Saint Malo
Come visit the Breton Coastal Medieval Fortified City of Saint-Malo
The old town of Saint-Malo is a great example of a fortified citadel. Walking around the top of city wall when we first arrived gave us an overview (or aerial view) of the walled city. In the 17th century, attacks from corsairs (French privateers particularly from the coast of Saint-Malo) saw the building of 3 forts (in addition to the city walls) on the islands just off the coast.
St-Malo, walled city
Fort Vauban still remains on Le Petit Bé which can be reached by foot at low tide as it is just off the city wall.
Fort Vauban
Mid-July’s beautiful weather soon drew us to one of the many cafés within the walls. Note- although St-Malo extends beyond the city walls today, my focus is on our findings within the walls, the Intra-Mur, as that is where the story of Saint-Malo begins.
Lots of choices for restaurants
Eight ports (doors) allow entrance to the narrow streets which offer alternating atmospheres of bustling tourism and peaceful squares.
Saint-Vincent Cathedral
St Vincent Cathedral
Just as the sailors from times past used the steeple of Saint Vincent Cathedral as their guidepost, you also can easily navigate the maze of streets via the steeple.
In Saint Vincent Cathedral you will find the tomb of Jacques Cartier who discovered Canada. Appointed by François I to identify a route to China via Newfoundland, Jacques Cartier discovered the Saint Lawrence estuary and the Bay of Gaspé. Thus, Canada was discovered by a Malouin (Malouin – someone who is a native of St-Malo). More pictures of the inside of the Cathedral can be found at St Vincent Cathedral .
A Vibrant Port City
Saint-Malo is a vibrant port city with beautiful beaches and water. From the top of the wall you can see right through the teal colored water to the sand beneath. For amateurs and novices there are schools that provide sailing lessons for dinghies, catamarans and windsurfing. You can also take kayak excursions to the islands of Petit and Grand Bé. These excursions are family friendly!
View of the beach from the wall around St Malo
Great beach!
My favorite memories are of our walks along the water’s edge after diner, watching the sun slowly slide into the water and marveling at how quickly the tide approached the city wall. It was truly magical.
Sunset was magical
We took a second walk around the ramparts after the shops closed.
Saint-Malo had a great market lining the city walls on the Saturday that we visited. I later learned that they have a market, each at a different location, every day of the week.
Lovely Market
In addition to the markets, there are a plethora of little shops to explore.
Wanting to take a side detour to the U.K. while you are here? There are four ferry companies that provide transportation to more than one million people between the France and the UK each year. As of 2021, only Brittany Ferries however travels between Saint-Malo and the UK.
Mon histoire en français…
Saint-Malo est un excellent exemple d’une ville fortifiée. Quand nous y sommes arrivés, nous nous sommes promenés le long des remparts qui entourent le vieux centre-ville. D’ici, nous avons eu de belles vues de la ville et aussi de la côte. Dans les années du dix-septième siècle, les corsaires ont attaqué la ville fréquemment.
De notre perchoir sur le mur nous pouvions voir les trois forts construits dans le port pendant cette période. Fort Vauban, du XVIIe siècle, reste encore aujourd’hui sur le Petit Bé, une île de marée. On peut y arriver à pied à marée basse.
Intra-muros et extra-muros
Il faisait beau en juillet et nous avons profité bien de manger sur la terrasse, d’explorer les rues pavées et le marché, plus tous les petits magasins et les ateliers.
Il y a huit portes dans le mur de Saint-Malo qui connectent la vielle ville, la partie qui est intra-muros, avec la plage, le port et la ville extra-muros.
Intra-muros nous avons utilisé le tour de la cathédrale de Saint-Vincent à naviguer parce que les rues sont labyrinthiques. Dans la Cathédrale nous avons trouvé la tombe de Jacques Cartier qui a découvert le Canada. Il était nommé par François I de trouver une route entre la Chine et la Terre-Neuve. En conséquence, Jacques Cartier, un Malouin, a découvert aussi l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent et la baie de Gaspé.
Mes souvenirs les plus mémorables sont de nos soirs sur la plage. Chaque soir, après le dîner, nous nous sommes promenés au bord de l’eau regardant le soleil glisser dans l’eau et nous émerveillant de la vitesse à laquelle la marée s’approchait du mur de la ville.
Leave a Reply