Mont-Saint-Michel

France · island · tides · medieval

Ancient fortress abbey. Mont-Saint-Michel is topped with a stunning monastery and church built over 1,000 years ago by monks who wanted a quiet, holy place to live.

Surrounded by water. This island is famous for having some of the biggest tides in the world, meaning the ocean can rush in and surround the entire island like magic, then pull back out again.

Mainland now. Even though Mont-Saint-Michel used to be completely cut off by water, engineers built a connecting road so visitors can walk to it whenever they want.

Real people live there. About 40 people actually live on Mont-Saint-Michel year-round, making it one of the most unusual residential communities in Europe.

UNESCO treasure. Mont-Saint-Michel is so historically important and beautiful that it's protected as a World Heritage Site, meaning the whole world recognizes it as super special.