Page 268 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

EXPERIENCE Brittany

Did You Know?
You can walk St­Malo’s
imposing ramparts all
1 the way around the
historic core.
ST-MALO

! B2–B3 ⌂ Ille-et-Vilaine k Dinard Bretagne £ @ g n Esplanade
St-Vincent; www.saint-malo-tourisme.com
Named after Maclou, a Welsh monk who came here in the 6th century
to spread the Christian message, the buzzing town of St-Malo stands
in a commanding position at the mouth of the River Rance. During
the 16th–19th centuries the port grew in prosperity and power
through the exploits of its seafarers.

Heavily bombed in 1944, St-Malo has since been scrupulously
HIDDEN GEM restored and is now an atmospheric destination. The old city is
Butterfingered! encircled by granite ramparts providing breathtaking views of
Stop by the charming St-Malo and its islands of Bé just off the coast. Take the steps
little La Maison du up by the Porte St-Vincent and walk clockwise, passing the
Beurre Bordier, the last 15th-century Grande Porte. Within the city is a maze of narrow
buttermaker in the area cobbled streets overlooked by tall 18th-century build ings
to churn by hand. The housing malouinières (merchants’ mansions), art galleries,
front of the shop sells a boutiques and crêperies. Rue Porcon-de-la-Barbinais leads
range of flavoured but­ to Cathédrale St-Vincent, with its sombre 12th-century nave
ters and cheeses, while contrasting with the stained glass of the chancel. On cour La
at the back is a bijou Houssaye, the 15th-century Maison de la Duchesse Anne has
museum about Breton been carefully restored. When the tide is out, good beaches are
butter making (9 Rue de revealed around St-Malo. Nearby, on the coast, Les Rochers
l’Orme; 02 99 40 88 79). Sculptés is a beguiling array of figures carved into the cliffs
by a local priest, Abbé Fouré, at the end of the 19th century.
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