Une Promenade en Amoureux in “The Walled City” Saint Malo France

Saint-Malo France, deep in history and wealth from its past, the city has remained one of the popular tourist destinations in Bretagne (Brittany) with ferry terminal serving in Portsmouth, Weymouth, and Poole.

Once called as the Home of the Corsairs, Saint-Malo has its French name “Îles Malouines,” among those heavily bombarded cities in France back in World War II.

Since France has 18 regions, Brittany is one of them. Bretagne in French Brittany in English. Bretagne has 4 Departments: Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère,
Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan.

Saint-Malo France located in the northern coast of Ille-et-Vilaine, bordering Normandy (a 1-hour drive from Mont Saint-Michel). With easy access to the Channel Islands and England. Garnering a population of 47,000 Malouins with more than 150,000 visitors in summer.

Known as the Breton Coastal Medieval Fortified City of Saint-Malo

A Drive to Saint-Malo Coast

Our first ever visit in Normandie specifically in Le Mont Saint Michel ended with a gigantic grin of pleasure. Afterward, the compass has turned, and we headed to Saint-Malo France where we didn’t expect anything for our visit.

You can read Travel Guide to Mont Saint Michel Normandy, and 7 Reasons Why Mont Saint Michel is a Must-Vist Place. 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Saint-Malo is not too far from the border of Normandy. But, let me first tell you how we’ve come up to this idea of rending a visit to this place.

Zapping on my phone and searching for a place where we could stroll. Just to end our day after the visit from Mont Saint Michel. It was late in the afternoon chances were a bit steep. Minutes later I’ve seen some posts on Instagram and told my hubby that we should go there. (not even knowing where it is)

Finally, after a long and bubbling discussion (well, it was short anyway) I’ve convinced the man of my life to bring me (oops, “us” I mean) to Bretagne.

Fabulous Coastline Views

Arriving at the coastline of Saint-Malo France, the tension was a bit striking because of our quite long goal to find a parking space was in vain.
After a long minute of a wait, we finally found one parking area to park the car. It was somewhere in Plage de la Hoguette near a restaurant/bar.

From there we planned to do a stroll, (whether in the sand or in the street). All the stress vanished from the moment I saw the picturesque panoramic view of the coast.

Wandering in the streets of Digue de Rochbonne which is the roadside of the coat area, I could really feel the fresh air breeze which embedded my mind to rest in zen mode.

The feeling of being zen installed in me (yes it did). On the right side part, it was actually facing the sun, so the view was a bit tone down. And on the other side, there’s more of the color enhanced shading since it’s on the west side.

Interesting Places

There are a lot of interesting spots to visit in Saint-Malo France. Including Fort National, Musée d’Histoire de la Ville et du Pays Malouin (History Museum), Grand Aquarium Saint-Malo, Saint-Malo Cathedral, Grand Bé & Petit Bé and many more.

When our roadside ballad (stroll) was done, we quickly went to see some of Saint-Malo’s tourist attractions. Etoile du Roy was one of them, located near the Tourist Information Center.

We directly went to Etoile de Roy’s place to see these ships. The first one that we spotted was the replica of Saint Malo’s corsair ship. It is a replica close to a British frigate of the eighteenth century, with 120 visitors capacity.

It’s a 310-tonne ship armed with 20 guns and was home to 236 crew members known as the third largest French traditional ship. A pirate ship where people can tour inside with a dinner excursion that will surely entertain kids and adults as well.

It would be an ideal excursion to dine in aboard the corsair ship. It would definitely my first. But unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time left, so we continued our stroll.

For more information visit Etoile Marine Croisière

Stroll in the City Town

Before the city sets down, we should probably visit the city town. We had a short look at the Musée d’Histoire de la Ville but didn’t go inside.
The city center was absolutely filled with restaurants, shopping shops, and of course tourists. It was unquestionably stuffed with people in each corner.

10 minutes of wandering the city center, we have found an exit gate. A gate that connects to the wall of the city where you can freely walk. We took that way and went up (through stairs) and walk in the wall.

Vauban’s Fort National

Fort National or popularly known as Fort Vauban is a fort on a tidal island ( l’Îlette rock). Located just meters away from Saint-Malo France. It was built to protect the port of the walled city from smugglers or other intruders. Îlette was also a place of public executions for the seigniory of Saint-Malo.

To get the best photo angle of Fort National is in up on the wall. On our way to Bastion Fort La Reine, I have found the best corner to take a pic of the fort.

Park of Maison Du Quebec

Heading to the Tower Bidouane, we had a fast stop at the Park of Maison Du Quebec. Originally named the Cavalier des Champs – Vauverts. You’ll quickly spot it with the huge Robert Surcouf statue with some bench where people can relax and enjoy the impressive surrounding view.

The appetite of continuing our beautiful romantic stroll was inevitable. For now, we stopped at the Tour Bidouane to enjoy the view of Bon Secours beach.

We ended up stopping it there and going back to our car which is approximately a half hour of walk to return.

View of Grand and Petit Bé

Due to the sun’s position, it was tough to take a photo of the Grand and Petit Bré. Luckily with my petit appareil photo (camera) from Canon makes it easier to shift into different modes.

Hopefully, on our next visit, we could visit these two Forts. It was really a memorable visit even though it was short and very compelling. You should think about a short vacation here in autumn or in low tide season.

Getting There

The easiest way to get to Saint-Malo is via car. Ideal when you are doing your Normandy tour or Brittany tour. From Gare de Saint-Malo (train station), you can go by train a direct TGV service to Rennes, Paris and several regional destinations in France.

If you intend to go by plane, there’s the small Dinard–Pleurtuit–Saint-Malo Airport where you can connect your flight.

Was it worth it to visit Saint-Malo France? Yes! I’ll give it a 9/10 experience. Perfect for a couple to visit for 2-3 hours of a stroll in the seaside with an indescribable romantic & scenic view.

For more information visit the Official site of Saint-Malo, France

“The Walled City” Saint Malo France