Everywhere in Northwestern France, visitors are immersed in examples of stunning natural beauty and rich history. Against this high bar, breathtaking Mont-Saint-Michel stands out as the jewel in the crown. We visited recently on a busy Ascension long weekend in May.

One of Europe’s most visited attractions, drawing up to three million visitors each year, Mont-Saint-Michel is a rocky granite island outcrop rising out of a beautiful bay just east of the Couesnon River, which opens onto the English Channel.



Construction of its buildings began a thousand years ago. At the island’s base, thick medieval fortress walls and towers surround and support the magnificent gothic abbey at its peak, which in turn towers over the village buildings and grounds clustered around it. 

Mont-Saint-Michel has played a key role in various wars and battles, as a fortress resisting sieges. It was in centuries past the biggest western world pilgrimage site, attracting more pilgrims than Santiago de Compostela. 

Mont-Saint-Michel was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.