Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint-Michel

Le Mont-Saint-Michel is an island community in Normandy, France. It is located about one kilometer (0.6 miles) off the country's northwestern coast and is only 100 hectares (247 acres) in size. As of 2009, the island has a population of 44 people.

The island has held strategic forts since ancient times and since the 700s has been the seat of the monastery from which it draws its name. Its unique position — on an island just 600 meters from land — made it accessible simply by walking across the beach at low tide but easily defensible as a high tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be attackers. The tides are so strong here that the difference between low tide and high tide is only 6 hours apart! This makes the island a little bit dangerous to visit, as every year a few tourists ignore the warnings and get swept off to sea by the quickly rising waters. There are also some spots of quicksand during low tide that can surprise visitors who don’t listen to their guides.

However, it is still one of France's most recognizable landmarks and is successfully visited by more than 3 million people each year. Mont Saint-Michel and its bay have over 60 buildings which are protected in France as monuments historiques, or historical monuments. In summer Mont St-Michel's main street, lined with shops and hotels leading to the abbey, can be a human traffic jam. Even in the Middle Ages, this was a commercial gauntlet, with stalls selling souvenir medallions, candles, and fast food.

While on Mont St-Michel, indulge in some local culinary treats: mussels, seafood platters, lamb (fed on the local saltwater grass), and inexpensive Muscadet wine. Puffy omelets are the island's specialty.

The actual abbey of Mont St-Michel is the main reason to visit. It's been an important pilgrimage center since A.D. 708, when (according to legend) the Archangel Michael told the local bishop to "build here and build high." With uncanny foresight he reassured the bishop, "If you build it…they will come." Saint Michael, whose gilded statue decorates the top of the abbey's spire, was the patron saint of many French kings, making this a favored sight for French royalty through the ages.