SAINT-MALO

Saint-Malo, the legendary corsair city, watches over the Rance estuary to the north-east of Brittany. Almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, the city was rebuilt to its former glory and this major tourist spot is literally an open-air museum.

This picturesque place, which inspired Châteaubriand's autobiography, Mémoires d'Outre-tombe, boasts a impressive fort designed by Vauban that can only be reached at low tide.

Land of corsair Surcouf's pirate days and starting point of the great ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum, and great music festivals like the Route du Rock, Saint-Malo is like a landlocked ship made of stone and earth, sailing on towards good times.

Saint-Malo-en-l’Isle was founded by Bishop Jean de Chatillon in the 12th century.

Le Rocher, an islet and monastic refuge just off Saint Malo, became a source of rivalry between local dukes and bishops around the 13th century. It was the main stake in a battle between Du Guesclin and Jean de Montfort, an ally of the English, and it was only in 1382 that the town finally became part of France. The Solidor tower was built in an attempt to subdue a divided and riotous population and effectively marked this period of transition.

The town became a thriving commercial port after Jacques Cartier discovered the Saint Lawrence estuary in the 16th century. Trade with Canada grew and Saint-Malo became France’s main trade port.

Saint-Malo’s economy gradually declined in the 18th century, and the town turned to tourism by shifting its structure from industrial centre to seaside resort by building a casino and a grand hotel.

Most of the buildings in the town centre were destroyed by repeated bombings - a number of 18th-century hotel-villas were restored, but most of the city's characteristic half-timbered houses were torn down.

Saint-Vincent’s Cathedral was built in the 12th century and severely damaged in 1944; it was only in 1987, when the spire was added, that the edifice was officially complete. The cathedral's chancel is particularly elegant, with Romanesque canopies beneath the nave, decorated with interlacing and animals. An equally impressive piece is the mosaic of navigator Jacques Cartier who prayed in this church just before he left for the unnamed, uncharted Canadian territory in 1535. He is now buried in the north chapel next to Duguay Trouin, another famous local navigator.

Another unique local vestige is the sculpted cliff face of Rothéneuf; the 300 enigmatic and stunning figures were carved into the rock itself by abbot Fouret for a period of 20 years in the late 19th century.

All it takes is a walk along the ramparts and a stroll in the old town to be in the Saint-Malo mood.