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The tour of Saint-Malo by the ramparts

A wonderful visit to discover the city of Saint-Malo in Brittany

The first thing to do if you want to visit Saint-Malo is to look at the timetable of tides, at low tide you will be able to access some of the forts located just in front of the ramparts and have splendid views on the city and its fortifications. The two main forts in front of the city are le Petit Bé and the Fort National . It is also possible to make a tour of the old city by staying only on the ramparts in only 2 hours. After the tour of the city on the ramparts, you can continue the tour inside the fortifications. Be careful not to forget a warm piece of clothing because it is always cool in the narrow streets of the old town. An exceptional walk not to be missed!

Interest: ratinggreat (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 3 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

Le Fort National

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Le Fort National
The National Fort was previously called the Royal Fort, it was built in 1689 by Vauban. You can only reach it at low tide. The guided tour is not free (5 euros). The fort can only be visited during the summer season or during school vacations.

Panorama on Saint-Malo

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Panorama on Saint-Malo
Even without entering the fort, you can have an exceptional view of the ramparts of Saint-Malo from the National Fort.

Walk on the ramparts

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Walk on the ramparts
It is possible to walk around the city by staying on the ramparts. The difficulty is often to find a staircase to go down to the city or a door to go to the ocean. It is still a fortress. You can swim in the pool of the beach of Bon Secours. This beautiful seawater pool was created during the great bathing era in 1936 so that tourists could swim even at low tide.

Le Grand Bé

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Le Grand Bé
At low tide you can reach the Grand Bé which is an islet located just in front of the rampart, there is a path that is submerged at high tide. During the good season, volunteers remind unwary tourists who do not pay attention to the tide. They make sure that no one is left on the islets.

View of the Grand Bé

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View of the Grand Bé
At the top of the Grand Bé you can see the tomb of Chateaubriand, he wanted to be buried here to continue his conversation with the sea. The view on the ocean or on the city is grandiose.

Le Petit Bé

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Le Petit Bé
From the Grand Bé, a path leads to the Petit Bé, always at low tide.

The fort of Petit Bé

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The fort of Petit Bé
The fort can be visited (5 euros). Again, you have to pay attention to the tide times and the opening days. You can even sleep in the fort by booking on specialized websites. The flag indicates that the visit is open.

The ramparts

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The ramparts
The ramparts of Saint-Malo offer breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and the fortified city. Built in the 12th century, these impressive ramparts are a marvel of military architecture, bearing witness to the city's glorious past as a corsair port.

Return to the Saint-Vincent gate

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Return to the Saint-Vincent gate
The city of Saint-Malo was more than 80% destroyed by American bombings in 1944. It was then rebuilt identically in the 1950s. You can see from the ramparts the magnificent work of restoration of the city.

The restaurants

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The restaurants
Saint-Malo is a very touristic city, there are many restaurants just at the entrance of the city on the place Chateaubriand. On busy days it is not so easy to find a place for your car nearby.

🚶‍ Practical information 🌳

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