🏰 Mont Saint-Michel: A Fortress Built by an Angel

The stunning abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, viewed from the north side.

The Abbey at Mont Saint-Michel, viewed from the ramparts.

I have a special place in my heart for the Abbey at Mont Saint-Michel. To me, it stands as a physical testament that the Lord loves all his people and that those who are willing to listen will be given direction from above. This incredible island fortress exists because St. Aubert, a bishop in 700 AD, had a vision from the Archangel Michael telling him to build a church on this very rock. It’s a story of faith, resilience, and architectural genius, and I hope this guide helps you explore its magical, hidden alleyways and epic views.

🌟 The Golden Nugget

Don't Miss This: The coolest part of Mont Saint-Michel's legend is its defense system: the ocean itself. During the Hundred Years' War, it was one of the few places in France that never fell. Attackers who tried to seize the island would be washed away by the famously fast tide, which can come in as quickly as a galloping horse. All the defenders had to do was hold them off long enough for the tide to do its work.

TRANSPORT YOURSELF TO MONT SAINT-MICHEL

This island is an architectural marvel. The first video is a stunning aerial drone tour that shows the true scale of the island and the new bridge. The second is my own immersive 360° walk through the Abbey's cloisters and halls.

Cinematic Journey (Drone View):

Immersive Walking the Abbey

"Architects who visit here are stunned that this amazing place was built way back in 966... building a huge 3-story church on top of a pointy rock on an island... most likely had some enlightenment from above to accomplish."

🗺️ Adventure at a Glance

🏞️ Location/Park: Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
🥾 Hike/Activity: Historical Site, Abbey Tour, Walking medieval ramparts
📏 Distance: 1-2 miles of walking with 300-900 steps, depending on your route.
📈 Elevation Gain: Significant stair climbing.
⏳ Recommended Time: At least 3-4 hours to see the Abbey and village.
⭐ Shauna's Rating: 💎💎💎💎💎 (5 out of 5 Diamonds)
🧭 Can't-Miss Sights: The Abbey, the Cloisters, the rampart views, and the hidden alleyways of the village.

🥾 My Mont Saint-Michel Story

The Climb to the Heavens

Only about one-third of visitors to Mont Saint-Michel make it all the way to the Abbey at the top, and the climb is a huge part of the experience. As you ascend the 300-900 steps, you truly appreciate the scale of this place. The "wow" moments for me were deep inside the structure, in the grand halls built in the 10th and 11th centuries. You're stunned by the *enormous* columns—some of the biggest I have ever seen—and you realize they must be that massive to hold up the multi-story church and cloisters built on top of a pointy rock. After being deep in the stone fortress, you finally emerge into the sunlight at the very top, in the peaceful, beautiful cloisters. That moment of stepping into the light, combined with the epic viewpoint, is the ultimate reward. It’s what inspires you to keep roaming, to turn the next corner and search for the secret passageways down into the charming village below.

A Place of Sanctuary and Struggle

After St. Aubert built the first church, the Abbey was constructed in 966 AD. For centuries, it was a sanctuary for monks who would spend their days transcribing scriptures. But its history is also dark. During the French Revolution and under Napoleon, this beautiful holy place was turned into a brutal prison. When the author Victor Hugo visited, he was horrified to see sickly prisoners peering out from the bars of this gorgeous space. He launched a campaign, just as he did for Notre Dame, to restore the landmark and preserve its history.

A heavy wooden prison door inside the Mont St. Michel Abbey.

A chilling reminder of the Abbey's time as a prison.

Restoring the Island

When I first visited, the old paved causeway road went right up to the island, choking it and blocking the natural flow of the tides. This was causing sediment to build up, threatening to turn Mont Saint-Michel into a permanent part of the mainland. France spent millions on a massive project to remove the old road and build an elegant, light bridge that allows the water to flow freely underneath. Now, the parking lot is far away on the mainland, and you take a shuttle bus. This new system, combined with a new dam, is successfully flushing the sediment out to sea, preserving the island's magical character for generations to come.

💡 Your Visitor's Guide: Helpful Hints

♦️ Prepare for Stairs: Only about 1/3 of visitors make it all the way to the Abbey at the top. Be prepared for a lot of steps (between 300-900 depending on your route), but it is absolutely worth it.
♦️ Quicksand is Real: You will see tourists walking on the mudflats around the island at low tide. **Do not do this without a certified local guide.** The area is notorious for dangerous quicksand, and people often require rescue.
♦️ Explore the Village: Don't just rush to the top. The winding, hidden alleyways of the medieval village are magical. Check out my separate post on the quaint La Vieille Auberge!
♦️ Shuttle System: The new parking lot is on the mainland, about 1.5 miles away. You can either take the free shuttle bus or enjoy the beautiful walk out on the bridge.

🔎 VR Video Treasure Hunt!

When you watch the immersive 360° walk through the Abbey, see if you can find these special places!

