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Mont Saint- Michel, France -

This magical Normandy islet with its famous sanctuary is in fact connected to the mainland by a low bridge, though visitors can still reach it using the original causeway.

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Sveti Stefan, Montenegro -

Sveti Stefan island is open seasonally and functions in part as a upscale resort. A narrow tombolo, or sandy isthmus, serves as a corridor between the picturesque islet and the mainland.

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Burgh Island, England -

A tidal island on the coast of South Devon, Bugh Island is forever linked with English crime writer Agatha Christie, who used it as a setting for her novel 'Evil Under the Sun,' which features the famous fictional detective Hercule Poirot. The Burgh Island Hotel is a spectacularly iconic Art Deco landmark, and over the years has welcomed numerous celebrity guests, including Winston Churchill, Josephine Baker, and the Beatles.

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Enoshima Island, Japan -

At low tide it's possible to walk along a causeway to Enoshima, a tiny offshore island near Tokyo. However, it is conveniently linked to the mainland at Fujisawa by a 600-m-long (1,968 ft) bridge to allow for vehicular access.

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St Michael's Mount, England -

One of Cornwall's most cherished visitor attractions, this landmark tidal island is linked to the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway. The rocky outpost is crowned by a medieval church and castle.

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Eilean Tioram, Scotland -

The gaunt ruins of a castle sit forlornly on the top of Eilean Tioram, where the waters of Loch Moidart and the River Shiel meet. Low tide allows access to the ancient monument.

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The "Island" of Newquay, England -

The quirky "Island" of Newquay sits on Towan Beach and is crowned by a private cottage, making it one of the most unusual visitor accommodation options in Cornwall. The cottage is reached via a private suspension footbridge. At low tide, this outcrop of rock can be accessed via the beach.

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Jiangong Islet, China -

At low tide you can walk to this Taiwanese islet by following a slab stone path overlooked by giant "oysterman" sculptures created as a tribute to one of the region's traditional occupations.

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Holy Island, England -

An air of mystery pervades the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, a tidal island anchored off the Northumberland coast. As the tide recedes, you can cross the causeway and visit the well-preserved castle, which dates back to 1550 and was built over the foundations of an 11th-century priory.

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Neuwerk Island, Germany -

The pancake-flat tidal island of Neuwerk in the Wadden Sea on the German North Sea coast is reached at low water either on foot or on a wattwagen (pictured), a horse-drawn mud flat coach, which trots out of Cuxhaven.

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Penguin Island, Australia -

While very low tides do indeed allow sandbar access to this fabulous destination, walking out from the mainland is not advised: weather conditions can change in an instant and leave you stranded and in great danger. Better to take a ferry to marvel at the colony of little penguins and a host of other wildlife that call this natural wonder near Perth home.

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Jindo-Modo islands, South Korea -

Every year extreme low tides at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula allow people to walk from Jindo Island to nearby Modo Island by following a 2.9-km (1.8 mi) pathway connecting the two islands. The natural phenomenon is celebrated annually as the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival.

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Passage du Gois, France -

The astonishing Passage du Gois is a 4.3-km (2.58 mi) natural causeway between Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier, in Vendée on the Atlantic coast of France. A road has been built over it foundations, which at low tide allows vehicular access between the two destinations. A leg of the annual Tour de France (pictured) takes place along the narrow road, timed to take place between the twice-daily high tides.

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Ma Shi Chau, China -

The Hong Kong island of Ma Shi Chau, which translates literally as "Horse Dung Island," is connected with another island by a tombolo, or sandy isthmus, traversable at low tide. The islands themselves are both moored away from the mainland, in Tolo Harbor.

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Worms Head, Wales -

Access to the tidal island of Worms Head (sometimes written as "Worm's Head") near Rhossilli in Gower is about two and half hours either side of low tide. This gives you enough time to scramble over the causeway and explore this captivating destination, once described by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas as "the very promontory of depression" after being trapped by high water and forced to overnight on the bleak headland.

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Curio Bay, New Zealand -

As the tide recedes over Curio Bay at The Catlins on New Zealand's South Island, a 180-million-year-old Jurassic fossil forest is revealed. While technically not a tidal island, the forest's bedrock allows easier access to the headland, itself a haven for all sorts of wildlife.

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Jebudo Island, South Korea -

A day trip from Seoul to Jebudo Island is facilitated by a reinforced two-lane road, visible at low tide, that snakes over the mudflats and brings visitors to this tranquil and unspoiled destination.

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Eilean Donan, Scotland -

Eilean Donan is one of the most iconic landmarks in Scotland, a small tidal island embracing a castle set at the confluence of three sea lochs in the western Highlands. A footbridge connecting Eilean Donan to the mainland allows access at high tide, but it's far more fun to walk the causeway at low water to reach this scenic wonder.

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Fort Louvois, France -

The late 17th-century islet stronghold of Fort Louvois is joined to the town of Bourcefranc-le-Chapus by a causeway that's submerged at high tide.

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Mandø Island, Denmark -

The causeway to the island of Mandø is the only access to this Danish island at low tide. The tidal pathway (ebbevej in Danish, meaning "ebb-way") is visible at low water as it arrows over the mudflats.

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Battery Point Light, USA -

The Battery Point Light at Crescent City in California serves as a lighthouse and museum. Set on a small island, the historic facility is only accessible at low tide, so museum visits should be timed accordingly.

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Davaar Island, Scotland -

The causeway leading to Davaar Island on the beautiful Mull of Kintyre peninsula can be reached most days at low tide. Besides reveling in its natural beauty, Davaar is also worth exploring for the late 19th-century life-size painting of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ displayed in one of the island's caves.

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The Naaz islands, Iran -

Anybody exploring this part of the world will be pleasantly surprised by the Naaz islands, two tiny tidal islands set in the Persian Gulf, near the shore of the larger Qeshm Island. At low tide you can walk across a golden strand of sand from Qeshm and enter a world of corals, colorful fish, and exotic birdlife.

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Cramond Island, Scotland -

One of several islands moored in the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, Cramond is reached via a long walkway formed from the remains of a Second World War-era anti-tank barricade.

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Elizabeth Castle Island, Jersey (UK) -

The 16th-century Elizabeth Castle is a popular Saint Helier tourist attraction. It sits on a rocky outcrop off the coast and is reached by a causeway from the town at low tide. At other times a ferry serves the salt-laced stronghold.

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St Mary's Island, England -

The diminutive sandstone wedge that calls itself St Mary's Island is set in Whitley Bay, in Tyne and Wear. Essentially a local nature reserve topped by a lighthouse, the island is connected to the coast at low tide by a rocky causeway for about 16 hours a day.

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Birsay Island, Scotland -

Birsay Island was in the 11th century the capital of Orkney. Today this uninhabited tidal island is scattered with the remains of ancient Nordic dwellings and a church, all of which can only be admired after following a natural causeway at low tide.

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Haji Al Dargah, India -

The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on an islet off the coast of Mumbai. Making the pilgrimage to Haji Ali Dargah is only possible along a causeway at low tide, which in itself is one of the highlights of a trip to the shrine.

Sources: (Bugh Island Hotel) (The Scotsman) (Cornwall Live) (National Geographic)

See also: Man-made marvels: The world's largest artificial islands

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