Mont Saint-Michel is the 8th wonder of the world, an island rising over the waters of the English Channel. It is the most visited place in France after Paris. Located 350 km northwest of Paris it attracts tourists from all over the world. The abbey is a living legend as the Biblical battle between the Archangel Michael and Satan is supposedly ended here. Mont Saint-Michel is one of the best options for a day trip outside of Paris.

History of Mont Saint-Michel: key dates

Beginning as a modest church built in the 8th century, Mont Saint-Michel became a great center of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages. Indeed, this place was also an abbey, a citadel and a prison. Now we are going to recall its fascinating history in key dates.

  • 708 — the Bishop of Avranches Auber founded a modest church in honor of St. Michael, the warrior-archangel, on a hill surrounded by the sea. The story of Mont Saint-Michel starts as more and more pilgrims arrive.
  • The 10th century — Once under the control of the Bretons, the place passes under Norman domination. Hence the question: is the monastery Breton or Norman? The oldest preserved part belongs to this period: the chapel of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre.
  • 965-966 — Duke Richard I of Normandy converted Saint-Michel into a Benedictine monastery.
  • 1211-1228 — La Merveille, one of the most beautiful parts of the abbey was built.
  • Mid-13th century — Richard Thursten built a stone wall around the abbey and the village.
  • 1419-1434 — During the Hundred Years’ War, the English failed to capture Mont Saint-Michel. It was the only citadel in Normandy that managed to elude invasion.
  • 1446-1523 — The abbey undergoes its last major construction. As a result, a new Gothic choir appears in the church (the previous one had already collapsed).
  • 1790-1793 — Like all French abbeys, the monks of Mont Saint-Michel were expelled during the Revolution. As a result, the monastery buildings served as a prison.
  • 1863 — Napoleon III closes the prison.
  • 1874-1918 — Several extensive restoration campaigns were launched to restore the monastery buildings to their previous »medieval appearance.
  • 1878-1879 — The road across the dam connected Mont Saint-Michel with the mainland.
  • 1897 — The architect Victor Petitgrand added a neo-Gothic spire to the central tower of the church. A statue of Saint Michael in gilded copper was placed on the spire. Mont Saint-Michel assumed its familiar silhouette.
  • Late 19th century — Omelette of Mother Poulard became extremely popular.
  • 1969 — A small religious community was allowed to settle in Mont Saint-Michel.
  • 1979 — Mont Saint-Michel, one of the first French sites to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Tour of Mont Saint-Michel

During our tour of Mont Saint-Michel we offer you the opportunity to see the fortress on a 78-meter high rock. The main «Royal Gate» gives access to the abbey through a single street, the Grande Rue, full of 15th- and 16th-century houses.

Nowadays there are many coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels. You will learn interesting facts and legends about the island of Mont Saint-Michel. For example, one of them says that the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel as a place of pilgrimage, was abandoned a long time ago — back in 1790! Ironically, the local authorities decided to repopulate it a few decades later with the most dangerous criminals and villains. After that, the monastery became a state prison for half a century. As a result, people called it the «Provincial Bastille.» Only in 1863, after a major renovation and restoration, it reopened its doors to tourists.

Tourist tips: be sure to choose the tour date carefully, since the entrance to the abbey is free on the first Sunday of each month! On all other days, it costs from 10 €.

For gourmands the famous restaurant La Mère Poularde, located on the Mont Saint-Michel island. It was there that Mother Poulard invented her world-famous signature omelette and another 700 recipes in the 19th century. She contributed enormously to the development of French traditional cuisine. Nowadays, the restaurant is still going strong!

Special offer: The itinerary of the private tour can be extended. For example, a visit to the cities of  Saint-Malo or Cancale and a visit to an oyster farm (oyster tasting).

Tour itinerary: this tour starts from your hotel in Paris. Once you arrive on Mont Saint-Michel island, you’ll head toward the shrine. You will walk under the fortress wall, which has been standing there since the Hundred Years’ War. You will take the only street on the island up to the abbey. Visit the monastery’s main church, the monks’ enclosed courtyard, and their refectory. During the tour of Mont Saint-Michel, you will have free time for lunch or an autonomous walk.

* the itinerary of a private tour can be changed
** the maximum number of people during this group tour — 8

See our booking and cancellation policy here.

Other interesting tour offers.

Вид на остров Мон Сан Мишель
улица острова Сан -Мишель
Улочки строва Сан-Мишель
Улочки на острове Мон Сан-Мишель
Аббатсво Мон Сан Мишель
Аббатство Мон Сан Мишель с высоты птичьего полета
Дворик аббатства МСМ
Дворик аббатства Мон-Сан-Мишель

The cost of the tour includes: 

  • transportation services Yes
  • guide or accompanying driver Yes
  • cider and calvados degustation Yes

The cost of the tour does not include:

  • entrance tickets to the abbeyNo
  • personal expensesNo
  • lunchNo