Send Gift Baskets to Saint-Malo, France

Saint-Malo Walls

These ramparts encircle the old town of Saint-Malo and cover a distance of 1.75 kilometers. Beginning in the 1100s, they were updated in the 1600s to combat new military technology, and then again in the mid-18th century.

Old Saint-Malo

The houses in Saint-Malo are made of gray granite, giving them a distinguished, sometimes harsh air. There are many bars, restaurants, upmarket shops, and creperies in the “Intra-Muros” district, where exploring is the game’s name.

Plage du Sillon

A three-kilometer stretch of fine sand just north of the walled city, Plage du Sillon is one of those dynamic beaches constantly in flux. More than a kilometer and a half long embankment stretches along the edge, built at the turn of the 20th century.

Château de Saint-Malo

Built by the Dukes of Brittany in the 1400s to ensure their ownership of the city, now Saint-Malo’s city hall is located on the northeast corner of the walls. In the 16th century, after the unification of France, the castle loomed over the city as a reminder of the authority of the dukes and then the King of France.

Grand Aquarium Saint-Malo

Located just outside the walled city is Saint-Malo’s aquarium, a high-profile attraction updated almost every season. The 360° shark aquarium, which held 600,000 liters and was added in 2011, is a must-see among the animals.

Paramé

Northeast of the walled city, near the Plage du Sillon, this district overgrew in the late 19th century, becoming home to many stunning belle époque villas. A sense of whimsy was given free rein by wealthy holidaymakers when building these structures.

Fort National

Located at the western end of Plage du Sillon, Vauban, a French engineer, designed this forward bastion. Saint-Malo’s defensive puzzle was completed with this star-shaped tower, intended to defend the city from the British navy.

Grand Bé

Another islet a few strides from the ramparts must also be reached at low tide. It took weeks before the Americans surrendered the Alet peninsula at the mouth of the Rance River after liberating Saint-Malo.

GR-34

The Sentier des Douaniers (Customs Officers’ Trail) is precisely what it sounds like a coastal footpath designed in the 1700s to foil smugglers. From Saint-Malo, you could walk to Brest in Finistère if you wanted.

Parc de la Briantais

The sumptuous English park that once surrounded the Château de la Briantais is on high ground by the Rance Estuary. An eerie but handsome ruin of the baroque mansion built here in 1666 by wealthy shipowners remains in the park.