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Mont Saint Michel at night

All bus tours and crowds left the Mont Saint Michel, only some passionate photographers, and people who took personal tour-guides are still here. Atmosphere is radically different. The Mont Saint Michel seems belonging to you.

 

Thank you to the organisation of the Mont Saint Michel for this very faithful history of the Abbey, built on the 8th century ! You can read it here

Mont Saint Michel

Hello,

Take a full-day tour from Paris to one of the most popular attractions in France, the fairytale island of Mont Saint Michel off the coast of Normandy. You'll visit the exquisite Benedictine abbey of Mont Saint Michel, one of the wonders of Europe. You'll also have free time to take a walk around the fascinating World Heritage listed island, which becomes separated from the mainland at high tide when the causeway is flooded by the sea.

 

The drive from Paris to Normandy takes you through the picturesque French countryside to Mont Saint Michel, a major cultural and pilgrimage center during the Middle Ages. At Mont Saint Michel you'll be taken on a guided tour of the abbey to discover the history of this important site. You'll see how ramparts have been added to support the Gothic monastery over the centuries, and also see the remarkable cloister and refectory.

You are then free to take a wander along Mont Saint Michel's narrow streets, browse the shops on the main street, visit the island's museums, take a walk around the abbey's ramparts, with views over the sands of the bay, and enjoy the spectacle of the sea rushing in to surround Mont Saint Michel at high tide, separating the island from the mainland.

USEFUL : As one of the most visited sites in France, Mont Saint Michel is very crowded ! Especially in high season ! ( april-september ). All bus tours leaves around 5-6PM. Take advantage of my flexibility : I mean there is no imposed hour to make the tour. It is up to you ! Instead of leaving Paris at 7 AM and find many traffic we can leave at 11, and coming back at night, for amazing pictures. 

THIS TOUR INCLUDE :

• Pick-up from your hotel
• Guided visit to Mont Saint Michel
• Unlimited visit time
• Private tour
• Mont Saint Michel fees
• Petrol and highway tolls

THIS TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE :

• Personal expenses
• lunch

For more information about Mont Saint Michel tour you can contact me at the following adress : info(at)france-travel-tour.com

BlogCatalog

Paris highlights

Hello, Here are Paris highlights, a must-see when you come to Paris^^

The French Emperor Napoleon was very inspired by Roman . In 1806 started the construction of the Arc de Triomphe.

It was finished in 1836, 15 years after Napoleon's death in Saint Helene's Island.

The "Iron Lady", the Eiffel Tower^^

Eiffel tower has been built for the universal exhibition of 1889, by Gustave Eiffel. It is the official symbol if Paris, like Sydney's Opera, Big Ben in London, or Burj-Al-Arab in Dubai. She has been built in two years only!

The National Opera has been built in the 17th century.

Always full of visitors, the Louvre museum. Here, it is the Louvre pyramid, in Napoleon courtyard. It is the main entrance to the Louvre Museum, the largest in the world !

French were not so happy to see this futuristic pyramid, in their Louvre museum from the 12th century. Personaly I think this mix of futuristic and ancient architecture is wonderful.

Under the Pyramid there is a big mall and restaurants, and the reversed pyramid

 

Place de la Concorde ( Concorde Square )

Formerly Louis XV square, Place de la Concorde is one of the largest squares in France. This square is around 250 years-old. 

The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics. It is a 3000 years old obelisk, originally from Luxor temple. It is a gift from Egyptian to French, for the work of Guillaume Apollinaire, to traduce the hieroglyphic. Behind the obelisk you can see the French Parliament

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur

Its construction began in 1875 and ended in 1914. It is the second most visited monument in France, behind Notre-Dame de Paris. 10 million people gave money to allow its construction.

Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

The 13 million visitors cathedral. The most visited monument in France. 

 

 

Mass tourism VS local tourism

Hello,

There are many things to discover in France. So many that it is today the 1st visited country in the world. We welcome each year between 75 and 80 million visitors. France has a lot to offer :a wonderful architecture, a strong history, awesome museums, unique shopping, a huge gastronomy, the world best wines...

