After that, he apparently thought it was about time to get started. And thank heavens he did, for the results stand today as proud Le Mont-Saint-Michel, one of Europe’s most awe-inspiring sites.

Although popular to this day as a location of pilgrimage, the casual visitor is more likely to be swamped by tourists than the devout. Want to the get the most out of your trip? Maps Explorer has the very tip you need: stay the night and get up early.

Rise at 6, hit a bakery first thing, and you’re on your way to a religious experience.

Hotel La Mère Poulard is the perfect venue for this, as it hosts the best restaurant in the area, La Mere Poulard itself. This long-standing establishment has two signature dishes – omelettes (cooked in a giant chimney) and pre-sale lamb. Take a look at the video on the hotel’s web site to see the eggs being beaten by La Mère Poulard’s waiters. Pre-sale lamb are lambs which graze on salt marshes – somehow imbuing them with a tender saltiness that defies belief.

Rise at 6, hit a bakery first thing, and you’re on your way to a religious experience. Just make the most of your morning before 9am or so, when the tourist coaches will arrive to spoil the fun…