PARIS, France — We're taking you to one of the most popular attractions in the Olympic host country.
When we started planning our WTHR Olympic pre-trip, we kept seeing this incredible place on a tidal island. It looked like a castle.
So we drove 4 1/2 hours from Paris to the Normandy coast and learned firsthand why Mont Saint-Michel draws millions of visitors every year.
The most recognizable sites in France are in the Olympic host city. But rising out of the water on the west coast of France is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.
Mont Saint-Michel is a nearly 1,000-year-old church towering above a village, all built on a tidal island.
"Obviously, it was a challenging project. Mont Saint-Michel is like a rocky cone. A granite mount," said Anne Le Page who has been an abbey tour guide for nine years. "The place is just amazing. There's always new things to discover."
Le Page said there is a lot of mystery about Mont Saint-Michel.
"We lost a lot of archives, a lot of documents from the past. Could be maps. Could be how the monks were living at certain periods," said Le Page.
Mont Saint-Michel is located between Normandy and Brittany.
"The mount is at the very end of the bay. The summit of the place is actually the abbey church," said Le Page.
PHOTOS: Mont Saint-Michel
She said the first worship took place in the Year 709 and the village was built during the 10th century.
When the tide is low, a shuttle takes you out on a causeway. Then the real journey begins.
"As you enter Mont Saint-Michel, you enter an alley with a lot of shops along the way. It's really crowded," said visitor Patrick Lau.
The trek winds through a village with a population of just 20.
"It's like any other village. There's a mayor, there's a parish church, there's a post (office), there's a tourist office. Yes, it's a village," Le Page said
The climb up the mount is a challenge.
"There are a lot of stairs, definitely," said visitor Sophie Lau.
But the views along the way are stunning.
"You have the whole panoramic view here. It's just very nice," said Le Page.
At the top of the mount is a Benedictine abbey dedicated to the Archangel Michael.
"The archangel was an important character, a mystic character between God and human beings," Le Page said.
At one point in history, Mont Saint-Michel was used as a prison.
"When the monks were living here in the 15th century, we know there were a few prisoners from time to time. The abbot was in charge of those prisoners sent by different kings of France," said Le Page. "They were kept in solitary confinement.
"In 1811, it started to be a prison for common prisoners. Sometime, women and children were kept here. Hundreds of prisoners were kept here. A thousand at one time. We can say, kind of an Alcatraz," said Le Page. "Napoleon III decided to close the prison in 1863 for good because the place was falling apart."
Mont Saint-Michel is visible from miles away and is particularly stunning at sunset.
Paris may have the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Arc de Triomphe, but the Normandy region may be home to the most unique spot in the Olympic host country, an iconic island that changes with the tide.
"It comes slowly and sometimes floats the entrance of the place totally and gets totally flooded. We become on an island again, like it used to be in the past," said the tour guide.
It is the place known as the "Wonder of the West," a pilgrimage for more than 2 million visitors a year.
"They come from all over the world," Le Page said.