Place Saint-Michel. Place Saint-Michel - a place filled with the spirit of romance and love Boulevard Saint-Michel Paris
Place Saint-Michel, where the tree-lined Boulevard Saint-Michel originates, is rightfully considered the busiest place in the Latin Quarter.
This name is associated among Parisians with the bright student performances of 1968, but today the main landmark The famous “bulmish”, as this boulevard is usually called, has become quite ordinary shops.
However, this place is still popular: the cafes and shops in the area of Place Saint-Michel and Place Saint-André-des-Arts are always crowded with people, and in the summer, foreigners. The fountain located on the square is a favorite place for dates.
Crowds of tourists stroll on Rue Huchette and around it, east of Place Saint-Michel. The only reminder that this was once a place of pilgrimage for beatniks and tramps after World War II is the Huchette Theater, where Ionescu's play "The Bald Singer" has been staged for 50 years.
Everything else is cheap bars and Greek taverns with seafood and disco music, characterized by low quality and prices. Rue Huchette is connected to the river by a street with the remarkable name Cha-qui-pech (“Fisherman Cat”) - a narrow island of medieval Paris, as it was before the clearing Baron Haussmann space for boulevards.
But be careful: when in a bustling crowd, keep a close eye on your wallet, because Place Saint Michel and its surroundings are known for pickpockets and thieves. At the end of the Rue Huchette, along the former main street of Roman-era Paris, lies the Rue Saint-Jacques, which takes its name from a popular pilgrimage route in the Middle Ages to the tomb of the Apostle Saint James (Saint-Jacques) in Santiago de Compostela, in northern Spain.
For the millions of believers who set off on their journey from the church (now all that remains of it is tower Saint-Jacques), located on the other side of the river, this uphill section was the first test.
A block south of the rue Huchette and west of the rue Saint-Jacques is the 15th-century church of Saint-Severin, with a portal opening onto the rue Prêtre-Saint-Severin. In this most exquisite church in Paris, you can see the magnificent carvings on the choir columns, made in the style of Flamboyant Gothic, as well as beautiful stained glass windows by the modern French artist Jean Bazin.
Pay attention to the arched window opening above the entrance to the church, here you will see flickering carvings in the shape of a flame (hence the name “flaming” Gothic). Inside the room, the first three columns represent the older part of the church, dating back to the 13th century.
One block south of the church is Parchemineri Street, where Middle Ages scribes and parchment sellers gathered. We also advise you to pay attention to the design of the facades of the buildings, in particular to house No. 29 - now the abbey’s bookstore is located here, run by a Canadian.
Left bank of the Seine River
The name "Left Bank" (Rive Gauche) means much more to the French than just one of the banks of the Seine. In fact, the entire part of Paris south of the river is on the Left Bank (if you look down the river), but for Parisians this name is associated primarily with a creative, sometimes rebellious spirit, which manifested itself to a greater extent in the two central arrondissements of the city: 5 -th and 6th districts.
The Left Bank has long been opposed to the Right Bank, not only in a geographical sense: in the Latin Quarter, next to the 5th arrondissement, it created a very special atmosphere Paris Sorbonne University, which for several centuries was a powerful center of free thought. In the 20th century, every artist, writer or musician who considered himself a full-fledged representative of bohemia sought to live and work in or near the 6th arrondissement.
Between the wars, in cafés in Montparnasse one could see the artists Picasso or Modigliani conversing amicably with French writers such as Guillaume Apollinaire, André Breton, Jean Cocteau and Anaïs Nin, as well as with émigrés such as Henry Miller and Ernst Hemingway.
After World War II, literati and intellectuals moved to the cafes and jazz clubs of the Saint-Germain area; these places became the second home for Jacques Prévert, Boris Vian, Sidney Bechet, Juliette Greco, as well as for the most famous of them - the existentialists Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
But what finally established the Left Bank's reputation as rebellious and innovative were the political events that took place in May 1968. These protests, which began with leftist student demonstrations and resulted in factory occupations and massive national strikes, almost led to the overthrow of the government of President de Gaulle.
A walk through the Latin Quarter will allow a tourist to feel the special atmosphere of student Paris. Regardless of the time of day, you can safely head towards Boulevard Saint-Michel. This name appeared on the map of Paris only in 1859, so the street is considered one of the newest in the famous quarter of the capital. Literary scholars usually consider Boulevard Saint-Michel the birthplace of symbolism. Having settled in [...]
