star comfort level, since there is no choice - there is only one hotel in the castle. And this hotel is also involved in history - after all, it was built in the sixteenth century.

Currently, Mont Saint-Michel is visited by crowds of tourists; in its popularity it has clearly eclipsed both Versailles and even Paris. It’s no joke - more than three million people every year!

Recently, restoration work was carried out on this island, and the top of the tower is decorated with a gilded statue of the Archangel Michael, the work of the famous sculptor Fremier.

Mont Saint Michel Castle - tourist attraction

There were troubled times in the history of the Mont Saint-Michel castle - at first it was a monastery, which was closed in one thousand seven hundred and ninety, and instead of a monastery it was turned into a state prison for the most dangerous criminals and repeat offenders.

And for fifty years the castle was not a place of pilgrimage for people, but, as it was called, a “Provincial Bastille.”

But, fortunately, the authorities came to their senses, Mont Saint-Michel was restored, a major overhaul was carried out, after which tourists were again able to visit this beautiful place. But this happened only in one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.

Tourists will be interested to see the abbey, the Gothic complex of buildings “Miracle”, the Grand staircase, which are located in the city of Mont-Saint-Michel, Grand Rue lane.

To get to the inner part of the island, which, by the way, consists of only one street - Rue Grande, you need to pass the Royal Gate.

As you walk through them, you will see small, charming houses standing close to each other on both sides of the street.

Previously, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, these houses were residential, but now you can find souvenir shops, shops or cafes there.

The most famous miracle of the abbey is the “Monastery Court”, which hangs between earth and sky.

It contains six rooms, as well as a passage to the former refectory, which today is used as a place for various meetings, symposiums or banquets.

Participants in these celebrations can taste the monastery cider.

Stone buildings conceal centuries-old cold. And drafts do their job, so when going to the island of Mont Saint-Michel, you need to take warm clothes with you. It will definitely come in handy, especially for those who want to take a walk outside the castle, for example, to walk around it.

Due to the proximity of the sea, there is a strong wind outside, so it is very easy to freeze, despite the fact that you only need to walk one kilometer to go around the castle.

Going on such a walk is only allowed at low tide, when you can walk on the sand, and not alone. The soil of the island is such that there are voids in it, and if your foot gets stuck there, it will be impossible to get out on your own.

You will need to be sure to know the tide schedule if you plan to walk around the island. After all, the water at high tide can rise fifteen meters!

The schedule, written in various languages, is on a board at the entrance to the city.

An interesting fact - if you think that you have already seen the castle of Mont Saint-Michel somewhere, then you will be right - it was he who served as the model for the fortress of Minas Tirith, from the film “The Lord of the Rings. Return of the King".

Tourists have free access to the island itself, however, parking nearby is paid everywhere. Entrance to the abbey is also paid for adults, but for children it is free. Well, also, organized tours with a guide are paid.

Time to visit:

• summer period, from nine in the morning to seven in the evening;
• winter period, from half past eight in the morning to six in the evening.

The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is an architectural marvel of France. This site is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This unique monument of nature and architecture is a city built on a rock located in a small bay. During high tides, the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is cut off from the mainland.

Ancient architecture has been preserved on the island, despite the numerous sieges that it has experienced over the 1,500 years of its existence. The chapels and fortress walls are of great interest not only from a historical, but also from an engineering point of view. After all, inaccessible cliffs in the Middle Ages were almost always cut off from the land by high sea waves, so the ancient builders had to overcome nature itself and show miracles of ingenuity to build this unique complex.

Expert opinion

Knyazeva Victoria

Guide to Paris and France

Today France considers the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel one of the country's main tourist sites. It is the second most visited city in the state after Paris. Its population is less than 100 people, but every year the monastery and surrounding areas are visited by up to 3.5 million tourists from different parts of the world.

general information

The island of Mont Saint Michel is easy to find on the map. It is located 285 km northwest of Paris, in the province of Normandy, almost on the border with Breton. The city on a rock is surrounded by a small bay, against which it rises more than 70 m. The bay seems to encircle the mountain on 2 sides, cutting it off from the flat land.

Twice a lunar day, which is 24 hours and 50 minutes, you can see a wonderful picture of how sea water recedes, exposing the foot of the mountain and creating a natural passage to the island along the sandy bottom, and then floods it again.

However, walking in these places on your own is strictly not recommended. This is only possible when accompanied by a certified guide. Such strict rules are explained by the fact that the bay has an unstable bottom. In some places it is formed by quicksand.

