France for City Breaks - Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo owes its name to a Welsh monk called Mac Low, who was bishop of the original settlement in the 6th century. But it’s from far less holy sources that the town gets its wealth and most of its history. Saint-Malo proudly calls itself the City of Corsairs—a reference to the royally-licensed privateers (pirates in all but name, but it’s impolite to say so!) who controlled the shipping lanes in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel and beyond from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

Saint-Malo today is a sprawling resort with long beaches, plenty of hotels and the feeling that you could be in pretty much any seaside town within easy reach of Paris. But head for the intra-muros sector and you’ll find the real personality of old Saint-Malo.

Intra-muros literally means, ‘within the walls’ and there are over two kilometres of ramparts; towering stone fortifications, some of them dating back to the 12th century. From the outside they’re forbidding—as they were designed to be of course—but pass through the arches of the porte Saint-Vincent on the south-west side, and you’re immediately met by a much more welcoming scene—cobbled streets, restaurants and bars stretching off in either direction, and an airy square between the Hôtel de Ville and the Hôtel France-Chateaubriand, the latter built alongside the house where Romantic writer François-René Chateaubriand was born in 1768. With space inside the walls at a premium, successive generations built further and further up, creating shady canyons between tall stone buildings, with narrow streets and narrower alleys. More shade is to be found in the cathédrale Saint-Vincent. It was terribly damaged in 1944, and the restoration took until 1987, but now it’s a cool, calm oasis, flooded with coloured light from the huge stained glass windows.

The walled town is small enough to be easily explored on foot, but just large enough that it’ll take you a couple of days to do it justice. The best starting point is a stroll along the ramparts, easily accessed from the inside of the walls at several points. On a clear day the views out to sea and across the Rance are magnificent—stand in a stone sentry box suspended over the rocks and it doesn’t take too much imagination to see huge sailing ships beating up the channel and out to sea.

Several of the islands in the bay are accessible on foot at low tide, but beware, the tide comes in very quickly and you need to be absolutely sure of your timings if you are to get there and back safely. If in doubt, don’t try it.

Back down from the walls and into the streets, and there’s plenty to see: smart shops vying for space with tourist tat; museums and art galleries cheek by jowl with restaurants. One thing’s for sure, you won’t starve in Saint-Malo—it has a concentration of restaurants and cafés like few other places I’ve visited. Most of the restaurants have pavement terraces, so sit outside if the weather allows, linger over a coffee and let your eyes travel upwards to the tumbled, weathered rooflines and pretty dormer windows framed against a clear blue sky—it’s a fascinatingly varied skyline.

What’s hard to accept is that so much of this is fairly new. Large areas of the old town were smashed beyond recognition during the liberation of Saint-Malo in August 1944. Look at photographs of the devastation in the town’s excellent museum, and you wonder where they found the energy to start on such a mammoth task of reconstruction. But the Malois are made of stern stuff, and when the dust settled they embarked on a rebuilding programme that’s still not entirely complete. To their endless credit, they’ve mostly resisted the quick fix of reinforced concrete, and rebuilt in stone, in traditional style. It may have taken them 60 years so far, but it’s been done right, and with 1,500 years of history behind them, no-one’s in a hurry.

CULTURE VULTURE

Saint-Malo has plenty of art galleries and workshops to visit, but the best place to start is probably the Maison Internationale des Poètes et des Écrivains, on rue Pélicot. This is less a gallery, more a rolling programme of workshops, exhibitions and events drawing together various artistic disciplines. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, from 2pm-6pm, and entry is free.

See www.mipe.asso.fr/malo/ for more information.

You absolutely must not miss the tiny galley of Gwen et Dodik, in the rue Chateaubriand. Drawing their inspiration from Breton songs and stories, they produce enamelled tile panels of amazing simplicity and charm, from small individual tiles to huge works covering up to 15 square metres. Dodik is the artist, while husband Gwen (a sculptor in his own right, pictured below) modestly describes himself as ‘the technician’—each panel is created using glass powder sprinkled on the design, then fired in a kiln to melt it into rich vitreous enamel. Getting the colours and texture right is a mix of art and precise technical ability. After more than fifty years, Gwen and Dodik have the balance spot on.

AFTER HOURS

Unsurprisingly for a seaside town, there’s plenty going on late into the night. You can have a flutter on the gaming tables of the Casino Barrière just outside the Porte St-Vincent (open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays), take in a disco at Le 109 on the rue des Cordiers or have a drink and try some karaoke at Le Cutty Sark on the rue de la Herse, open until 3am. If you’ve got time, you could try working your way through the 300 different types of beer on offer at L’Aviso in the rue Pont du Jour.

If you prefer quieter pleasures, the ramparts are perfect for a midnight stroll, with the exposed stone soaking up the sunshine during the day and giving it back in the evening, taking the chill from the air.

