St Malo, France
Saint-Malo is a coastal city in Brittany, in France’s northwest.
Tall granite walls surround the old town, which was once a stronghold
for privateers (pirates approved by the king). Having withstood
maritime invasion from countless forces, this resilient harbour city
holds a picturesque beauty that many argue makes it France’s most
beautiful Channel Port. St Malo’s cobbled streets are lined with
historical homes, busy boutique shops, alluring cafes and restaurants,
and a wide array of hotels and bars. Whats more, St Malo is the perfect
gateway to Western France.
St Malo is best known as being a breeding ground for privateers, who
based themselves in the St Servan district (although to see how they
lived you should head back intra muros to Hotel d’Asfeld). It was here
that St Malo was founded by the Welsh monk St Maclou, who built a
church on the site of the Roman city of Alet . The main reason to come
this area, apart from the views back over the citadel, is to see the
14th-century Tour Solidor, which houses the Museum of Cape Horners.
Long sandy beaches sweep east from the old town to the district of
Rotheneuf. Here you’ll find the former house of one of St Malo’s most
famous sons, Jacques Cartier, who discovered Canada; the 15th-century
Manoir de Limoelou houses a fascinating museum dedicated to the
explorer. The first settlers to colonise the Falkland Islands were from
St Malo.
Ferries From The UK
High speed ferries operate from from Jersey to St Malo, completing
the journey in just an hour. Passengers can travel on foot or bring a
car.
The Portsmouth to St Malo car ferry is a popular choice for a relaxing
cruise sailing direct into Brittany from the south of England. Brittany
Ferries offer overnight sailings on most days aboard our cruise ferries
Bretagne and Pont-Aven. Sailings depart from Portsmouth in the evening,
return sailings from St Malo leave France mid-morning for a comfortable
cruise experience back to the UK. Portsmouth ferry port is within 2
hours drive of London and there is direct access to the city from the
M27 motorway.
Plan and Book:
St Malo, France: See and Do
St Malo has several districts, the most popular being intra muros or
‘inside the walls’. The tall granite buildings, most of which were
restored after being bombed during the war, house an interesting mix of
cosy hotels, restaurants to suit all tastes and shops by the dozen.
Take a tour on the little train to get your bearings or enjoy a bracing
walk around the ramparts. The Musee de la Ville tells you all you need
to know about the town’s history and includes some fascinating
maritime objects like the prow of a ship.
The Grand Aquarium, a few miles south of the citadel, displays fish and
sea life from around the world in 8 different aquariums. The aquariums
include a circular fish tank, allowing visitors to stand in the middle
of swirling fish shoals and an open air touching pool.
Cobac Parc, is a 12 hectare wooded park with a huge range of activities
for the whole family, including a water park, mini golf and a
merry-go-round.
The ancient cobbled streets are full of fascinating shops selling
crafts, and open markets for local produce. In St Malo you will find a
range of art, music and book shops. The city also offers a choice of
hypermarkets and specialist shopping. Enjoy a range great food to suit
all tastes and budgets, from quaint bistros to a Michelin star
experience. Local specialties include fresh lobsters and Cancale
oysters, as well as other classic French fare, such as crepes and
moules. Some of the most popular restaurants and cafés are
situated in a long line inside the city ramparts between Porte
St-Vincent and the Grande Porte.
To the right of the city’s main gate, sits The Chateau De St Malo,
housing the Musee de la Ville. The Museum exhibits St Malo’s
historic past incorporating piracy, colonialism, slave trading and
German Occupation during World War II.
Go back to the 9th century by visiting the Cathedral of St. Vincent,
which includes Angevin, Plantagenet, Romanseque and Gothic
architecture. Walking along the 12th century ramparts, stretching 2 km,
you can admire fantastic views of the old town’s houses, the bay
and the islets at the mouth of the Rance estuary.
Opposite the old town are two little islands that can be reached at low
tide (heed the warnings or you’ll get stuck!). A walk along the causeway at low tide, and then onward towards them, is an essential part of a visit here. On one is the
Vauban-built Fort National and on the other is the tomb of the writer
and politician Chateaubriand, who was born in St Malo in 1768. The latter – Grand Bé – gives the opportunity to see the city walls and out to sea from a different angle. The path to and from the island is only accessible at low tide, so plan accordingly where possible to ensure that you can get both on and off the island.
Surrounding Area
There are some absolute delights awaiting those willing to venture a
relatively short distance from the town. Mont St-Michel is located 50
km to the east, just inside neighbouring Normandy, while 20 km to the
south the stunning medieval city of Dinan rises up alongside the River
Rance. The surrounding Emerald Coast offers some of the most
traditional seaside resorts, with pleasant sandy beaches, in this part
of France.
Mont St-Michel
Mont St-Michel dominates the flat bay of the same name and stands
just over the border in Normandy. The entire bay area is classified as
a UNESCO world heritage site and this tidal island makes for a
breathtaking place to visit. An abbey has existed on the 80 m high
outcrop since the 8th century and from this imposing position acts as a
potent symbol of the Church. Today, Mont St-Michel is one of the most
recognisable landmarks in France.
Getting There: A regular bus service covers the 50 km journey from the
SNCF station in St-Malo terminating at the lowest gate on Mont
St-Michel. This is also the location of the tourist office. Those
wishing to go by rail should alight at Pontorson, 6 km from the Mont,
and take the connecting bus to the same point. Travelling by car is
straightforward with parking on the causeway or sands at 4 EUR. To
avoid congestion, park on the mainland and enjoy the 2 km crossing on
foot.
Dinan
The splendid medieval town of Dinan is set in a captivating location
on a hillside overlooking the River Rance.
