Why Saint-Malo Is Worth Visiting on Your Brittany Trip

We chose Saint-Malo, France, as our first base for travel in Brittany for a special reason. It was hosting the start of a stage of the Tour de France, and that sounded like a pretty essential event for us to attend during our time in France.

Add its connection to a book I loved and budget-friendly pricing for nearly a week-long stay, and we were sold.

Upon arrival, we found a Breton port city run by the tides with a great food scene and pirate lore.

While it wasn’t the most scenic town we explored during our long trip to Brittany, it was an excellent introduction to the region that has quickly become our favorite in France.

Is Saint-Malo worth visiting?

Saint-Malo is worth visiting for its history, charm, and sea views that change on an impressive tide schedule. It’s also a fiercely resilient city with a great food scene. 

While there were certainly towns that we enjoyed more from a visual perspective, we found Saint-Malo to be very much worth our time, for the history alone.

Saint-Malo is a resilient city.

Saint-Malo is a symbol of resilience. Nearly destroyed during World War II, the city was basically rebuilt stone by stone to preserve its historic character. That includes its city walls. As someone with Polish parents, this rise-from-the-ashes mentality speaks to me.

READ MORE: Warsaw is another great example of a fiercely resilient city. Learn all about it!

Let’s talk a little more about the war, though, as it truly is some harrowing stuff. 

Saint-Malo was occupied by German forces by 1944. Over nearly two weeks during the Battle of Saint-Malo, American troops launched a heavy bombardment of the city.

The point was to root out the Germans based there, but the French suffered greatly as a result.

Note: Over 1,500 French cities and towns were bombed by the Allies between June 1940 and May 1945. Nearly 70,000 French men, women, and children were killed by the Allies as a result of strategic bombings and the “liberation” effort. War is awful. 

Over 80% of the Intra-Muros, or old town, was destroyed in the fighting. The best way to experience Saint-Malo’s fierce vibes is to walk the rebuilt ramparts through the old town. It’s beautiful with those sea views and tidal islands, but it’s also pretty friggin’ inspiring. 

Those ramparts are free to explore!

We walked the ramparts the day of our arrival in Saint-Malo to get a little lay of the land. These are free to walk along, unlike the supremely overpriced walls surrounding Dubrovnik, Croatia. 

The granite walls encircle the old town and offer a 360-degree walking path with views of the sea, beaches, tidal islands, and the rooftops of the Intra-Muros. You can hop on and off at various stairways, making it easy to wander at your own pace. 

We walked these with our dog, something that has only been allowed again in recent years after requests from locals to make the city more dog-friendly. 

Note: France is already VERY dog-friendly, but there remain some places that aren’t open to pups, often for their safety or the safety and comfort of those around then. Sometimes the French don’t care, but as a visitor, always follow posted rules around pets to avoid fines.

It’s pretty easy to get to.

Getting to Saint-Malo from major transportation hubs like Paris is pretty easy, making it a great option for a weekend getaway or even a day trip if you’re feeling aggressive. The fastest and most comfortable way is by taking the high-speed TGV train from Paris. 

The journey takes a little over two hours at its speediest if you’re on a direct train, and you’ll be dropped off near the historic center.

We were on a longer road trip in the region and traveling with our dog, Kimmy, so we drove. Driving offers more flexibility for day trips in the region, but it’ll take you at least four hours from the center of Paris.

It’s not as tourist-heavy.

We visited in the summer during the Tour de France, what should have been the busiest time to see Saint-Malo, and were frankly underwhelmed by the crowds.

I mean that in the best way.

It was a fraction of what we’ve seen on the French Riviera during the off-season, and certainly not even in the same ballpark as what Paris sees on the slowest of days.

You likely won’t hear many English-speaking tourists, either, and I’m perfectly OK with that.

It has some of the highest tides in Europe.

Saint-Malo’s high tides are among the highest in Europe after the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The sea here can rise to over 40 feet between low and high tide, dramatically transforming the coastline within hours. 

At low tide, you can walk to nearby tidal islands like Le Grand Bé and Fort National. At high tide, the same paths disappear beneath the waves.

We skipped out on the fort as it’s only accessible with a guide, but exploring Le Grand Bé and Le Petit Bé just beyond it was a highlight.

You can access both via Bon-Secours Beach. Time it right, and you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views, sea-swept ruins, and the final resting place of writer François-René de Chateaubriand.

Chateaubriand loved the sea and Brittany’s rugged coastline. (Honestly, same!) Before he died in 1848, he expressed a strong wish to be buried by the sea, close to the land he loved and where he found inspiration.

Fun fact: If I go first, I told Brian my wish is to be stuffed, so that I may watch over him/offer him solace in the dark days to come after.

Beyond that sits Le Petit Bé, a fortified islet with a Vauban-era fort that Brian climbed while I cooled off my feet in the water.

You can see more of our adventure in the clip below:

Just don’t linger too long. The tide returns quickly, and the island disappears once again. It’s a hidden moment in time, only accessible for a few magical hours. 

