Put on your boots and check your pedals, because walking or cycling in these touristy destinations in the summer is just as enjoyable in the winter, well wrapped up.

At Mont-Saint-Michel, put on boots and explore the bay

How can you see what thousands of visitors never see, the other side of Mont-Saint-Michel? By putting on boots and walking around the village by the bay.

Quicksand, water holes, changing weather, water releases... Because the risks are numerous and accidents frequent, it is better to opt for the two-hour guided walk. It will first take you close to the small Saint-Aubert chapel, which is reached after having waded through clay and climbed some rocks. Once on the beach, the guide will start walking through the water towards the open sea and the islet of Tombelaine (an ornithological reserve, where 130 species of birds live together).

We follow him, incredulous of the (cold) water up to our knees. Then, after a few meters, we turn around to see the island in the light, spectacular. We can make out the sublime façade of the Merveille, the abbey's masterpiece, and the scriptorium, where the monks copied manuscripts. In the sunlight, the archangel St. Michel shines like never before. "He also serves as a lightning rod for the village," says the guide, who explains the incredible landscape around us, as the rain suddenly falls: in the distance, the marshes and the sheep grazing in the salt meadows; at our feet, the current comes from all sides, for it is here that the rivers Couesnon, Sée and Sélune flow into the sea. "Until the 1980s, we still fished up to a thousand salmon a year here!"

Within a few minutes, a pink glow has lit up the sky, and the water has gone down. We walk through the sand slowly to avoid sinking. In the distance, we can already see the walkway, shuttle and the stream of tourists. So we stay a few moments more between earth and sea, in this breathtaking bay.

In Argelès, the wonders of the Vermeille coast

At the foot of the Albères, the easternmost massif of the Pyrénées (southwestern France), the pretty town of Argelès-sur-Mer combines the charms of the big blue and the nearby mountains. We take the time to discover the red brick houses and river pebbles of this small town, the memorial dedicated to the Spanish Republican exiles of the Retirada, in 1939, before heading for the coast path. 32 kilometers that lead along the Vermeille coast to Cerbère, via Collioure.

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