In addition, you should carefully study the tide schedule. After all, within a few hours the water will begin to arrive at the rocks at the speed of a galloping horse. The height of the waves can reach 14 m. In the area of ​​the Mont Saint-Michel castle, the tide is considered the most powerful in all of Europe. Therefore, it is better to observe this amazing natural phenomenon at a safe distance.

Mont Saint-Michel is not easy to find on the map. This is a small island located on the northwestern coast of France, on the border of two regions - Normandy and Brittany. It is considered one of the most popular attractions in France. Now the island's population is about three dozen inhabitants.

Despite its size and distance from Paris 285 km to the west, more than 7,000 tourists from all over the world come here every day.

From Thursday to Sunday, buses run from Paris to the island. Duration of the trip: about 5 hours. The cost of a round trip ticket varies from 50 to 100 Euros depending on the season.

On weekdays the road to the island will take longer. To do this, you need to take a train to Rennes or Pontorson and change to a commuter bus. The journey also takes about 5 hours. Cost from 50 to 120 Euros for a one-way combined ticket.

You can also get to the island by car - the trip takes about 4 hours on the A13 toll motorway. The cost of travel on the motorway is about 15 Euros.

For those who like to travel, there is a free highway N10, which is shorter in mileage than the motorway, but longer in time: the road passes through small towns with narrow streets and speed limits. However, this option will allow you to explore the French countryside in all its glory.

What to see?

An impressive part of the island, about 55,000 sq.m., is dedicated to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Michel, which embodies the best example of French medieval architecture. The construction of two three-story buildings of the abbey, supported on a platform 80 meters long, amazes with the accuracy of the calculations of the builders of the 13th century and the uniqueness that sets it apart from other monasteries and gives every right to call Saint-Michel an architectural miracle.

The monastery, which at various times was both a prison with the ironic name “Mount Libre” and a factory for the production of straw hats, is now again the abode of a dozen monks. Daily services in the abbey are available to everyone.

• Hours of service: morning – 7:00 on weekdays; 8:00 on weekends, holidays and in August. Daytime – 12:15 daily (except Mon); 11:30 on Saturdays. Evening – 18:30 daily (except Sun and Mon). You must be at the entrance 10 minutes before the start of the service.
• Abbey opening hours: from May 2 to August 31: 9:00 – 18:00, last entry at 18:00. From September 1 to April 30: 9:30 – 18:00, last entry at 17:00.
• The abbey is closed to visitors on January 1, May 1, and December 25.
• Cost: adults – 9 Euros, children under 18 years old and disabled people – free.

The island and the city and abbey built on it were named after the Archangel Michael. According to legend, he appeared three times to the Bishop of Avranches, Saint Aubert, with the command to build a church on the island of Mont Saint-Michel, which at that time was still known as “Mont Tombe” because of its inaccessibility. Now in the chapel, standing on the outskirts of the island, the relics of St. Aubert are kept, which attract pilgrims from all over the world to the abbey.

The founding year of the city of Mont-Saint-Michel itself is considered to be 708.. In the 14th century, due to frequent raids and attacks on the city, a wall and a outpost were built near the water border of the island. The outer ring of fortifications, protecting the city from invaders, and the inner ring, enclosing the territory of the abbey, create the atmosphere of a medieval castle.

The island is connected to the mainland by a dam. You can enter the fortress through the Royal Gate (Porte du Roy). Together with the boulevard (Porte du Boulevard) and external gates (Porte de l’Avancee), they form the only entrance to the castle. Behind the main gates of the fortress, the “Big Street” (La Grande Rue) begins. It climbs quite steeply up to the abbey, so you should not take strollers or bicycles for a walk around the city.

• Cost: free for all tourists.

This museum allows you to trace the thousand-year history of Mont Saint-Michel. In addition to a collection of paintings, sculptures and other archaeological treasures, in the museum you can visit an elaborate exhibition of prison cells.

The island was an ideal place for imprisonment, since it was difficult to escape from it: at high tides it is surrounded by water, at low tides anyone who escaped was sucked into quicksand, and the rocky walls did not allow digging. The prison was operational for a long time, but in the 19th century, thanks to the efforts of Victor Hugo and other French writers, it was closed.

• Opening hours: February to June, September to November – 10:30 – 17:30, July to August – 10:30 – 18:30.

The archaeoscope, located on the Grande Rue, invites visitors to explore Mont Saint-Michel from an interesting side. Spectators get a unique opportunity to become part of a magical performance that reveals the secrets of the creation and life of the island.

• Opening hours: from February to June, from September to November – 9:00 – 17:30, from July to August – 9:00 – 18:30.
• Cost: adults – 9 Euro; combined ticket for all museums on the island - 18 Euros, children from 10 to 18 years old - 4.5 Euros; combined ticket – 9 Euros, children under 10 years old – free.

Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum is located immediately behind the Royal Gate, on Bolshaya Street. Here is a collection of ship models that will appeal to all sailing enthusiasts. Also in the museum you can see models of Viking longships and European sailing ships of the medieval era. A fascinating story about the ebb and flow of the tides in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel and its influence on the historical events that took place at the foot of the island will not leave anyone indifferent.

• Opening hours: from February to June, from September to November – 10:00 – 17:30, from July to August – 10:00 – 18:30.
• Cost: adults – 9 Euro; combined ticket for all museums on the island - 18 Euros, children from 10 to 18 years old - 4.5 Euros; combined ticket – 9 Euros, children under 10 years old – free.

In 1365, the knight Bertrand du Guesclin, who served at the court of King Charles V, built this house for his young wife Tiphaine Ragenel before leaving for the war with Spain. Typhena was a famous astrologer who predicted the fate of the world from the stars. The house-museum preserves furniture of that era, du Guesclin's armor and the astrology cabinet of Tiphena herself..

• Opening hours: from February to June, from September to November – 9:00 – 18:00, from July to August – 9:00 – 19:00.
• Cost: adults – 9 Euro; combined ticket for all museums on the island - 18 Euros, children from 10 to 18 years old - 4.5 Euros; combined ticket – 9 Euros, children under 10 years old – free.
• Address: Rue Principale.

The Scriptorial is one of the most important manuscript libraries in all of France. More than 13,500 ancient books and publications dating from the 16th to 19th centuries are collected here, incl. and manuscripts and early editions of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which places Avranches on the list of the most important cities with collections of historical books.

Upon entering the museum, each child is given a small guidebook for a fun and educational exploration of the island's history and wonders. Multimedia systems are located throughout the museum, offering a deeper understanding of the relevant theme of the exhibition, and interactive games and documentaries are offered for young visitors.

• Opening hours: October - December, February - March - 14:00 - 18:00 (Sun-Mon - closed), April - June, September - 10:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 18:00 (Mon - closed), July – August – 10:00 – 13:00, 14:00 – 19:00 (Mon – closed)
• The museum is closed throughout January, 1.05, 1.11, 25.12.
• Cost: adults - 3 - 8 Euros, children under 18 years of age and students, visitors with tickets to the abbey, disabled people - free. The 1st Sunday of the month (except holidays) is free for everyone.
• Audio guide – 2 Euro.
• Address: Place d'Estouteville, Avranches.

Hiking tours along the coast of Mont Saint-Michel Bay are very popular.. And the bay owes this not only to its miracle island, but also to the strongest ebbs and flows in Europe, which, according to Wikipedia, are considered the second most amplitude in the whole world, after the Bay of Fundy.

At low tide, the water recedes from the island almost 18 km, giving tourists the chance to walk along the wet sand of the coastline and enjoy the view of the castle, familiar to everyone from numerous photographs and postcards. The tide returns water for about 20 km, surrounding the island. In the evening, at dusk, the abbey and fortress of Mont Saint-Michel, illuminated by hundreds of lights, offers a breathtaking view from the coast.

The expositions of the ecomuseum are constantly updated. Here you can get acquainted with and participate in the process of extracting salt from the sea water of the bay. The museum's permanent exhibition offers an interactive exploration of the bay's ecosystem. Visitors are also given the opportunity to wander around the area around Mont Saint-Michel, accompanied by a guide.

• Opening hours: from April to June - daily, 14:00 - 18:00, from July to September - daily, 10:00 - 18:00.
• Cost: adults – 5 Euros, children from 7 to 18 years old – 2.5 Euros, family ticket (2 adults + 3 children from 7 to 18 years old) – 15 Euros.
• Address: Route du Grouin du Sud, Vains.

3 km from Mont Saint-Michel is Tomblen Island, which can be reached on foot at low tide. It served as a place of retreat for the monks. Built in the 12th century, the church in the name of the Virgin Mary was destroyed in the 17th century by order of Louis XIV. Now there is an ornithological reserve on the island.

Where to go with children?

On the road to Mont Saint-Michel there is a zoological garden with the largest population of alligators in Europe. Tourists and their little companions are offered not only to look at various species of lizards, snakes, crocodiles and turtles, but also to participate in the process of feeding some of them.

• Opening hours: from 1.10 to 31.03 – daily, 14:00 – 18:00. From 1.04 to 30.09 – daily, 10:00 – 19:00.
• Cost: adults – 13 Euros, children from 13 to 18 years old – 10.5 Euros, children from 3 to 12 years old – 8.5 Euros, children under 3 years old – free.
• Address: 62 Route du Mont Saint-Michel, Beauvoir.