Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Minivan Tour: Westcapades
guarantees minivan departures at least three times a week
from St-Malo. Tours include Dinan and Mont St-Michel, and officially end at the
Rennes train station so you can connect to Paris (see
here
for more details).
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St-Malo's Ramparts
Toreachtheramparts,climbthestairsinsidethePorteSt.Vincentandtourthewallscoun-
terclockwise. It's a rewarding mile-long romp around the medieval fortifications (the old-
est segments date from the 1100s).
Along the way, stairs at several points
(portes)
provide access to the beach and the
town. Walk down to the
beaches
if the tides allow (along with Mont St-Michel, St-Malo
has Europe's greatest tidal changes). You'll see tree trunks planted like little forests on
the sand—these form part of St-Malo's breakwater and must be replaced every 20 years.
Storms scream in off the English Channel and bring surges of waves that pound the sea-
walls.
Those
fortified islands
were built during the Hundred Years' War (late 1600s) by
Louis XIV's military architect, Vauban, to defend the country against England. You can
tour the closer forts when tides allow (each costs €5 to enter).
Fort National
is the first
you'll come across (but can be visited only with a French-language tour). Farther along,
you'll see the more worthwhile
Fort du Petit Bé
(access is often submerged), which sits
behind Ile du Grand Bé, where the famous poet Chateaubriand is buried. The island of
Grand Bé is worth a romp if the tide agrees, and the views of Fort Petit du Bé will send
your imagination soaring. The longer, low-slung island even farther out has no buildings
and is off-limits until WWII mines are completely removed. Speaking of World War II,
St-Malo was decimated by American bombs during the war as part of the campaign to lib-
erate France. Eighty percent of St-Malo was leveled. Even though they look old, most of
the town's buildings date from 1945 or later.
As you walk along the wall, soon after the recommended Le Corps de Garde Crêper-
ie, you'll pass a
Chiens du Guet
restaurant sign. At one time, bulldogs were kept in the
small,enclosedareabehindtherestaurant,thenletlooselateatnighttopatrolthebeaches.
Nearby,
Québec flags
fly in honor of St-Malo's sister city, Québec City. (Explorer
JacquesCartier,whovisitedthefuturesiteofQuébecCityandiscreditedwithdiscovering
Canada, lived in and sailed from St-Malo.)
You'lleventuallyspotalong,concrete
jetty
belowthatoffersgoodviewsbacktothe
ramparts. Acrossthebayisthebelle époqueresortcityofDinard(described later). Farther
along, look for long
pétanque
(a.k.a.
boules
) courts below the walls (you may encounter
