My Magical Overnight Stay at Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France

Have you ever wondered what Hogwarts would look like in real life from the Harry Potter series? Well… upon arrival at the Le Mont-Saint-Michel, that was my first thought as I laid my eyes on the landmark. I was lost for words; I was in awe and disbelief as to what I was looking at. The huge fortress on a tidal island with a golden angel on top felt like a picture from a dream. Not only was the architecture amazing to admire upon arrival, but I still couldn’t believe this was all on one Island surrounded by a natural tide that fluctuates from low to high tide periodically throughout the day. The beautiful summer sunset and cool breeze off the water made our arrival that much dreamier!

Previously, I had no idea that anyone could stay overnight at Le Mont-Saint-Michel. I am very grateful we were able to reserve a room during peak tourist season! We stayed at Auberge Saint-Pierre tourist (3-Star) hotel. As we made our way to the hotel, we were already lured in by the many shops, restaurants, and attractions along the main pathway up the fortress. Walking through the main gates and up the pathway made me feel like I was living in the historical past of Le Mont-Saint-Michel with the vintage scenery and exquisite detail of the landmark. As we walked into Auberge Saint-Pierre, we passed the dining area on the main level and made our way up the stairs to the front desk to check in. I think we all need a little old fashion in our lives which you’ll definitely experience at le Mont-Saint-Michel! I really enjoyed the historical vibe throughout the hotel… and technically the entire structure of Le Mont-Saint-Michel! Our room was small and felt like a fun, indoor children’s treehouse because of the tight spiral staircase leading to a small room with two beds in the upstairs room.

Since we spent most of the day travelling to Le Mont-Saint-Michel, we decided to relax, have dinner in the downstairs hotel restaurant and go for a casual walk around the rampart outside of our hotel as the sun was setting. For dinner, I wanted to be creative and try something new, so I ordered a seafood pizza which had scallops, shrimp and clams covered in mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. The seafood had a unique flavourful twist when combined with pizza that I unexpectedly enjoyed! If you are a seafood lover, give this pizza a try!

(High Tide in image above)

(Low Tide in image above)

After dinner, I was in complete shock at how fast the high tide had come rolling in, sweeping against the fortress walls! Before dinner, I took note that it was still low tide and the mud surrounding the fortress was visible. Within one hour, the scenery had changed drastically!

The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of a “gobble” near my ear. As I was starting to wake up, I noticed a few pigeons staring at me by the screenless bedroom window! I guess that was my alarm clock to start the day! I was beyond excited to explore Le Mont-Saint-Michel in its entirety! After an amazing complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we set our sights on touring the fortress’s ins and outs. To reach the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, we had to climb around 400 or more stairs to the entrance, up the west terrace! The entry fee was about 10 euro for the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel but make sure to have extra money on hand for the gift shops along the way and at the end of the tour. Upon reaching the west terrace, we were treated to the most amazing and breathtaking views of the landscape to the south, west and north of Le Mont-Saint-Michel! The trek up the numerous stairs was worth it especially to have a closer view of the regilded statue of St. Michael, the archangel atop the spire. Not long after setting foot on the island, I had already begun to admire the finer architectural details of this medieval fortress that wouldn’t be noticed from a distance. As we entered the main place of worship in Mont-Saint-Michel, I was struck by the immensity of the structure, and the designs engraved into the walls, ceilings and windows.

As we continued our tour, we came across a courtyard called “Cloitre de l’abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel” which was directly linked to a series of chambers further down the pathway. Before we proceeded, we definently made sure to stop at the gift shop to see what they had for souvenirs! The first gift shop had plenty of the same items that were in the gift shop at the end of the tour with some exceptions.

Many chambers/rooms have information boards to provide tourists with an understanding of the history and the purpose of each room. Personally, my favourite room is the one with the gigantic chimneys! I was very impressed with how tall they were!

After the tour was finished, we circled back and decided to follow the rampart path on the east side of Le Mont-Saint-Michel and travelled from Tour du Nord to the Freedom Tower. We were on a schedule and did not want to miss our bus and train rides. Our timing was perfect, as we still had about three hours before we had to catch the shuttle bus on the bridge. We decided to fill the rest of the tour with visiting shops, getting a bite to eat and get our feet muddy in the low tide surrounding Le Mont-Saint-Michel! (Well… maybe just me getting my feet muddy). The variety of themed shops available were amazing because they offered many options to choose from; hat shop, clothing apparel, medieval times shop, ancient artifacts/items for the purpose of household use, historical Le Mont-Saint-Michel souvenirs and more! After completing our shopping to bring home souvenirs for family, we had a lovely lunch at Restaurant Du Guesclin. I ate a delicious seafood vegetable stir fry and caramel cocoa ice cream dessert! The view of the Couesnon River made our lunch spot that much more beautiful and enjoyable!

The last stop of our visit at Le Mont-Saint-Michel was a walk along the medieval fortress wall and navigating through the mud during low tide. This was an incredible natural spectacle that locals of Normandy, France had to adapt to for many decades throughout history!

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Le Mont-Saint-Michel and I highly recommend anyone visiting France to add this landmark to their itinerary! A huge shoutout to my family who planned this destination on our trip to France!