Le Mont St Michel

Located in northern France west of St. Malo on the border between Brittany and Normandy is what can only be described as a large rocky island in the Bay of Mont St Michel. They say that in 708 the bishop of Avaranche created a shrine to Saint Michael on this isolated island. Instantly it became a pilgrimage destination for medieval Christians. Over the next few centuries the shrine became a sanctuary with an imposing abbey built on top of the hill. During the hundred years war the village below the abbey was surrounded with huge ramparts and the strong resistance to the invading English made the abbey a symbol of French nationality. The monks soon left and it became a ...  Read the complete review

The first time we saw the Mont Saint Michel was from about 40kms away, from a village called Mortain, and even from this distance, there was something magical about the place, the characteristic shape appeared to be floating above a shimmering sea. You can understand the fascination it held for mediaeval pilgrims, and tourists ever since. This site is the most popular tourist attraction in France with 3 million visitors a year. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. ~History of the Mont~ *********************** Aubert, bishop of Avranches, built the first church on the site after being asked to do so in a dream by the archangel Michael (that kind ...  Read the complete review

This was one of the first places which I ever visted in France and is still very close to my heart in saying it has to be one of the best. It has tourism but in a dignified way so that the beautiful sights and spiritual feeling of the abbey are not spoiled in any way. It's a long way up to the top of the abbey but the view is so amazing and well worth the effot. It also has small gift type shops at the bottom which are resonable and very friendly, although a piece of advice would be to check out the prices outside the abbey grounds the day before as some gifts are cheaper but others arn't. It's also worth having a look ...  Read the complete review