What to See & Do in St Malo
SightsToday this port on the English Channel swarms with tourists, its streets choked with tour buses in the summer months and its natural harbour acting as a busy ferry terminal for those crossing between Britain, France and the Channel Islands just to the north.
Because of the town’s medieval charm many visitors opt to spend a night or two here before their ferry crossing, and are rewarded with a pleasant sojourn behind old city walls, and a very attractive choice of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.
The heart of St Malo is the old walled town known as Intra-Muros (‘within the walls’), which was extensively and faithfully reconstructed after the devastation of World War II. There are walkways along the ramparts which offer views of the port and the sea, and the streets are fascinating to explore, with colourful street names translating for example as ‘Dancing Cat and Fat Calf’.
Saint Vincent’s cathedral must be the biggest building project in history: it took over seven centuries to build (the 11th to the 18th), making the Pyramids look like a cowboy job, but was only really finally completed when the spire was fitted in 1987. The cathedral actually played a pivotal role in St Malo’s history as the “Corsair City”, when Bishop Jean de Chatillon extended the cathedral’s sanctuary rights to include the whole town in the 12th century, turning it into a magnet for outlaws.
South of the citadel is the Grand Aquarium, containing impressively lit tanks full of aquatic life, where you can explore an underwater city and old shipwrecks on the Nautilus ride.
St Malo also boasts several museums with exhibits on the distinctive history and culture of Brittany. St Malo is a very attractive town to explore by night as well, as its ancient streets positively heave with restaurants and bars.
Eating Out
St Malo’s food scene is dominated by French eateries. The resort boasts a proliferation of cafes, brasseries, bistros and fine dining restaurants. Le Brick (5 rue Jacques Cartier) for example, offers good value seafood set menus.
If you are after a light snack then pick up a sweet or savoury pancake at one of the resort’s creperies. International fast food chains have also found their way to St Malo.
