when & why
Weekend of the 7th and 8th September 2018, friends meet up :)
Did you know
- Mont St Michel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, also classified as a monument in 1874.
- Saint Michel population is only less than 50 people.
- The monastery was also a prison at some point.
- It was the real life inspiration for the design of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings.
Rising dramatically from the sea it’s an abbey, city and an island in one. It’s actually a tidal island which means it’s only an island during the high tide.
On board
I visited this place back in the summer of 1991 with my family, I was so fascinated that the next year I prepare a presentation about it for the school. 27 years later I went back …
We took a car in Nantes airport and from there we drove 3 hours through Brittany till we arrive to Beavoir, the place that we chose to sleep due to its proximity to the Mount. After leaving our luggage at the hotel we drove a couple of kilometers to find the spot where we took these pictures, I read about this spot online.
This is probably the most photogenic place I ever visited in my live, I could spent days taking photos of it, especially from the upside.
Next morning, we cycled almost 3km till the barrage du Mont st Michel, and from there you can walk or you can take the shuttle, we did it by foot. It was around 10 when we got inside and we went directly to the Abbey (we bought the tickets in advance).
From one of the balconies we sow people walking through the bay, Walking around the island on the mudflats is popular activity but best done with a guide(tides can be), it can be arrange from the tourist office.
After visiting the abbey we walked a little bit around the island, but it was already so crowded ,so after having a really expensive coffee we decided to leave and have lunch in our next destination, it was around 13 pm.
tips
- Avoid eating in the Mount, it is really expensive, there is no problem to bring food with you, we show family’s having a pinic.
- Watch out the tides before you go
- The entry to the Mount is free you only have to pay if you want to visit the Abbey,
- Go early (before 10) or late (after 15), it can get really crowded.
- Photo spot: close to Auberge de la Baie
- Hotel Rose :5 Route du Mont Saint-Michel, 50170 Beauvoir, Frankreich (http://hotel-rose.fr/). Family run hotel, with friendly staff and tasty breakfast, 3km far from the mount.They rent bicycles.
St Malo
Although the purpose of our trip was to visit Mt st Michel we also hat the time to vist St Malo, a walled port city with a lovely city center. We spent some time walking around the inside the old city walls, its narrow medieval lanes are filled with local delights and cute little spots.
We also walked along the ramparts from where you can see of the fort National, which is open to the public but only accessible at the low tide. Finally we went to the La cite to see the city from another perspective.
tips
- Restaurant: Creperie Margaux, 3 place du marché aux légumesintra muros (http://www.creperie-margaux.com/)
- Sanchez l'artisan glacier: 9 Rue de la Vieille Boucherie, 35400 Saint-Malo, Francia
Nantes
We didn’t spent that much time in Nantes, a really tasty dinner on the city center on the Saturday night and, short visit early on the Sunday morning before caching the flight back home. We have a look on the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, and the Nantes cathedral, a walk around the empty streets.
Nantes is the perfect entry point to discover Brittany. An area that have a lot of potential, and where I would like to go again.