Saint-Malo has connections to pirates.

Saint-Malo was once home to infamous privateers, essentially pirates licensed by the king. You can visit the Musée d’Histoire de Saint-Malo in the Château de Saint-Malo to dive into this swashbuckling past.

If you’re traveling with a dog, as we were, and can’t be lazing around museums, use your imagination. Let me set the stage. 

It’s the 17th and 18th centuries. The fortified port is a base for seafarers authorized by the French crown to raid enemy ships. The result is immense wealth that funds the city’s walls.

Walking the city’s ramparts, you can almost hear the cannon fire and creak of sails in the wind.

No? Fine. It’s still fun to learn about, though.

It’s featured in All the Light We Cannot See.

If you’re as big of a fan as I was of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr and, to a lesser degree, the Netflix series, you may already know this.

Saint-Malo forms the backdrop for the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide during World War II. 

The heart of the story takes place within Saint-Malo’s historic old town. You can walk the same narrow, cobbled streets Marie-Laure might have navigated during wartime curfews and blackouts. 

It was a source of inspiration for other artists, too.

Saint-Malo has long inspired artists beyond Chateaubriand, thanks to its dramatic tides and stormy skies. (Honestly, the weather we enjoyed here was awesome, but I hear things get harrowing outside of the summer months.)

Romantic painter Eugène Isabey and poet Emmanuel Lansyer were big fans, but this place is a big deal for filmmakers and photographers drawn to a changing shoreline. Saint-Malo is the perfect muse, basically. 

For something a little quirkier, visit the Sculptured Rocks, an open-air sculpture gallery carved into the granite cliffs overlooking the city.

A deaf and mute priest named Abbé Adolphe‑Julien Fouré started carving them between 1894 and 1910 after suffering a stroke. 

The result is over 300 pirates, maritime legends, sea monsters, and Breton saints, all engraved by hand into the coastal rock.

You can pay your respects to Jacques Cartier.

If you’re not up on your French history, Jacques Cartier was a 16th-century explorer who claimed Canada for France. His tomb lies inside the Saint-Vincent Cathedral, so it’s worth a look to pay your respects.

OK, so it’s not his original tomb. That was destroyed during the French Revolution, but his remains are believed to still lie in the cathedral. You’ll get to see a commemorative plaque and a little boat above it. 

While you’re in the church, admire the stained glass. I found it so impressive, especially the rose window, without the crowds of biggies like Notre Dame. 

Just a short walk away, La Maison du Québec celebrates the enduring ties between Saint-Malo and Canada with exhibits honoring Cartier’s voyages. 

Saint-Malo loves its butter.

This one is for the butter people out there. 

Bistro Autour du Beurre Bordier is an essential stop for any butter lover. The eatery and shop next door celebrate butter not just as an ingredient, but as the star of the show. 

Each meal comes with a chance to taste eight different Bordier butters as part of a butter flight. They include sweet (raspberry) and savory (seaweed, pepper), all easily spreadable on fresh bread. We ate two baskets, because it’s France.

We have Jean‑Yves Bordier to thank for it all. The artisan was born into the work, and also cheesemaking, bless him. He’s known around the region for having revived traditional 19th‑century butter‑kneading techniques.

I imagine it’s like what you churned in school when your teachers made you pretend to live a colonial life. Anyone else? 

It doesn’t end with the butter flight, though. All of the apps, mains, and desserts feature butter in some form or another, or even more than one form.

It’s never heavy-handed, though, and the deconstructed peach cobbler at the end was maybe my second favorite bite after all the butter.

Fun fact: These butters grace Michelin-starred tables all over France!

Our meal wasn’t cheap, but it was an experience I’m going to carry with me, if only due to the cholesterol boost. You’ll want to make a reservation for this one, as their tables do fill up.

The seafood scene is great.

Apart from the butter, Saint-Malo’s seafood scene is a major draw for visitors to the area. This is a port city, so it makes sense that what you’ll be eating here is fresh as heck.

We loved visiting Cancale on a proper day trip, but you can find the town’s prized oysters in Saint-Malo, too.

Expect mussels, scallops, and langoustines when available, and I only say that because you can’t predict what fisherfolks are going to catch on a daily basis. 

Restaurants here range from casual harborside bistros to refined spots with seafood towers. L’Amiral Saint-Malo is a popular option for its harborside views and seafood platters.

If you’re not into seafood but like watching the fishies, the Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo is popular, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

The sweets are delicious, too.

I don’t even have a sweet tooth, but I find that when I’m in France, none of that matters. I have to try all of the treats.

Our apartment during our time in Saint-Malo was across the street from Boulangerie Chez Mamie, a friendly bakery with some of the best bread in town. 

As we’re talking sweet treats, though, I can personally attest to the tastiness of their chocolate chip muffins and brioche, sprinkles with sugar crystals, naturally.

Closer to the history center, Boulangerie Pâtisserie de la Cathédrale has won awards for its cakes. 

