France

Saint-Malo

Buttery

Tidal

Cobblestoned

Saint-Malo, France ❘ MathieuRivrin/Getty Images

Les Rochers Sculptés ❘ Arterra Picture Library/Alamy

Seawater pool in Saint-Malo ❘ SFL Travel/Alamy

Grave of François-René de Chateaubriand ❘ Hector Christiaen/Alamy

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Ramparts protect an ancient city on the sea, just a few hours from Paris.

The ramparts were built in the 12th century to protect its residents from Vikings, and became an asset of a different sort when the city was beloved by a budding population of pirates.

Saint-Malo, on the northern coast of France, is defined by the tide. When the ocean surges forward, the water fills a simple stone swimming pool on one of the city’s most scenic beaches. Locals take in the view from a diving board before jumping in. When the tides race out, you can walk to the island of Grand Bé. This uninhabited sliver holds the grave of François-René de Chateaubriand, a Romantic writer from the city who died in 1848. If you time your visit correctly, you can also visit Le Petit Bé, a smaller island that hosts a ruined fort offering a remarkable view of the medieval walled city.

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The ramparts surrounding Saint-Malo’s historic center were built in the 12th century to protect its residents from Vikings. The fortifications became an asset of a different sort when the city was beloved by a budding population of pirates. The corsairs, who were sanctioned by the king of France, built the city’s wealth by pillaging ships passing through the English Channel. During World War II, the ramparts were partially destroyed, along with the rest of the city, but rebuilt faithfully, brick by brick, to the original design. Today they give Saint-Malo an appealingly ancient feel.

Ramparts in Saint-Malo ❘ laurent0001/Shutterstock

You can walk the length of the ramparts in about an hour, and then dip into the old city and follow its narrow cobblestone streets to La Maison du Beurre Bordier. At this shop, France’s most prized butter, Bourdier, is pounded, shaped, and served up for sampling. The beurre d’algues is flecked with Breton seaweed, best enjoyed on a baguette overlooking the sea. Continue your dairy pilgrimage at Le Gourverneur by ordering a kouign-amann, the buttery Breton pastry invented in nearby Douarnenez in 1860. Afterward, hike the hills above town, stopping off at the rock sculptures of Abbe Foure, who dedicated himself to chiseling more than 300 sculptures from stone after a stroke paralyzed half his body. Hiking routes abound in this stretch of Brittany, offering quiet views of the sea.

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Just two and a half hours from Paris by train, Saint-Malo makes a perfect secondary destination once you’ve made your way through the capital. The city is a well-positioned jumping off point for exploring the Brittany coast. It’s about a 45-minute drive to Normandy and famed Mont Saint-Michel, the tidal island with an abbey at its peak. Plus, on the way there, you’ll pass Alligator Bay, the largest community of crocodiles and alligators in Europe.