The Magical Abbey | Mont-St-Michel, France (Guest Series: 04)

Mont Saint-Michel is a small island and mainland commune located in Normandy, France. To get to the island itself, you can either walk or take a shuttle bus as visitors are not permitted to drive in the actual island itself. The shuttle bus starts at the shuttle hub which is located next to the Tourist Information Centre next to the parking area. The bus drops you off 350 metres away from the city where you can then take in all the surrounding views as you walk towards the island. If you would prefer to walk, it takes around 40 minutes to get from the parking area to the island.I’ve visited Mont Saint-Michel twice and on both occasions. I went in the late afternoon/early evening. I’ve found that going later in the day, probably closer to evening time (6/7pm) meant that it wasn’t as busy - there were still a good amount of people of course, just not as many as there would have been at peak travel time. On both trips, I took the shuttle bus to get there which was packed full of people but once you arrived on the island, it didn’t feel as busy. Going later also meant getting to see the sunset from the front of Mont Saint-Michel and that’s definitely worth it. On the second time I visited Mont Saint-Michel, I walked the 40 minutes back to the car park at night as the buses back to the car park were getting fairly busy. The walk itself was really nice and allows you to see more of that part of France.The island itself looks like something from a fairytale; it looks almost like a large castle and is surrounded by beach and sea. Within the island itself, there are lots of little cobblestone streets to walk around and explore as well as many old-fashioned looking buildings to have a look at.There are many quaint little shops selling a variety of souvenirs as well as a good selection of restaurants to dine in too. When I visited, I went to a little cafe called Le Cafè Gourmand and had the best hot chocolate! The streets also have a sort of 'Harry Potter' feel to them, so if you're a fan, then you'll definitely appreciate the look and feel of the streets.

Mont Saint-Michel is most famous for its Abbey, however I've yet to actually go inside the Abbey, the times I have been I simply loved the island itself as well as exploring all of the streets and walking around everywhere possible within the whole of the island. There is so much to see and explore within the island as well as many steps to climb as everything (houses, shops, roads) is built into the island. It’s a lovely place and definitely one to consider visiting if you’re planning a trip to France.


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       A Story By: Lucy | Country: Scotland

          Strathclyde University