Mont-Saint-Michel Bridge and Couesnon Dam

The bridge-walkway leading to Mont-Saint-Michel and the dam on the Couesnon river are the most visible parts of a major project to restore the Mont's maritime character. For more than a century a causeway built in the 1870s, together with car parks at the foot of the rock, encouraged silt to build up around the island, and the sea was slowly turning it into part of the mainland. The project replaced the old road with a light structure that lets the water flow freely around the Mont.

The dam, inaugurated in 2009 on the Couesnon near the mainland, holds back water at high tide and releases it at low tide to flush sediment away from the island. A viewing area on the dam is a popular place to watch the river and the tides, with a fine view of the Mont in the distance. The slender, curving bridge-walkway designed by the architect Dietmar Feichtinger opened in 2014. It carries pedestrians, the free shuttle buses and horse-drawn carriages across the last stretch to the island, and during the highest tides its end near the Mont can be covered by the sea, briefly turning Mont-Saint-Michel back into a true island.

Walking across the bridge is part of the experience: the Mont grows steadily larger as you approach, and the salt meadows, sands and channels of the bay surround you. The walk from the mainland car parks to the Mont takes about 45 minutes, and the free shuttle stops close to the island for those who prefer to ride.