The Cloisters: Find the peaceful, grass-filled courtyard at the very top of the Abbey.
The Cathedral: Look for the main church with its high, vaulted ceilings and beautiful architecture.
The Rampart Views: Spot the moments where you can look out the windows or from the courtyard over the vast bay.
The Giant Pillars: Can you find the massive, thick pillars in the lower levels, designed to hold the immense weight of the church above?

🇫🇷 More Adventures in France

If you loved this journey, you'll also love exploring these other magical, preserved towns in France!

⭐ Final Thoughts

Mont Saint-Michel is a truly miraculous structure. The fact that this was built so long ago, on such a pointy, difficult piece of land, is a stunning feat of engineering and faith. It's one of those places that reminds you of the incredible things humans can accomplish, perhaps with a little help from above. It's an adventure I'll never forget.

Sending Love and Positive Vibes,

Shauna from VRGetaway

ABBEY at MONT ST. MICHEL France
in 360 Degrees

Mont St. Michel Island

I have a special place in my heart for the Abbey at Mont. St. Michel, for it is a testament to help coming from above. St. Aubert bishop of Avranches was one such person. He had a vision 3 times in the night from the angel St. Michel to build a city and shelter for the early Christian saints and this island was the specific spot.

Statue of Angel Michel in the Abbey of Mont. St. Michel

He built the city in about 700ad first, then the abbey was built in 966. It is one of the few places that survived the Hundred years war, the French wars of Religion, and attacks by Vikings and Normans. All they had to do was defend until the tide came in and then the tide would wash them away. The abbey was first a shelter for early Christians, then it became an abbey where monks would transcribe scriptures most of their days, then it had a crazy time period where it was a prison under Napoleon. When Victor Hugo visited this place, he wrote about how weird it was to have such a gorgeous space of such tranquility, and then have sickly eyes peek out of windows and through bars. He then started a campaign (much like the one he did for Notra Dame) to restore this landmark.

Prison Door from time of Napolean when Mont St Michel was used as a prison.

Who knows...without Victor Hugo writing about the Norta Dame, and the Mont St. Michel, they both might have very different current situations. Architects who visit here are stunned that this amazing place was built way back in 966 or before, for the design and obstacles they had to overcome are tremendous. Building a huge 3 story church on top of a pointy rock on an island that is hard to trespass, and make it stable is shocking. It most likely had some enlightenment from above to accomplish.

The first time we visited Mont St. Michel, they were in the middle of debates about the road out to Mont St. Michel. You see the road and parking lot was blocking the water to really surround the city as it had in the past, and the sediment coming down from the river was making the island less and less an island. Now the parking lot is further inland, and there are buses that take you down to the island. They have made breakers in the river that when it is high tide, the breakers are released and the water floods out to push out the extra sediment and allow this island to still be an island. In the picture below, you can see how the road now allows the flow of the water to go under the road.

There are many tourist that head out and want to walk around the island....but beware. It is not advised to do this unless you have a local guide, for there are quick sand spots that are very dangerous, and you can often see ambulances head out to rescue a tourist caught in a sinkhole and in trouble.

Looking down you can see the Village Auberge. If you would like to see that quaint town, click on this link.

Link to La Vieille Auberge Mont St. Michel

Here is an awesome aerial video of the island surrounded by water thanks to the millions of dollars France spent to make it happen. This is an awesome drone video by Wanaii Flims that is just amazing!

THE ABBEY

Funny enough, that only about 1/3 of the visitors to Mont St Michel make it to the Abbey. It is between 300-900 steps to the abbey, and then there are more steps inside the abbey. The reward getting to the Abbey is nice though, for he crowds thin out, and it is a miraculous structure especially considering the time period it was built.

Abbey at Mont Saint Michel from North west corner

Here is a GoogleMapList of some of my favorite quaint towns we visited on our Tour of France if that is helpful.

GMap France List

Use a GoogleCardboard or VR Headset, and use the below GoogleMap Trail to enjoy a virtual Stroll around Mon Saint-Michel. You can also go to GoogleEarth and search Mont Saint Michel, then click on he little dude in the bootom corner. From here, just click on any plac you want to see in yor headset, and you can be transported there.

Outside Patio Courtyard that overlooks the wall at Mont St. Michel

Grass Courtyard on top of abbey at Mont St. Michel

Cathedral in Abbey of Mont St Michel

On of the many open areas in the Abbey at Mont St. Michel. There is 3 levels, so you can tell which level it is by how wide the pillars are. Above picture must be on one of the top levels for the pillars are narrow. The 360 picture below must be deep on a lower floor for the pillars are very wide. The fact that this was built almost 2000 years ago on such a pointy funny piece of land is crazy. He must have had some amazing help from above. It had one time in history where one floor collapsed, but it was not huge, and it was easily rebuilt.

Amazing Doors at Mont St. Michel Abbey and Archways in the Abbey.

Below is one of the many stairwells to get from level to level, and a pretty good walk through the various doorways and arches.

If you are enjoying this area and would like to see more, click on the Google Earth Mont Saint Michel link, then the little dude in the corner, then any blue dot or line to see more.

Google Earth Mont St Michel Link