🇫🇷 Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Stage 6 Étréham —> Pontorson 132 KM (Total 1085 KM)

The place is only 10km away from Mont-Saint-Michel (MSM).

On the arrival day, we cycle along the Couesnon River with our bikes, which flows directly into the English Channel in a delta right in front of MSM. 5 KM before that, we see the pyramid of the Middle Ages, which MSM is also known as. Even from this distance, the building impresses us because it rises like a mountain from the sea. MSM has been built around the rock in the sea for several centuries and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We are lucky to arrive after 6:00 PM, so we can cycle the 2 KM to MSM via the bridge with our bikes. It is not allowed to do so from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Even at this time, there is a large influx of visitors due to the high season. MSM immediately captivates us and we decide to plan the next visit early the next morning.

So, wake up at 6:30 AM the next morning and start cycling. What an awe-inspiring peace! There are only a few tourists around, but the crowds only come around noon - we did everything right 👍.

We have breakfast at a small restaurant and then visit the World Heritage Site. Good stamina is already helpful here due to the many stairs.

After paying the entrance fee for the upper area of MSM (a well-invested €10 per person), we arrived just in time for a German-speaking guided tour. Finally, we attended the very impressive midday mass celebrated by the monks and nuns living there.

Conclusion: MSM is an extraordinary place, a stone of reverence to God, which captivated us from the very first moment. We will definitely visit again - the 30 residents and the approximately 3 million visitors per year cannot be wrong 😊