Why you should visit St.Malo in Brittany

St. Malo – An exquisite Breton coastal town well worth discovering. One of the many ferry routes from France and Spain to the UK leaves from the port of St. Malo and this can give the traveller some time to investigate this exquisite little French town.

And it’s worth investigating as well! Famed as the port of choice for the French pirates of yesteryear, the “Corsairs” liked nothing better than to attack and plunder British vessels laden with bounty as they sailed into the channel on their homeward journey.

St. Malo has a wonderful old walled town, where it is possible to walk the entire length of the ramparts and watch the holiday-makers strolling on the golden sands of the beach down below. There are shops selling all manner of Corsair clothing and Breton shirts as well as atmospheric bars and restaurants in the narrow streets of the Old Town.

Outside of the Old Town one can still find many interesting shops, particularly antique shops, where you could find French and unique to take back home as a pleasant reminder of your holiday on the Breton coast. The wood-burning stoves, for example, have a very French style and are not to easy to come by in the UK – if you’ve got room in your car that is!

Long-established as a sea port of great importance, St. Malo was once an island in the middle of the River Rance estuary but years of silting up has led to its fusion to the mainland.

One of the more famous Corsairs from St Malo is Jacques Cartier, who has been accredited with the discovery of Canada. Also it was from St. Malo that the first sailors set off to colonise the Falkland Islands. In 1758 the British fleet, tired of so much Breton pilfering, led a raid on St. Malo but instead opted for the temporary occupation of nearby St. Servan where they destroyed 30 Corsair ships before departing.

So if you are ever planning to start and finish your Breton holiday at St. Malo, try and make time for at least a walk around the old walled town’s ramparts, as this is one French coastal town well worth discovering.

And as for planning that Breton holiday, why not start by checking out Vintage Travel’s collection of luxury villas in Brittany?