We recently went to Saint-Malo, Brittany (Bretagne) together as a family, and I wanted to share a little info on the place, as well as some of the photographs I took whilst we are there. We’ve been to St Malo before, last year in fact. The weather was more mixed this time, but when the sun came out it was glorious!
St Malo has several districts, the most popular being intra muros or ‘inside the walls’. This is where we stayed, in a 3 bedroom AirBnB flat. It felt like living within castle walls, full of history but colourful and fun too. The apartment we stayed in was modern, IKEA in style and it was actually quite cool to be so central to everything. Very different to where we live back home, in a more suburban setting. The city of St Malo is actually quite vibrant, especially at the weekend, so a little noisy. It’s also been a while since I lived in a flat, but we soon got used to it. Some of the quirks I loved about living all on one level. We never felt disconnected from one another as a family for example. I loved having the washing machine in the bathroom, if we had room I would be replicating that idea, without a doubt. We loved that we could step out of the flat and be in the midst of it all, perfect for our extended city break. No need for a car, as everything is within walking distance. It really is a walled city, which you can walk on top and follow doing a circuit of the perimeter, and from the distance its looks so impressive.
Food and drink wise it’s an interesting place to try new things. Some were hits, and others complete misses, but the highlights for us were the Val Du Rance Cidre we sampled in a china cup, it really was the most delicious cider. Beignets to die, that were a little too good and absolutely terrible for the waistline. Great quality fish and shellfish, the moules marinière hitting top spot with frittes to mop up the juice. You are spoilt for choice with lots different style crêpes at the restaurants and cafes. Buckwheat crêpes, both savory and sweet seemed to be a Breton specialty.
Walking along the wall.
The tall granite buildings, most of which were restored after being bombed during the war, have an interesting mix of inhabitants, hotels, restaurants and so many shops. Nia and I did lots of window shopping, we also stocked up on french pharmacy items, which I’ll be showing you another day. You can take a tour on the little train to get your bearings or enjoy a bracing walk around the ramparts. We decided to take a trip on the Bus Tour Malouin, which was 7 Euros each to go a little further a field and to hear a little more about the history of the place.
We spent alot of time on the beach, seashell spotting, chasing one another with seaweed and enjoying the beautiful views.
It’s a loving embrace….honestly!
So if you are looking for trip to take, that is simple and fun, full of history, good food and drink then definitely consider St Malo.
Looking for other places to visit in France with your family? Try these brilliant and informative posts
8 Places to Love in Northern France
5 fun things to do in the Alps.
Camping at La Croix du Veiux Pont Berny – France
Looks like you had a fabulous time!
I’ve never been to St. Malo
Thanks for sharing!
Debs
I think it looks lovely Amanda – we should definitely visit! It sounds so eay to get there too
Your pics are just so lovely!
Thanks for sharing! An interesting place to visit specially the intra muros.
I went to St Malo a few years ago… but I still have incredibly fond memories of walking along the walls and eating amazing seafood!
Thank you for sharing – your photos are beautiful!
It seems like you had a great trip Amanda. Saint-Malo looks so peaceful, thanks for sharing and safe travel 🙂