Surrounded by its walls, resting on a white sand beach facing the ocean, it seems that despite the devastation by the bombing in 1944, Saint-Malo has remained since ancient times the city of the corsairs.

Discovered by Saint Maclow, who became bishop of the area, the city grew rapidly around commercial activities under the control of as powerful catholic presence. But as the city opened itself to the world to comply with the needs of the merchants and the population, it attracted also the Corsaires (pirates who were stolen the French and English ships)- as a reminder, since the 12^th century, the city of St Malo had a special statute in Brittany and Brittany was the last county to be attached to the kingdom of France when the daughter of Anne de Bretagne married Francois 1er, King of France in 1532.

Later on, the city became renowned as a busy harbor with famous sailors, like Jacques Cartier who discovered Canada and was the first to put the French flag on the bank of the St Laurent River, Duguay-Trouin who was the first to pass the Cape (South Africa) from West to east, discovering the Antarctica and opening the road to the market with Asia.

Then, the writer François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), leader of the Romantic period in France and who fall in love with the city. He decided to be buried there, in from of the ocean.

During the Second World War, the city of St Malo was occupied by the troops of Hitler who built what was called the 'mur de l'Atlantique' (the Atlantic Wall) by posting heavy artilleries all along the coast, including the city of St Malo.

When the GI came in 1944 to deliver the country, they had to launch some bombs in the area ant those bombs destroyed a good part of the city. But the 'Malouins' (people living in St Malo) known to be stoneburn and hard worker decided to built back their city exactly the way it was before the bombings and they did, stone after stone : When you will see the city, you will never believe this city was a ruin 60 years ago.

Today, the principal activity of St Malo is it harbor activity (commercial and travelers going to England by ferry but also to Jersey and Guernsey Islands) and tourism.

Souvenir you can bring from St Malo:

• Candies : eggs and nest of seagull (look real seagull eggs) made of chocolate and sugar, shells and seafood candies and the Berlingot that they do in front of you
• Collectible Dolls : if you collect miniature dolls, you will find there all those authentic dolls in Breton costumes,
• Dishes and all clay product with a ocean/sea theme,
• Heavy navy clothes (navy fisherman jacket, 100% heavy wool sweater, captain hats and caps, etc…
  

What to visit in St Malo:

The city walls built in the 12^th centuries and resisted the bombing of 1944 during the 'liberation of France. Those walls surround the entire city. Spectacular well conserved site.

To have the best visit of the site, we advise you to enter the city from the 'Porte St Vincent' (St Vincent Door) the climb up the staircase on your left to the top of the wall where you will have a panoramic view on the entire site. You can stay on the walls and go all around the city until you reach the fancy white sand beach (plage du Sillon) at the foot of the wall where they usually do a magnificent firework for the 14 of July each year (the local 4^th of July representing the French revolution when the people took La Bastille in Paris the 14^th of July 1789)

If you continue the path along the walls, you will come into the artist area (the walls are a little larger there) where painters, musicians, streeet dancers and other artists produce and/or practice.

The castle: Chateau de Saint Malo, place Chateaubriand, intra-murros (inside the walls)

Built in the 17 and 18^th centuries and attached to the tower Quic-en-groigne (one leg man grumbling), the castle features two main building linked to 2 keep, one built in 1424 and the other one smaller built in 1395. This castle was the house of the duque of St Malo then the residence of the king of France.

Part of the castle is now the city hall; in the other part, you can visit the Museum of the city history, very interesting if you want to know more about the famous sailors (Jacques Cartier, Du Quai Drouin, Surcouf, etc…)

T he St Vincent's Cathedral: very interesting monument built from the 12^th century to the 18^th century on three different level of floor in order to adapt the construction to the underground structure. Magnificent stained-glass windows by Jean le Moal light the chancel

L'ile du Grand be: You can reach the island at low tide and on this island, you will visit the tomb of Francois Rene de Chateaubriand, famous romantic writer from the 19^th century. It is also a great spot to have a panoramic view on the city and all the bay of the Emerald Coast.