If street after street of perfectly preserved timber buildings are not
enough to lure day trippers down from St-Malo, Dinan has also retained
an almost complete circuit of massive walls which enclose the town over
a distance of 3 km.
Getting There: Dinan, situated around 12 miles to the south, can be
reached easily from St-Malo. There are good connecting roads for those
with their own transport and a local bus service also serves the two
towns. The most enjoyable way to visit the town is via the River Rance
and one of the boat trips that depart from the Porte de Dinan quayside.
They take just over 2 hours and if time is an issue can be booked one
way to allow for an alternative return.
Emerald Coast
The Cote d’Emeraude (Emerald Coast), west of the River Rance, is
dotted with traditional family seaside resorts. This attractive coast
of rocky headlands and safe sandy beaches becomes wilder towards Cap
Frehel with this area being home to several scenic campsites. Beyond
this point the rocks start to turn a shade of pink, with the Cote de
Granite Rose (Pink Granite Coast) a short distance further west across
the Bay of St-Brieuc.
Getting There: It pays to have a car when exploring this stretch of the
coast, as a day can easily be enjoyed meandering along sampling the
towns, beaches and views. Alternatively, the railway line runs further
inland and there are connecting bus services to some of the more
popular coastal towns from stations such as Plancoet and Lamballe. A
summer bus service runs excursions from St-Malo out to Cap Frehal.
St-Lunaire
Named after a Breton saint who established the settlement in the 6th
century, St-Lunaire was turned into a wealthy resort in the late 19th
century by a Haitian, Scylla Laraque. Already fashionable with artists,
the composer Debussy composed “La Mer” here at the start of the 20th
century. There are several small sheltered beaches to the east and the
larger more exposed Plage de Longchamp which is popular with water
sports enthusiasts.
St-Briac-sur-Mer
St-Briac nestles on the western side of the Fremur Estuary on which
the town’s pretty beaches are set. Holiday villas dominate the
surrounding area and the resort attracted such popular 19th century
painters as Renoir and Signac.
St-Jacut-de-la-Mer
Located on a narrow peninsula some 16 km from St-Malo, St-Jacut is
another attractive 19th century seaside resort. It was founded by the
Irish monk, St-Jacut, who established an important abbey in the area
although little remains today. Vast expanses of sand make a good place
to collect shellfish at low tide.
St-Cast-le-Guildo
14 km further west from St-Jacut, St-Cast is a pleasant town set on
the next peninsular with the wide mouth of the River Arguenon just
beyond. There are 7 beaches that range from small rural coves to the
main stretch at La Garde with over 2 km of sand. The town boasts a
marina and good selection of restaurants while the surrounding headland
provides an opportunity to take the air.
Fort la Latte
A few kilometres east of Cap Frehal’s tip and around 35 km from
St-Malo, Fort la Latte is one of the most dramatic castles on the
coastline of Brittany. It has a magnificently isolated position on a
rocky promontory almost completely surrounded by sea. The location
makes for an ideal film set with several being shot here over the years
of which The Vikings, in 1957, is the most well known. Open all year
round but restricted to weekend and school holiday afternoons in
winter.
Cap Frehel
The splendid headland of Cap Frehel is a very popular place to visit
with its striking cliffs and wild moorland. The lighthouses can be
visited in the summer months with a glimpse of Jersey the reward on a
clear day. Walkers descend in their droves to the peninsular which is
virtually free of human habitation and the views from the 70m high
cliffs are exhilarating. Cap Frehel is a protected area and there is a
wealth of bird life nesting in the cliffs and small islands just
offshore. To get the low-down alternative view, try a boat trip from
St-Malo.
Island of Jersey
Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, between England and
France. A self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom, with a mix
of British and French cultures, it’s known for its beaches,
cliffside walking trails, inland valleys and historic castles. The
Jersey War Tunnels complex, in a former hospital excavated by slave
labor, documents the island’s 5-year German occupation during
WWII.
Jersey measures 118.2 square kilometres including reclaimed land and
intertidal zone. It lies in the English Channel, about 12 nautical
miles (22 km) from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France, and
about 87 nautical miles (161 km) south of Great Britain. The terrain
consists of a plateau sloping from long sandy bays in the south to
rugged cliffs in the north. The plateau is cut by valleys running
generally north-south.
High speed ferries operate from from Jersey to St Malo, completing the
journey in just an hour. Passengers can travel on foot or bring a car.
Foureges
Fougeres is an interesting historical town and castle to the
north-east of Rennes, in Brittany and close to the border with
Normandy. The town falls into two distinct halves, with the Chateau de
Fougeres and the Medieval Quarter being in the lower town and quite
high above is the upper town which has been largely re-built following
a fire in the 18th century. If you start your visit in the upper town
head first to the Tourist Information Office on the Place du Theatre.
Here you can get a leaflet with a route to make sure you see all the
main sights. The Place aux Arbres which is a public garden and gives a
terrific view of the castle of Fougeres and the medieval town below the
gardens. There is a footpath which starts here and goes down to the
medieval quarter below. The cliff has been terraced and gardened along
the way and so it is a lovely walk.
The medieval quarter has lots of beautiful half-timbered buildings,
many of them dating from the 16th and 17th century. It is here in the
Place du Marchix where the cattle market used to be held in medieval
times. The Chateau de Fougères dominates the medieval quarter.
It is an imposing medieval castle with 13 towers, built in the 12th
century then reinforced in the 15th century. The castle is said to be
the largest in Europe and it is certainly one of the most attractive.
The ramparts of the castle were originally crossed by four gates but
now only the Notre Dame gate remains, and can be seen near the castle.
The forest on the edge of town (Forest de Fougères) is an
‘ideal’ woodland, with attractive pathways passing by various neolithic
monuments. A lovely place for a walk and a picnic. Foureges is 1 hr 10
mins by train from St Malo.
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