Why Le Mont Saint Michel needs to be on the top of your bucket list

Knights in shining armor. Medieval castles with towers that rise above the clouds. Dragons soaring through the air. Game of Thrones & Beauty and the Beast.

This is Le Mont Saint Michel.

Sitting atop an island with ancient walls protecting the village below, Le Mont Saint Michel is a stunning medieval castle and abbey with breathtaking views all around its parameters.

It is positioned in northern France, where Normandy and Brittany merge to be exact, and is surrounded by high tides which rise and fall every day, placing a majestic fairytale castle and its village peacefully in the middle of the sea.

When visiting this magnificent place, you will immediately feel like you’re in the 15th century. Of course, Le Mont Saint Michel has history dating back even before the 8th century; however, construction to build the Abbey didn’t start until the 11th century.

Le Mont Saint Michel is named after Archangel Michael, the dragon slayer, who wards off evil.

You can see his gold statue placed at the very top of the highest tower protecting the castle, abbey and village.

 With many historic figures (including Joan of Arc, William the Conqueror and Louis XI of France just to name a few) having crossed paths with this magnificant work of art, it’s no wonder numerous important historic events took place within these castle walls.

There are many small alleyways that run between all the small shops and restaurants. There are several small hotels located throughout the medieval village, so you can even stay the night here! If you plan on only visiting for a day (which is what we did), make sure you check out the tide times. Click here for more information on tide times, hotels and tours.

Because of the daily rising and falling of the tide, you’ll get stranded on this island (and your car can float away!) if you don’t leave on time! There is a small window (I believe it was 9 AM to 4 PM) where you can visit and stay dry.

After wandering the village, we climbed up to the castle. And it was simply magical.

Game of Thrones fans – doesn’t this remind you of the stairs Cersei walks down when she was “shamed”?!

 

See those little specks in the mid-left of the photo? Yup, those are people walking along the sea bed before the tide flows in!

Once we completed our way up to the top of the Abbey, we were greeted by two large wooden doors. Once opened, the most beautiful sound filled the air. Crystal clear, melodic chanting filled the room. As I peeked around the corner, I saw about a dozen Monks chanting in the magnificent Abbey. It brought me straight to the 16th century! Closing my eyes, I was transformed back in time. It was a truly remarkable experience.

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Feast your eyes on the gorgeous gothic courtyard.

See the two fireplaces in the photo above? To give you a grander scale as to how BIG these suckers are… here’s a comparison in size. FYI – my husband is 6’6″.

Paying my respects in the chapel.

Here we have the Crypt… fortunately, no tales were told by the creepy skeleton guy.

For some reason this reminds me of the tower where Rapunzel lets down her hair. What do you think?

Secret alley way? Looks like it to me!

This is a prisoner wheel. Fast forward to the French Revolution, the Abbey was closed for a brief time to house prisoners and was then closed in 1863. Roughly three prisoners at a time would walk this wheel to bring heavy supplies up from the ground below.

There are even shackles in a dungeon below the massive wheel! You can see the chains welded to the wall. It’s pretty insane. I took a photo of it, however the image was way too blurry and too hard to make out. You’ll just have to see it in person for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

Tucked away in a small corner of the castle walls lies a secret garden that overlooks the village below,

while gargoyles peer over the gigantic walls of the gothic castle.

Cannons line the northern side looking out to the vast expanse of the sea bed.

Don’t let this photo fool you. Those steps are super narrow! And the wooden door is even narrower!

After exploring the castle, we were famished – and it so happens that we were in France, so ordering a Crepe was mandatory!

So what do you think? With over 3 million visitors a year, this magical castle should definitely be on the top of your bucket list! Want to see more castles and ruins?! Check out Gramvousa Island. There is a gorgeous roman fortress set atop the massive plateau!