Saint-Malo: the corsair city behind the walls

Walking on the walls of Saint-Malo, nearly two kilometers of wall walk, you overlook the entire old town and the surrounding ocean.

Inside the walls, the Cathedral of Saint Vincent, largely rebuilt after bombing during World War II, preserves modern stained glass windows in vivid colors.

With low tide, you can walk to the Fort National, a fortress built on a rocky outcrop by engineer Vauban to protect the city from English attacks, now isolated when the sea rises again.

As evening approaches, a restaurant in the center serves Breton galettes and seafood, local specialties served for centuries along this granite coast.

The privateers of Saint-Malo, authorized by the king to plunder enemy vessels in exchange for a share of the spoils, made the city one of France's wealthiest between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Ninety percent of the old town was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944: nearly everything visible today is a faithful reconstruction completed after the war stone by stone.