3 Tips for visiting Mont St. Michel

I recently spent a month in France and as part of that got to explore Normandy a little bit. One of the places that has been on my photography bucketlist for a while was the unique little town of Mont. St. Michel. It is a small commune and sits about 1km off the coast. During low tide you can walk around and find some unique vantage points from the boggy sand banks (however, be aware that this is quite dangerous and you should book with a guide). And during high tide, it becomes an isolated medieval fortress, yours to explore.

1. Staying the night is worth it if you're a fan of exploring a place after most have gone. I opted for this, and during off season (it was November) I found rooms at an average price of roughly 100 Euros per night. Not the cheapest but you also don’t need more than one night here. Bring a torch or your phone to light up the dark cobble stone alleys and stair ways, as there is limited lighting at night. But it was definitely one of my favorite parts of my time there - the tide had come in, we were cut off from the world, and it felt like we had the town to ourselves.

2. You don’t need more than 24 hours here. There are about 5 restaurants to chose from (again this was off season, so about half were closed) and I'm fairly certain the menus were the same between at least 2 of them. The views at the restaurant Les Terrasses de la Baie are fabulous and the atmosphere at the restaurant of the hotel Auberge Saint Pierre was cozy and medieval.

 3. Going during off season was perfect! There was construction on part of the village and as mentioned half pf the restaurants were closed for the season, but even now there were loads of tourists. I can’t even imagine how busy a beautiful summer day would be! I don’t think I missed out on anything by going during the winter - the island was just as charming and beautiful.

It is definitely a romantic spot, so grab your sweetheart and head here for a little cozy getaway.