Founded by a monk who came from afar, Saint-Malo is a small city with a gripping history: a land marked by the adventures of great explorers, of pirates and traders, and by a desire for independence that caused it no small trouble.
The city’s name comes from Maclou (or Mac Low), the Welsh monk who, according to tradition, founded the first settlement and the chapel of Saint-Aaron. He began a religious tradition that would count Saint-Malo among the seven stops of the Tro Breiz, the ancient pilgrimage of Brittany.
If you’re planning a trip to the north of France, here’s what to know about Saint-Malo and Brittany!
Off we go!
The tides at Saint-Malo
The tides that reach the city every day are among the largest in Europe and, as at Mont Saint-Michel, they create truly striking spectacles: the sea withdraws for kilometres, revealing the beach and the little islands you can reach on foot only at low tide.
The ramparts and the castle
The ramparts of Saint-Malo, once even more imposing, served to protect the city from attacks, above all by the English.
Several towers tell the story of the castle and the walls: the Petit Donjon, the Grand Donjon of 1424 (commissioned by Duke John V of Brittany), the Dames tower, the Moulins tower and the famous Quic-en-Groigne tower, built by Anne of Brittany in 1498. The name, according to legend, comes from the phrase with which the duchess replied to the townsfolk’s protests against its construction: “Quic-en-groigne, ainsi sera, c’est mon plaisir” (“no matter who grumbles, so it shall be: it is my pleasure”).
The whole complex was reinforced at the end of the 17th century to bear heavy artillery.
Saint-Malo between present and past
In centuries past this city was famous for being a free port, but also a den of corsairs (like the celebrated Duguay-Trouin and Surcouf). In the harbour of Saint-Malo you can still admire sailing ships worthy of a pirate tale!
Although largely rebuilt after the Second World War (it was almost razed to the ground in August 1944), Saint-Malo is a maze of little streets lined with typical restaurants offering fish dishes and galettes.
The Gothic cathedral of Saint-Vincent is beautiful, and recalls with a slab in the floor the spot where the explorer Jacques Cartier knelt to receive a blessing before sailing from Saint-Malo to “discover” Canada (in 1534).
Want to discover the city from the corsairs’ point of view? A boat tour with a local captain shows you the ramparts and the forts from the sea, their best viewpoint.
The energy of the ocean
The strongest emotion I felt was coming face to face with the ocean in the middle of winter.
The sea, the real one, you only see in the cold season: to understand the ocean and its incredible energy you have to see it at work, watch it break against the rocks with its wild force, with its deep grey like the shades of the northern sky. Our first winter encounter was unforgettable.
And cold.
And you, are you drawn more to Saint-Malo’s corsair soul or to the power of the ocean that surrounds it?