Walk through Latin Quarter will allow tourists to feel the special atmosphere of student Paris. Regardless of the time of day, you can safely go to the side Boulevard Saint-Michel (Boulevard Saint-Michel). This name appeared on the map of Paris only in 1859, so the street is considered one of the newest in the famous quarter of the capital. Literary scholars usually consider Boulevard Saint-Michel the birthplace of symbolism.
Having settled down in any cafe, tourists find out that they often sat at its tables until late Paul Verlaine And Rimbaud, met with friends Mallarmé And Heredia. It seems that on their way the poets did not miss a single student cafe, which over time acquired elitism and began to be called literary. In them, even now in the evenings you can count on meeting with musical and theatrical bohemia.
The price category of each cafe can be easily assessed by examining the boards displayed at the entrance, on which it is customary to write the menu in chalk. The most affordable ones will offer you pancakes with sweet or vegetable filling. This is, as a rule, a traditional order of poor French students.
On Place Saint Michel There are famous bookstores, but tourists are more attracted to small second-hand bookstores, where sometimes you are lucky enough to unearth some rarity. You can sit by the fountain nearby Archangel Michael statues. There are always a lot of young people here, there is music and multilingual speech.
Boulevard Saint-Michel, 75006 Paris, France
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The island of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy with the abbey located on it, and in fact a well-preserved medieval city in the coastal waters of the ocean, annually attracts from 2.5 to 3 million tourists. The island, the first mention of the existence of a settlement on which dates back to 709, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and was classified as a specially protected historical monument in France back in 1874.
Mont Saint-Michel, along with the Eiffel Tower and Versailles, is one of the top five most popular attractions in France in terms of the number of visitors. Even though it is located quite far from Paris and other large cities, the flow of organized and independent tourists does not dry up here at any time of the year, reaching a peak in the summer, in July and August, as well as during the European holidays.
In this article you will find all the ways to get to see this real wonder of the world, as well as other useful information for preparing your trip to Mont Saint-Michel.
Where: Region - Normandy (northwest France), department - Manche.
The distance from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel is between 361 and 385 kilometers (depending on the route chosen). Travel time by car: from 4 to 5 hours.
How to get there
By car
Take the A11 highway (direction from Paris to Chartres, then to Le Mans, then Laval, then exit the highway at Fougères and then follow the signs to Le Mont Saint-Michel);
Take the A13 to Rouen and Caen, then take the A84 to Le Mont Saint-Michel.
You can rent a car for traveling around France here(easy search - instant comparison of offers, prices and conditions of leading car rental companies in Europe, online booking confirmation and flexible conditions, discounts, super offers)
When traveling by car to the island, it is worth considering, in addition to the costs of toll roads and gasoline, that the nearest parking lot is located 2.5 kilometers from Mont Saint-Michel and, compared to regular parking lots, is quite expensive: 11.70 euros (24 hours), 23.40 euros (between 24 and 48 hours). Parking for less than 30 minutes is free, up to two hours of parking costs 6.30 euros, and everything beyond this time is paid at the daily rate.
But the parking price already includes a free shuttle to the island, which stops 350 meters from the entrance, then after you have entered the territory of Mont Saint-Michel, you need to go up to the medieval city - higher and higher, to the abbey, which is located at the very top.
Important : In this regard, if for health reasons you cannot withstand physical activity (cardiovascular problems or problems with the musculoskeletal system), it is better not to go upstairs, but to admire the abbey from a distance.
To avoid walking 2.5 kilometers, all other visitors (not just those using the paid car park) can take a special shuttle bus (2.30 euros per person one way) or a horse-drawn carriage, which can carry up to 24 passengers. Horses work only during the “high” tourist season, as well as during the Christmas holidays. The cost of a trip to the island by cart is 5.30 euros per person.
By public transport
All ways to get to Mont Saint-Michel from Paris by public transport cannot be called very convenient due to the long distance (whatever one may say, about 400 kilometers) and the need to make transfers.
OUibus buses depart from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel from Porte Maillot (metro station of the same name on line 1 and RER C) a couple of times a week (Thursday and Saturday, or Friday and Sunday, it is necessary to check the schedule, for example in February 2017 You can see buses only for the current and next month). Travel time by direct bus is from 4 hours 40 minutes, the cost of a one-way ticket is from 25 euros. The price is attractive, but the problem is that you won’t be able to return, for example, to Paris on the same day: if a bus goes from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel on Thursday or Friday, then on the same days there are no return flights to Paris from the island . Therefore, you need to return back by other transport or stay overnight in the vicinity of the island, which significantly increases the travel budget.
Another bus company whose tickets you can look for is Flixbus. The price of a bus ticket from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel is on average 22.90 - 24.90 euros, but the problem is the same - buses do not depart to the island every day, but only from Thursday to Sunday.