We got something quite indulgent that resembled a chocolate cigar and two cakes covered in marzipan. Neither of us generally likes marzipan, but the strawberry one tasted like strawberry shortcake once you got past the outside. There were no crumbs!

Saint-Malo has nice beaches.

If you’re here on a warmer day and not with a dog — they’re not invited onto the beaches during the summer months — Saint-Malo has some nice beaches for you to choose from:

• Plage de Bon Secours: This is the one that gets you to the tidal islands at low tide. If you don’t want to worry about tide charts, swim in the outdoor seawater pool here.
• Plage de l’Éventail: This one sits at the foot of Saint‑Malo’s ramparts with great views of Fort National. It offers more family-friendly sheltered swimming. 
• Plage du Sillon: This is the city’s main beach. It’s long, wide, and perfect for walks, swimming, or checking out the tidal pools when you’ve timed it right.

READ MORE: Planning a summer trip to France? I have some tips for you!

You can swim with views of a tower.

I’ll tell you all about the Saint-Servan neighborhood next, but Solidor Tower deserves its own shoutout. Solidor Tower, or Tour Solidor, is a 14th-century stone tower that was once used to control access to the Rance River.

The tower formerly housed a museum, but it’s been closed since 2019. It’s still worth a walk to approach it from the outside and enjoy views toward the Rance estuary. We saw quite a few people swimming and sunbathing here, despite the lack of a beach.

French people will truly jump into any and all available bodies of water!

There are quiet escapes away from the city center.

Saint-Malo isn’t nearly as busy as some of the more touristed cities around France, but if you really want solitude, you can take a walk to Saint-Servan. This historic town used to be its own thing, but was merged into the city of Saint-Malo in the early 1960s.

Located just across the Rance estuary from the Intra-Muros, this part of town offers a quieter, more residential vibe with its own harbor and lovely parks. 

We took Kimmy on a long walk through Saint-Servan and into Le Rosais, the neighborhood just south of Saint-Servan. We passed by views of the sea from Cimetière Communal du Rosais before exploring the trails of Sentier du Vau Garni.

A scenic spot marked as Pointe de la Briantais was our picnic spot and where we turned around.

It’s a great base for day trips.

Saint-Malo makes a great base for day trips. We took quite a few!

Mont Saint-Michel is likely the most popular, as you can get there in under an hour. We visited the atmospheric tidal island on a separate trip to Normandy, but it’s an easy addition to your trip to Saint-Malo, too.

While you may not need a ride to get to Saint-Malo, a car will open up your day trip possibilities and make your travel in the region more efficient. Here are a few more ideas for day trips from Saint-Malo, complete with drive times:

• Brocéliande Forest (1 hour 15 minutes): Your driving time will vary somewhat here depending on where you go to explore in the forest. If you’re here for the Arthurian stuff, you’ll want to start at Merlin’s Tomb.
• Cancale (25 minutes): This was one of our favorite stops during our tour of Brittany. I don’t love oysters, but I loved the vibe of this place, and chucking those shells like the locals do.
• Dinan (35 minutes): This one looks like it’s straight out of a medieval fairytale. It was a little more touristy than some of the other destinations we’ve visited, but walking down (and up) Rue du Petit Fort truly felt like a scene out of a movie.
• Dinard (20 minutes): I had read another blogger describe this one as resembling Coney Island in New York, and I haven’t stopped laughing about it since. This one is known for its grand seaside villas, not hot dog tosses.
• Rennes (1 hour): This is the capital of Brittany. Its historic center still features 286 half‑timbered houses, with the bonus 17th‑century Parliament of Brittany watching over.

We didn’t get to Saint-Suliac, but it’s a designated “Most Beautiful Village of France” from the nonprofit, Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, that decides these things. The picturesque fishing village is home to a Viking camp, too.

Where to Stay in Saint-Malo

We stayed in an apartment with a lofted bed situation that I’m not going to recommend. It was cheap for the week, but I’m to the age where good sleep is more important than cost. I just need to remind myself of that more often.

Use the map below for more options in Saint-Malo:

Saint-Malo is a great starting point for Brittany trips.

You’ll eat well, get a dose of essential history for the region, and get to see some of the most impressive tidal action in the world.

I’m sure we’ll be back, as it’s so easy to get to from Paris and an easy base for more exploration in the region. It’s also worth the trip all on its own.

Traveling elsewhere in France? Check these out:

• A Guide to Visiting Versailles the Right Way
• How to Plan a Day in Lovely Lille
• How to Visit Strasbourg at Christmastime
• April Is the Ideal Time to Visit Giverny
• A Golfer’s Review of Le Golf National

More guides for trips to France:

• Plan a Trip to the Castles of the Loire Valley
• Why You Need to See Fontainebleau From Paris
• How to Plan a Trip to Underrated Évian
• Book a Trip for a Long Weekend in Nice
• Visiting Cannes on Your Next Trip to Nice

Want to see more?