Beautiful view of the historic Mont-Saint-Michel 04 Sep 2016
About this photo
If you're planning a trip to Normandy, your itinerary should include a visit to the iconic Mont-St-Michel. The abbey and surrounding, sloping village cling onto a conical granite island, which rises out of a shallow bay. This is connected to the mainland near Pontorson by a causeway, soon to be replaced by a bridge in order to cope with the increasing numbers of tourists, both secular and spiritual.
The bottom part of the rock, the Grand Rue, is a brashly commercial gauntlet of souvenir shops and restaurants but the abbey has preserved much of its charm, even if it is essentially an empty shell of what it formerly was. In the summer months, it is wise to arrive as early or as late in the day as you can, to get some sense of the atmosphere. Another option is to take a guided walking tour of the bay at low tide.
Visit Mont-St-Michel on Insight Guides' Northern France Tour: City to Coast.
