Mont Saint-Michel is an island monastery that has stood strong since the 8th century in the sands of the Couesnon River mouth in Normandy, northern France.
Appearing like a mirage in the distance, at first sight it’s truly magnetising, you can’t look away. It’s sheer size and formation amongst the seaside landscape, farm land and sandy bay makes it look like a floating castle.
As the sun rises, flocks of birds flutter above and sheep graze happily in the paddocks, peaceful doesn’t even begin to describe the scene.
Inside the walls is a quaint village with stone paved streets, dimly lit medieval buildings and the imposing yet stunning Abbey that rests on top of the island looking over the bay.
In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing a guide to the best photography locations at Mont Saint-Michel, for the moment, here is a little of the magic I experienced during my weekend visit recently.
From sunrise to sunset, as cliche as it sounds, this place was spectacular.
Hello! I’m the founder and photographer behind The Wandering Lens.
With 17+yrs experience as a professional travel and landscape photographer, all advice found on this site is from my personal experience on the road. I hope it’s useful for your own travels and would love to hear in the comments about your trips and experiences around the world.
Blog Comments
travel holidays
December 8, 2015 at 11:23 pm
Images are too good. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Leesa & Kate
December 18, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Your photos are stunning. So glad we stumbled across your page!
xx Leesa & Kate
Travel inspiration? http://www.wanderlustchronicles.com.au
thewanderinglens
December 18, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Thanks so much! I’m so happy you found my site too! It looks like we just missed each other…I just flew out of Prague yesterday!
Carlos
July 21, 2017 at 3:27 am
I’ve really enjoyed your website. It’s filled with amazing photos and lots of great tips for taking pictures. I’ve learned a lot of new techniques. I was wondering if you ever completed the post on the best places to take pictures on mt. st. michel? I’m curious because I’ll be visiting MSM later this year and wanted some tips for great photos.
Thanks again
Carlos
thewanderinglens
July 21, 2017 at 7:19 am
Hi Carlos, thanks for your message! You know what…I recently linked to this post and realised that I never did publish my guide to the good photo spots around Mont Saint-Michel. So bad! But…before you head across the bridge to the island, there’s a bridge just beside the cafes…head over the bridge, from there middle you’ll get a great shot across the water but if you continue over, follow the path along the tree line and then out between the paddocks there’s a beautiful angle across the sheep fields. Also, again before you cross to the island there’s a small path along the edge of the fields to the right side and if you’re lucky, there’ll be sheep here (I wasn’t lucky!). Be careful of the sand/mud, it’s like quicksand and the tide comes in so quickly! Have a great trip!