Mont-Saint-Michel

A tidal island off the coast of Normandy, crowned by a medieval abbey. A major Catholic pilgrimage site, it was listed as a World Heritage Site with its bay in 1979.

Mont-Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island about one kilometre off the coast of Normandy, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. Only about 7 hectares in area, it is crowned by an abbey, and the statue of Saint Michael on top of the abbey church stands 157 metres above the shore. Because the island could be reached on foot at low tide, pilgrims have come here for centuries.

The tides also made it easy to defend: the island was never taken during the Hundred Years’ War, and a small garrison drove off a full English attack in 1433. Later it served as a prison. Monks still live in the abbey today. Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979, and it is the most visited tourist attraction in France outside Paris.