If your next set of travel plans include a trip to France, you may be looking for great things to see on that trip. One of the things you don’t want to miss is Mont St Michel.

What is it?

If you are new to sites in France, you may not know of Mont St Michel. Mont St Michel is considered a wonder of the western world. It is an amazing tidal island. Atop the island is an amazing abbey. For over 1000 years this island has been a fantastic location that is naturally protected by the tides which act like a natural shifting moat around the island.

Where is it?

Mont St Michel is located just off the coast of Normandy, France. There is only a thin causeway connecting the mainland to the island.

When is the best time to visit?

Traveling to Mont St Michel should be done in conjunction with the tidal flow. Most of the year is just fine for visiting, but in the months of March and September there is more likely to be harsh weather. That can make for rough tides, which can make the roads to Mont St Michel impassable. For this reason it is best to avoid these two months.

How to get there from Paris

The easiest way to get to Mont St Michel is to take a car. It is about a 4-½ hour drive from Paris, but this would be a great way to take in a bit of the country and really get a feel for France.

Others prefer using public transport. Unfortunately, there is not a direct train service to Mont St Michel from Paris. You can, however, take a series of buses and trains to be able to get to the location if that is your preferred way to travel.

A little bit of History:

For those interested in the history of Mont-Saint-Michel, it was build in the 13th century after the original abbey was destroyed in 1203 by King Phillip of France, the original abbey having been founded by the bishop of Avranches, Saint Aubert in 708.

The abbey is so strongly fortified that it was able to withstand repeated English assaults during the hundred year’s war. During the reign of Napoleon 1, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel was used as a prison.

A causeway was built to link the rocky islet to the mainland in 1875 and these days the islet is only ever completely surrounded by water twice a month.

Being one of  the top tourist spots in France has given Mont St Micheal the distinction of being listed as a national historical monument and a the abbey is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We took a bus to Versailles, the palace of the Sun King, and when we arrived there was a queue a mile long.

We walked around the grounds for a bit and then noticed a door where the tour coach passengers were going. So we followed a group in, and as we weren’t challenged, we walked on into the palace.

The opulence and grandeur of each room is amazing, it is literally jaw dropping stuff.

A stroll around the gardens is a joy although the fountains weren’t operational the day we were there.

Apparently the fountains are only switched on one day a week, so if you want to see them in all their glory you will need to check which day they are on.

Versailles has a rich history and we thoroughly recommend a visit. Take a full day if you are going so that you are not rushed.

When we were leaving, there were a dozen or so French African people selling souvenirs and they are quite pushy. But if you aren’t interested then be quite firm, or you will end up paying for some piece of junk that you don’t want.

Then something really quite amusing happened. One minute there were street vendors everywhere and then a police car arrived and the vendors gathered up their goods and literally vanished into thin air. It was like magic, one minute there the next second – gone.

The police chased a few stragglers, but soon gave up trying to catch them. And as soon as the police had gone, wallah, back came the vendors as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photographs inside the Palace, so we don’t have any photos to post to show you of the grandeur and beauty of the palace. I brought some postcards and a DVD which of course can’t be posted on the blog because of the copyright.

This is one palace you don’t want to miss when you are in France. Everything about the place is absolutely amazing and the walk down the Hall of Mirrors is a sight to see.

So then it was back on the bus for the trip back to Paris. Next stop Munich.

Chilli enjoying the sights of Paris. Here he is with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

In 2009 the Eiffel Tower will be 120 years old.  Not bad for an structure that was only meant to be put in place on a temporary basis for the Paris Exposition of 1889.

The Eiffel Tower was designed by the French structural engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (b. Dec. 15, 1832, d. Dec. 28, 1923). He was awarded the opportunity to erect the Eiffel Tower after winning a design competition.

There were all manner of protests at the time from noted personages of the time such as Guy de Maupassant, Émile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Alexandre Dumas and nature groups, all who felt the erection of the Eiffel Tower would be a blot on the Paris landscape.

Fortunately, their protests were ignored and the structure is still with us today. Although it was almost demolished in 1909 but the fact that its antenna was used for telegraphy. the Eiffel Tower was saved. And aren’t we all thankful that it was. It is a magnificent structure of lace ironwork.

We are up bright and early in the morning and head off to the Montmarte district to see the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.

Montmarte is a hill in north of Paris which is not only known for the white dome of Sacre Coeur but also it’s nightclubs, primarily Moulin Rouge.

The name Montmarte means ‘mountain of the martyr after  St Denis,  the Bishop of Paris and the patron saint of France, was decapitated on the hill in approx 250 AD.

Montmarte has always been  known for its artists community and Dali, Monet and Picasso were some of the artists who had studios in the area.

The place actually looks quite dreary and dingy in the daylight and the Moulin Rouge obviously comes into it’s own at night because it looks very run down and seedy in the light of day.

After getting off the bus, we trudged up the narrow streets past all the tacky souvenir shops up to the base of the basilica. It pays to be fit as it is a steep climb up the hill, and there are a lot of steps up just to get up to the entrance of the basilica.

A quick look around inside and it is time to wend our way up the myriad of stairs that lead to the top of  the basilica. Believe me when I say that the stairs go on and on, round and round and we think we are never going to reach the top but once we do get there and stop to catch our breath, we are so glad that we made the trek up all the many stairs to the top. The view over Paris is absolutely spectacular.  And even though the weather is overcast and there is a bit of a drizzle, the sight back over the city to the Eiffel Tower is awesome.

This is one of the sights that you don’t want to miss.

The internal staircase winds around and around and you begin to wonder if you are ever going to reach the top. I remember making a a rather irreligious comment about fat friars chasing alter boys up these winding stairs believe me the boys would have been safe.