Normandy & Brittany - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 259

Cherbourg €26, three hours, two to three daily
Coutances €11.50, 40 minutes, three or four daily
Rennes €12.50, 50 minutes, two to four daily

BRITTANY
Brittany is for explorers. Its wild, dramatic coastline, medieval towns and thick
forests make an excursion here well worth the detour from the beaten track. This is
a land of prehistoric mysticism, proud tradition and culinary wealth, where locals still
remain fiercely independent, Breton culture is celebrated and Paris feels a very long
way away indeed.

St-Malo
POP 50,200
With one of the world's highest tidal ranges, brewing storms under blackened skies
see waves lash over the top of the ramparts ringing St Malo's walled city. The town
became a key port during the 17th and 18th centuries as a base for both merchant
ships and government-sanctioned privateers (pirates, basically) against the con-
stant threat of the English. These days English arrivals are tourists, for whom St-
Malo, a short ferry hop from the Channel Islands, is a summer haven.

Sights & Activities
For the best views of the walled city, stroll the top of the 1.8km ramparts , construc-
ted at the end of the 17th century under military architect Vauban.
Though you'd never guess it from the cobblestone streets and reconstructed
monuments in 17th- and 18th-century style, during August 1944 the battle to drive
German forces out of St-Malo destroyed around 80% of the old city, lovingly re-
stored since then.

CATHÉDRALE ST-VINCENT
(place Jean de Châtillon; 9.30am-6pm except during Mass) The town's
centrepiece was constructed between the 12th and 18th centuries, but damage dur-
ing WWII was severe. A mosaic plaque on the floor of the nave marks the spot

Cathedral