ARHEAD TOURS
Reliving history together since 2012
MONT SAINT MICHEL TOUR
It represents the ideal day-trip from Paris
(via Caen or Bayeux).
The Abbey is the most visited place in Normandy
This UNESCO site has been ranked
second most visited place in France after Paris.
The history of Mont Saint Michel spans 1300years.
What to expect?
Your tour guide/driver will pick you up at the train-station (if you will be travelling to Normandy on the day of the tour) or at the hotel/B&B in Bayeux or Caen. The drive from the aforementioned locations to MSM takes about an hour twenty minutes. Accompanied by your guide, you will cover the last 1,5 miles from the parking lot to the mount either on foot (30' walk at a moderate pace) or by traveling on one of the free shuttles. The main part of the tour will begin upon reaching the foot of the mount. The visit of the village and Abbey will span approximately 2,5 hours. This will be followed by a quick but well-deserved lunch after which you will head back to the train-station/hotel. For those of you staying in Bayeux/Caen the tour may also include, prior to drop-off, a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum (approximately 40' duration)
IMPORTANT! Mont Saint Michel is...well, a mount! Although this should be self explanatory, visiting the Abbey requires a bit of step climbing. The guide will make several stops along the way in order to share with you various anecdotes about life in the village over the centuries and to allow everyone to catch their breaths. Although most people won't have any trouble in reaching the top, keep in mind that there is no elevator on Mont Saint Michel and this part of tour is not recommended to people who are either disabled or have certain medical issues.
The fast-track tickets and the guided tour of the Abbey are included in the cost of the tour. The guide will accompany you every step of the way during your visit.
A bit of history
What is Mont Saint Michel?
Mont Saint Michel is a 240ft tall granite mount rising in the
middle of the immense, homonymous, Bay. Atop the mount one can admire the Abbey dedicated to the Archangel which is almost 1000 years old. The tides measured in the Bay of Mont Saint Michel are the highest in
Europe and amongst the highest in the world (in 2015 the flood tide reached an amplitude of 40
ft!).
How did everything start?
Legend has it that Archangel Michel showed himself to Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, on three occasions, commanding him to build a sanctuary on what the locals called "Mount Tomb"... With or without these visions, Aubert did listen the call to create an oratory on the mount in 709 A.D. That year marked the very first stage in a long series of transformations which the sanctuary, from then on called Mont Saint Michel, was to witness during the next 1300 years.
Menaced by fire on many occasions, affected by sieges or schemes, Mont Saint Michel was for centuries - after Jerusalem and St. James' Way - one of the most important destinations for Christian pilgrims. Source of disputes between Normandy and Brittany, dukes and princes, the Abbey was turned into a prison after the French Revolution. Classified historic monument from 1874, the Abbey has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1979.
The Wonder of the Western World
Writing the story of Mont Saint Michel, the French writer Guy de Maupassant remembered Blaise Pascal's words: "God made the man in HIS image and the man returned the compliment" - a great way to illustrate, in just a phrase, the magnificence of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel. Embark on this tour and let yourself enchanted by a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site and its history, the place that came to be known as “La Merveille de l’Occident” (fr. The Wonder of the Western World).
OPTIONAL
Bayeux Tapestry
Dating from 11th century, Bayeux Tapestry is a Medieval embroidery presenting an illustrated account of the Norman Conquest. On a band of linen 231 feet (70 meters) long and 19.5 inches (0.5 meters) wide are embroidered, in worsted of eight colors, more than 70 scenes, starting with Harold's visit and ending with his army's defeat at Hastings (1066).
IMPORTANT! The Tapestry Museum charges an 11 EUR admission fee which is not included in the tour price.