Page 10 - Your travel guide Paris - Le Mont-Saint-Michel - SNCF Nomad Train

THE POWER OF
THE TIDES

The drama of Mont-Saint-Michel’s legendary
tides will take your breath away.

wave up to dozens of centimetres high.

To see the rising tide and the Mascaret,
visit when the tidal coefficient is above
©OTMSMN_Jimmy-Perrotte reaches its peak. On the Mont, the best
90, and arrive two hours before the water

view is from the ramparts or from the
Abbey’s west terrace (the highest point of
Mont-Saint-Michel). From the shore, the
MONT-SAINT-MICHEL
best spots are La Roche Torin in Courtils,
Le Grouin du Sud in Vains-Saint-Léonard
Mont-Saint-Michel Bay has some of and Le Gué de l’Épine in Val-Saint-Père.
Europe’s most powerful tides, and spring
tides—which occur when the moon is full Against the backdrop of these
and the tidal coefficient is above 90—are elemental forces, Mont-Saint-Michel is
especially stunning. Usually the water rises even more spectacular.
slowly, covering a large portion of the Bay,
but when the tidal coefficient exceeds
110, the Mont becomes an island again
for a few hours.

Strong incoming tides temporarily reverse Come for a Soirée
the flow of the Sée, Sélune and Couesnon Grandes Marées to see
the tide come in and enjoy
Rivers, which empty into the Bay—a the quiet of the Abbey after
phenomenon called the Mascaret tidal hours.
bore. When this happens, the water rises
suddenly and dramatically, creating a
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