It is one of the tourist jewels of the Normandy destination. Tourists and pilgrims alike, Mont-Saint-Michel, emerging in the middle of the bay of the same name, welcomes 2.5 million visitors per year, but only about thirty residents live there permanently. On this sacred rocky island, dedicated to Saint Michael, the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel was built in the 11th century. At the foot of the cliff, a village with a commercial vocation has been added to this site classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979. As a preamble, it is the ascent of the Grand Degré (350 steps) which allows access to the Abbey. The parish church is also located on the rock, a small building from the 15th and 16th centuries dedicated to St. Peter, patron saint of fishermen, topped by a statue of St. Michael, which rises 157 meters above the shore. You can visit a historical museum and the Museum of the Sea and Ecology. On the islet, 61 buildings are classified in the inventory of historical monuments. The Mont-Saint-Michel is known to be isolated from the continent at the rhythm of the tides. The bay records the biggest tides of continental Europe, up to 15 m difference between low and high tide. One must be wary of the sea which advances "at the speed of a galloping horse". A new dike and a footbridge on stilts serve the island since 2014. Your tourist guide will give you his best addresses.
When to go to the Mont-Saint-Michel ? You can visit Mont-Saint-Michel all year round, except on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th. The high tourist season is in the summer and some spring weekends which concentrate a third of the visitors of the Mont-Saint-Michel, with a daily average approaching 12 000 visitors. However, as the climb to the abbey progresses, the flow of tourists decreases significantly, with only one third of visitors going up to the abbey. The average visit lasts between 2 and 3 hours with a peak between 11am and 4pm. Concerts are scheduled from May to September.
On the Mont-Saint-Michel, the climate is oceanic, cool and humid most of the year. The temperatures are similar to those of the coastal area of Normandy, because the island is located very close to the coast. However, the presence of the sea creates a humid microclimate, slightly cooler during the day, especially in summer. The average minimum and maximum temperatures range from 3°C in January to 21°C in August.
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