Trains SNCF
The minimum travel time by train (with a transfer) is from 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
From Paris - Montparnasse 1 and 2 train station to Villedieu les Poêles station, then change to a bus to Mont Saint-Michel:
From Paris - Montparnasse 1 and 2 train station, take the high-speed TGV train to Rennes (2 hours travel time), then take the bus to Mont Saint-Michel (~1 hour 20 minutes);
From Paris - Montparnasse 1 and 2 train station, take the TGV to Dol de Bretagne (2 hours 40 minutes), then take the bus to Mont Saint-Michel.
From Paris Saint-Lazare train station, take a regional train to Caen, then take a regional train from Caen to Pontorson, then take a bus to Mont Saint-Michel (however, this is the longest and most impractical way)
Of the above “railroad” methods, the best is by TGV to Rennes and Dol de Bretagne, since when purchasing a ticket on the website of the French railways SNCF, the price already includes a bus ride to Mont Saint-Michel. Tariffs: the range of prices for 2nd class tickets is very high - from 39 euros one way, in general the average price is 55-80 euros, reaching up to 106 euros per ticket. 39 euros is a fare that needs to be “caught” well in advance, and it also depends on the time when you go to the abbey, for example, early in the morning. If you just go to the SNCF ticket office before your trip, then all the inexpensive tickets will already be purchased and you, naturally, will be offered the highest fare. All French people know this, so they try to buy train tickets for long trips in advance (but not earlier than three months before the trip - these are the SNCF rules).
Organized excursion
A trip to Mont Saint-Michel on your own is usually expensive (if you are traveling by public transport rather than a rented car) and is one of those rare cases when it may be more profitable and convenient to go with an organized excursion. In this case, if your main place of stay is Paris, you will be able to get by with just one day to see Normandy and its most visited attraction. Departure to the medieval miracle island is early in the morning, arrival back in Paris in the evening. A few free hours are enough to visit Mont Saint-Michel and the churches and museums located on its territory, see the tide, take photos, have a snack and buy souvenirs.
There are also safety rules that must be followed and not wandering into the bay at the wrong time: the ocean is not to be trifled with.
Mont Saint Michel photo
Abbey cloister
Mont Saint Michel in the evening and at night with illumination
The Fountain Saint-Michel is a favorite meeting place for Parisians. This monumental structure is 15 meters wide and 26 meters high, the size of a six-story building, to the wall of which the fountain is adjacent. And the fountain, and the square on which it stands, and the boulevard, and the embankment, and the bridge nearby are named after the Archangel Michael, the conqueror of the devil.
The Revelation of John says: Michael and the angels cast down from heaven to earth the dragon called the devil. Two powerful male figures in the central niche of the fountain, similar to a triumphal arch, are precisely the archangel and the devil trampled by him. Satan is depicted not as a dragon, but in a human body. He looks absolutely devilish - viciously handsome, with horns, a furious grimace of a defeated man on his face. Beautiful Michael, with a fiery sword in his right hand, raises his left hand in a triumphant gesture.
The fountain is oversaturated with details: four Corinthian columns, above them there are four sculptures - Prudence, Strength, Justice and Temperance, on the sides of the fountain there are dragons spewing water, at the very top - the shield of Paris, which is held by Strength and Temperance. And also bas-reliefs, floral ornaments, angels, lion faces, dragons. At the same time, the arch is yellow, the columns are pink, the rock under the devil is green-blue, and the statues are bronze.
Gabriel Davu, who built the fountain in 1860, was criticized mercilessly. And for the polychrome, and for the fact that all the decorations and statues were created by different sculptors (Michael and the Devil are the works of Francis-Joseph Duret), and for the fact that the fountain is on the side, and not in the middle of the square. In the latter, Davyu was not to blame. The great reformer of Paris, Baron Haussmann, entrusted him with building the fountain, and this was precisely the idea - not just to decorate the large space created after the appearance of the new boulevard, but to cover the blank wall of the house facing the square. The architect of the prefecture, Davu, was responsible not only for the fountain, but also for the facades of the buildings in the square.
The initial project included placing a statue of Peace in a niche, then a statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, but this caused resistance from opponents of the then reigning Napoleon III. Davu's proposal to make the Archangel Michael the central figure satisfied everyone. This decision seemed to be purely political. However, thanks to him, on the Place Saint-Michel for a century and a half on an elaborate, multi-colored, familiar fountain, the Archangel Michael has been trampling on the devil, reminding the world that Evil will definitely lose.