You have three different ways to visit France:

- The first way is by yourself. Checking the Internet, the adresses, book your hotels, your flight and let's go! But often, you risk not to see the half of what you wanted to see originally. Because of the barrier language, the culture language, some of you are not "experienced travelers" and not able to cross he country to visit Paris on the first day, Chaumont-Sur-Loire's beautiful castle, Mont Saint Michel, Versailles...

Sometimes you will pay your train ticket to Mont Saint Michel the same price of a full private tour. I remember this 65 years-old woman from Hong-Kong, she bought her train ticket to Mont Saint Michel 186 EUR! I had a group of 4 booked in her hotel, for a Tour the following day, at the Mont Saint Michel. I told her I will cancel her train ticket, and book with us for 140 EUR ! She met the group, from Qatar, and we had a wonderful moment, sharing with each other, taking pictures, videos... That is what you may miss if you choose to plan your trip alone.

Second risk, the hotel. Thanks to Trip Advisor, there are thousands of hotel reviews. But points of view are very subjective, not updated. An hotel adress like "27 Rue Louis Blanc" means anythink for a tourist coming in Paris for the first time.  

-Second way is to book several bus tours to the main France's highlights : there are many touristic sites that you can visit on a day-trip from Paris: the Champagne Region, Loire Valley's castles, the mysterious Mont Saint Michel, Deauville...it is mass tourism. The old way. And, clearly, from my own experience, not worth at all a private guided tour.

When you book a guided tour in Paris with a bus Tour company, here is the program : you have a meeting point somewhere in the City. If you want a pick-up from your hotel, it is charged. Once you get in the bus, sometimes the traffic is so heavy that you see Paris only through the bus window. You have two or three poor photo-stops in front of Arc de Triomphe, Tour Eiffel and Sacred-Heart Basilica. And then coming back to the meeting point. You will pay for that around 60 EUR. An example is given here

For other tours, in Loire castles for example, here is an example. 175 EUR, to be with 80 other persons and only ONE tour-guide. The visit is done in a rush, only cares the group. If you leave the group, the bus comes back to Paris without you. Mass tourism has its default, and those companies has put the service culture to the lowest possible.

It is the same for Mont Saint Michel : a 4-hours road in a noisy bus, a quick visit of the Abbey, they bring you in the tourist shops and tourist restaurant to take their commission, and the bus leaves at 5 PM. 

The third way is to book your tour with a local guide. There is only advantages: an dedicated tour guide, a higher service, a private tour. For the same price, and sometimes cheaper than a bus Tour!

Personaly I made many guided tours in Malaysia, Dubai and Montreal and I always prefered guided tours by locals, passionate and easy-going. 

Of course, local tour guides are not as visible as bus tours companies. But future of tourism is here...pasionnate local-guides that likes to share their knowledge, brings you into local places, takes no commission from anybody. The real France, the real French and the true experience, are here.

Hi there!

Hello everybody,

My name is David, I am 29 years-old and I live in Paris, France. I work in tourism industry, as a tour-guide.

Through this blog I want to share with you France and french culture, but also communicate and promote my new project, launched 6 months ago : FRANCE TRAVEL TOUR

I have worked 5 years for the biggest bus tour company in France, as a tour-guide. I met many nationalities, many cultures, and this is why I love my job. I meet people from all around the world.

As a travel agent I also travel a lot. I have lived in Japan for 3 years, as a french teacher. Since 10 years I have been working in travel industry, as a receptionnist in luxury hotels in Paris, a travel agent and a tour-guide.

6 months ago I decided to create FRANCE TRAVEL TOUR. It is an agency that provides many services to tourists. The main activity is guided tours. I want private guided tours as affordable as possible.

I will present my activity, and through videos and pictures taken on tour, you will travel with me in France! Enjoy the pictures and videos I will post very soon!