GASTRONOMIC DELIGHTS

Saint-Malo and the surrounding coast is a seafood-lover’s paradise. For a taste of the sea, visit the Café St Malo on the rue St-Vincent—there you can create your own plateau de fruits de Mer for an impromptu picnic on the beach.

You can’t visit Brittany without trying a few crêpes and galettes (savoury pancakes). Try the Café Simon on the rue Jacques Cartier. Other Breton specialities are available from the place du Roi, and the excellent La Trinitaine on the rue Broussais.

If you have a sweet tooth, try the oeufs des mouettes (sweets shaped as seagulls’ eggs) from Aux Délices Malouins on the rue St-Vincent, where you can also buy patates de Saint-Malo—marzipan balls disguised as new potatoes (pictured above).

DON’T MISS

• The longest café name in Brittany—Le café du coin d’en bas de la rue du bout de la ville d’en face du port—–in the rue St-Barbe.

• The morning markets on Tuesdays and Fridays in the place de la Poissonerie and at the Halle au Blé.

• The main museum at the Hôtel de Ville— well laid-out.

• High tide—check with the tourist office because high tide at Saint-Malo is impressive, with the highest tidal rise and fall anywhere in Europe.

GETTING THERE

By air Ryanair flies from Stansted and East Midlands to Dinard, which is a 20min taxi ride from Saint-Malo, across the Rance estuary. The taxi will cost around 20€.

By car Brittany Ferries sails direct to Saint-Malo from Portsmouth. Condor Ferries sails from Weymouth and Poole to Saint-Malo via the Channel Islands. From further east, pick up the A84 near Caen and follow it as far as Pontorson. From here either take the N176 and follow signs to Saint-Malo, or take the far more scenic Route de la Baie, past Mont Saint-Michel, and approach Saint-Malo via the coast and the pretty fishing village of Cancale.

By train Take the Eurostar from London-Waterloo to the Gare du Nord; connect to Gare Paris Montparnasse, and there’s a new TGV service direct to Saint-Malo (3 hrs).

WHERE TO STAY

In Style

Le Grand Hôtel des Thermes
Outside the old walls, but the place to go for luxury and the last word in sea-water ‘cures’. It’s a four-star hotel with full spa facilities, overlooking the beach. Double rooms from 96€ to 620€.
100 Boulevard Hébert
Grand Plage au Sillon
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 40 75 00
www.thalassotherapie.com

Middle of the Road

There are many two and three-star hotels within the walls, all within a similar price range.

Hôtel France et Chateaubriand
This grand-looking two-star hotel overlooks the sea on one side. Rooms from 48€ to 95€.
Place Chateaubriand
BP77 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 56 66 52
www.hotel-fr-chateaubriand.com

Hôtel San Pedro
A small family-run two-star hotel near the walls. Breakfast features a different local speciality every day. Rooms from 57€ to 58€.
1 rue St Anne
34500 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 40 88 57
www.sanpedro-hotel.com

On a shoestring

Brasserie Armoricaine
A good budget hotel/restaurant overlooking a pleasant square in the old town. Double rooms from 43€, menus from 10€.
6 rue du Boyer
35400 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 40 89 13
www.hotel-armoricaine.com

There are also the usual chain hotels and motels in the main part of St-Malo, and scores of smaller hotels. The tourist office on the quay opposite the porte St-Vincent is a good place to start.

Parking is very limited near to the old town, and can be expensive. If you’re staying at a hotel within the walls, ask when you check in for a long-stay parking permit–this will be much cheaper than paying normal rates on departure.

WHERE TO EAT

The walled town is absolutely packed with restaurants and bistrots – here is a taster.

In Style

A L’abordage
A modern, minimalist restaurant with a menu you’ll either find daringly avant-garde or overly fussy and pretentious. Menu Découverte (four dishes chosen by the chef): 57€.
5 place de la Poissonnerie
35400 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 40 87 53

Middle of the Road

Le Lion D’Or
A good range of local specialities, from snacks (the home-made croque-monsieur is highly recommended) to extravagant gastronomic delights. Menus from 15€.
1 place Chateaubriand, 35400 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 56 36 02

On a Shoestring

L’Ange Bleu
This busy café/brasserie sits in a shady square and serves sandwiches, crêpes and omelettes for busy workers and hungry tourists alike. Meals start from 3€ for a plain omelette.
1 place Marché aux Légumes
35400 St-Malo Intra-muros
Tel: (Fr) 2 99 40 91 41

DID YOU KNOW?

Among the explorers who sailed from Saint-Malo in the glory days of the 18th century was Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, a celebrated astronomer and mathematician.

He set out for Lapland in 1736 on the orders of Louis XV to make measurements of the meridian (a line from pole to pole) with a view to proving that the Earth isn’t perfectly spherical, but oblate (fatter at the equator).

LEAVE ROOM IN YOUR suitcase for:

A slab of Kouign Amann or Far Breton, (sweet almond cakes that melt in the mouth), a traditional Breton striped shirt, Breton pottery, and of course, a bottle of cider!