An indescribably delightful feeling: sit at a table covered with a crisp white tablecloth on the terrace, slamming its rocky part into an endless ocean, and substitute the face with a fresh, gusty wind filled with strong smells of age-old dampness and unexplored sea depths. And around there is a blessed silence and an immense water surface. This means that the time has come for the tide in the Mont Saint-Michel abbey, a place in the north-west of France.
The striking island, part of the island group in the Bay of Saint-Michel, is only 2 kilometers from continent, but twice a day it seems unattainable due to the dull gray waves licking its impenetrable walls . Although just a few minutes ago on the site of the seething waters stretched kilometers of rocky boulders and quicksand . The island's lands enter the Normandy district , although Brittany has always tried to put her hand on this tidbit juice, because the ancient monastery is considered the second most popular tourist destination in France after Paris .
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How to get there
Ideally, of course, the imagination draws a carriage with tightened tight black silk riding, harnessed by four thoroughbred jackets, which flies in a cloud of road dust to the central gate . But the modern way to the abbey is slightly different . In Paris you can buy a ticket at the Montparnasse station for an early train to Rennes ( TGV), which will cost 55, 8 EUR . And then by bus, which departs directly from the railway / railway station of Rennes (from the exit - to the right), drive to Mont-Saint-Mi Shelf . The ticket price is 11, 4 EUR . And the young people are waiting for the discount . In all, the journey will take 3, 5 hours .
If you want to experience more serious deprivations on your way in order to feel at least roughly an average pilgrim ascetic, you can choose a route through Pontorson, for which time and patience will need more. The bus runs there only 6 times a day, the ticket costs 4-5 EUR
There is also an extreme way - it's a trip by car to the abbey. For safety in case of high tide, the vehicle should be left far from the shore line, and the rest of the way is done on foot.
Search for air tickets to Paris (the nearest airport to Mont-Saint-Michel)
To the note
It is better not to plan your trip to Saint-Michel in the summer, because a huge number of visitors are unlikely to give you the opportunity to fully admire the amazing view that opens from the fortress walls of the monastery.
For successful photo hunting, you need to select the right tide time using the tide calendar to be photographed against the backdrop of amazing, boiling spills, rather than rocky clumps barely covered by scanty vegetation.
Thanks to the constant severe winds of the Atlantic, the weather in this part of France is mostly cool, so sundresses and sandals are not the best option for tourist equipment. And reserve yourself with humility, because only in this case the energy of the sacred monastery will help you find the path to enlightenment.
| Chapel Saint-Aubert |
| Church of San Pierre |
| Mont-Saint-Michel Monastery |
A little history
The fortress walls built in 709 witnessed a series of triumphs and a failure in the reigns of many dynasties of French kings, the cannonade echoed in these walls during the bloody wars, these walls were attended to by the groans and the discontented grumbling of the French people during the terrible period of revolutionary storms, finally giving shelter to the monks from Saint-Vandria . Inaccessible the island was soon recognized as a place of world pilgrimage, which is considered to this day . True, in a boiling inexhaustible crowd of tourists it is now increasingly difficult to meet pilgrims who appreciate the privacy and kindness of this place .
Infrastructure and
On the main street of the fortress, Grande Rue, huddle modest hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops that occupied the lower floors of old houses of 15-16 centuries. The night spent at the Abbey Hotel will give you a unique opportunity to enjoy the magical moment of the tide and plenty of breathing in the salt, intoxicating air of Saint-Michel alone when crowds of tourists do not say homo every corner of the monastery.
Cuisine and restaurants
-Seven-Michelle night, it's better to take a small lunch with you, because by the evening a few burgers, eateries and pancakes are closed, there is nowhere else to buy food, however, several restaurants are ready to serve you.
If you still decide to have a meal, pay attention to National Breton cuisine, based on dishes made from lamb. However, in the menu of restaurants you can find and seafood, and meat, and salads. Just remember that the French are accustomed to eating weak fry, almost raw, so let the bloody steak on the plate do not scare you. Prices are also for every taste. Spend for a hearty dinner can be from 14 to 35 EUR
Book now the popular Mont-Saint-Michel Hotels at the best prices
| Le Relais Saint Michel from 8 408 rub Le Mont Saint Michel Bp 18 | Mercure Mont Saint Michel from 5 032 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Route du Mont Saint Michel | |
| La Mère Poulard from 8,822 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Grande Rue | Auberge Saint Pierre from 7,581 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Grande Rue | Le Relais Du Roy from 4,273 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel BP 8 La Caserne |
| @Le Mouton Blanc from 8,133 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Grande Rue - Bp 28 | Le Saint Aubert from 2 826 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Bp 18 | Hôtel Vert from 3 584 rubles Le Mont Saint Michel Route du Mont Saint Michel |
Entertainment, sightseeing and excursions Mont Saint-Michel
Feel yourself mysterious special, slipped from the pages of the knightly novel, or a nobleman, rattling an old mail, you can, having gone for a walk on the island . Moreover, the monastery, which is a complex of medieval constructions, imagine a lot of riddles .Having become acquainted with the ceremonial Royal gates, with characteristic pointed stone vaults, a large chivalry hall, refectory, winding streets and secret paths, many of which end in rusted doors with time and dampness, which can not be opened to anyone, involuntarily succumb to the fatal charm of this place .
For reference: in one of the medieval periods the local place was called the" provincial Bastille. "
Address: 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel.
Time Works: from May 2 to August 31: 9:00 - 19:00, entrance until 18:00, from September 1 to April 30: 9:30 - 18:00, entrance until 17:00. In the case of the tide, which prevents access to Mont-Saint-Michel, the opening time can be changed. On holidays: 1 January, 1 May and 25 December - day off.
Entrance: 9 EUR; discount ticket (18-25 years): 5, 50 EUR; children under 18 years: free of charge
Photo by Mont-Saint-Michel (20)