Overview

Located on the very fringes of France and straight out of the history books, Saint-Malo (or St Malo) is a beautiful, fortified port city in Brittany, France. This area of the Bretagne coast boasts the highest tides in Europe, with water that can rise 43-ft over the course of six hours. It’s a city of privateers (pirates) full of history. It was severely damaged during WWII and took around twelve years to rebuild it and the original bricks from the rubble were used, which is why the city maintains its historic charm. The city is known for its walls and is often called The Wall City (La Ville Intra-muros). You can walk the walls of the city to get a beautiful view over the cobbled streets, port and islands in the distance. There are lots of things to do around Saint-Malo for history lovers, foodies, culture-junkies and more.

Explore Saint-Malo

Walk the Sait-Malo Walls and visit the Saint-Malo Castle. The ramparts protect the entirety of the old part of Saint-Malo and from a circuit of 1-mile. They were started in the 1100s, updated to combat new military technology in the 1600s and then expanded again up to the mid-18th century. When you do the walk be sure to have some literature with you, because every gate, bastion and view has a story to tell.

The Saint-Malo Castle sits in the northeast corner of the walls, it currently houses the Town Hall and the municipal museum of Saint-Malo. It was build by the Dukes of Brittany from the 1400s to ensure their ownership of the city. The castle loomed over the city as a reminder of the authority of the dukes, and then the King of France after unification in the 16th century.

Go up for panoramas of the sea, the Grand Bé island, Fort National, Dinard across the water and the beautiful granite homes of the city’s wealthy ship-owners. Grande’Porte on the eastern side is flanked by two chunky bastions and guards the narrow finger of land that links the walled city what are now Saint-Malo’s suburbs.

Discover Old Saint-Malo. The “Intra-Muros” (walled city) district is all cobblestone streets with bars, restaurants, boutiques making it a perfect area to aimlessly wander. It’s almost impossible to believe that most of Saint-Malo needed to be restored after 1944. On the east side of the walled city the houses are built into the defences and the ground floor is one long string of cafes and restaurants.

Take a stroll at Plage du Sillon. This beach is almost 2 miles of fine sand that begins just north of the walled city. On the edge is a great embankment, built at the turn of the 20th century and spanning about a mile in length. In the summer months visitors come to sunbathe on the smooth sand and bathe in the shallow rock pools on the western edge by Fort National. However, a stroll on the embankment is perfect for anytime of the year.

Stop to see the Flemish architecture in Paramé. This is the district next to Plage du Sillon northeast to the walled city. It expanded rapidly in the late 19th century through the adding of stunning Belle Époque villas that were built by wealthy holidaymakers.You can take a tour of the area, stopping at a few of the beautiful individual houses. For example, you can look at the Villa l’Argonne on Boulevard Chateaubriand, which has a sbeautiful octagonal tower and a pattern of alternating glazed and red brick. After the Villa l’Argonne, you can go onto the Villa Remember on Boulevard Hébert, where you’ll see the exaggerated Flemish style house with a crow-stepped gable and stone finial.

Visit the St Malo Grand Aquarium. The Grand Aquarium in St Malo is in the southern part of the city, less than 3.5-miles away from the harbor. The aquarium has 8 different rooms filled with all kinds of sealife, as well as a touch basin where you can get hands on with some of the different sea species and even feed them. The different rooms or universes as they are referred to, are themed each with a different climate, so you can explore the globe with the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Tropical biomes.

Discover Fort National. This fortis the beautiful fortress on a tidal island a few hundred feet away from the walls of St Malo. It was built in 1689 under the orders of King Louis XIV to defend the ramparts of the city. You can only enter the fort when the French flag is raised due to the tidal conditions, and you can access it at low tide from the beach l'Eventail which lies in front of the castle. Inside the fort you can learn about the military life that took place over three centuries ago. In 1906, the fort was classified as a historical monument and since 2000, has had major renovations to maintain its basic architecture.

Explore the Grand Bé Island. This tidal island lies in the mouth of the Rance River, a few hundred feet away from the walls of St Malo. At low tide, you can walk to the island through the Bon-Secours Beach and once you’ve made it on, you may be able to spot some remains of an ancient fort. You can see the tomb of François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, a renowned French writer, diplomat and politician who was buried on the island. His work had a major influence on the French literature in the 19th century, and, funnily enough, his passion for food has led for the ‘Chateaubriand steak’ to have been named after him.

Brenton Cuisine

Being a coastal destination, seafood will be a common denominator on most menus here. Cancale, Brittany’s oyster capital, is minutes east of the city. Cancale’s oyster fame goes back to Roman times when they were eaten by the Julius Caesar’s legions, while Louis XIV had them expressly delivered from this town every day.

Crêpes are almost synonymous with Brittany. You can enjoy them sweet or savoury. Basically, just fill them with anything your heart desires.

Another Breton specialty, cider is also big in Saint-Malo; it’s sweet and acidic, with a light fizz.