I am going to be in France for the Women's World Cup (End of June until the final game! For my honeymoon!) Do you have any "you must do this thing while here" thoughts for visitors?
I don’t know where you’re gonna be staying, and I’m gonna be biased ‘cause I lived right next to it for 2/3 of my life, but: you gotta visit the Mont Saint Michel in Normandy at least once in your life. French Hogwarts is an EXPERIENCE.
I believe this only starts in July, but in the summer they let visitors inside the Abbaye during night time (it’s always possible to visit during the day) and there is usually light shows, candles lit everywhere in the hallways and all the way into the dungeons, the cloister and the gardens, as well as classical musicians (harpe, cello, violin, flute) playing in the halls. Unsure if this happens every year or only for special occasions. The outside is always lit up at night until a certain hour no matter the time of year, though!
Oh and here is why we call it French Hogwarts:
(it is completely surrounded by water when it’s high tide)
You could stay there an entire day and not even find all the little secret passages and gardens and stairs hidden in it. The architecture is around 500 years old and it is really gorgeous.The Bay surrounding it is huge and beautiful and kinda (very) dangerous but you can walk across it during low tide. You start from a neighboring village (my village actually), all the way to the Mont Saint Michel by foot with a guide (gotta pay but it’s worth it). Never ever do that without a guide. All those people jokingly saying things like “oh i thought quicksand would be a bigger problem in my life when i was a kid”… well. Let’s just say us locals of that area can’t relate lmaoIt can be a bit expensive if you wanna eat or sleep IN or NEAR the Mont though. It’s a tourist-y place, especially in the summer. Better get an hotel or airbnbs further away from it and get buses to go to the parking. But the entry into the island and village is free, only the visit of the Abbaye and its gardens isn’t. The price of that isn’t too bad tho. I can’t remember if the dungeons are free to visit or not, i’m too used to sneak there without bothering checking lmao.Pro tip: the shuttles to get there from the parking lot are free, and parking is also free after 7pm.
Anyway, yeah, if you ever find yourself in Normandy, this is the place to go. ESPECIALLY for a honeymoon! :D Also it’s a pretty region in general, just like its neighboring region, Brittany!
(PSA: This post was not sponsored by Normandie Tourisme, but it should be.)
