Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo is a city with around 50 000 inhabitants and is located on the Côte d'Émeraude in the north of Brittany at the mouth of the River Rance, opposite the seaside resort of Dinard.

The city is the most important port on the north coast of Brittany and one of the most visited places in France thanks to its faithfully reconstructed historic town centre and its fortifications.

The town centre wasn't of so much interest to me, as it is almost exclusively made up of clothing and tourist shops. I was mainly interested in the outside of the city walls, the tidal islands, the Atlantic Ocean and the beach.

The Bay of Saint-Malo has one of the largest tidal differences in Europe, with a difference of up to twelve metres between low tide and high tide. Three of the offshore islands, Grand Bé and Petit Bé, as well as the Fort National (fortress built by Vauban in 1689) can therefore be reached on foot at low tide.

The Usine marémotrice de la Rance, the world's first tidal power station, has been located in the mouth of the Rance since 1966 and was the largest in the world until 2011.

The historic town centre intra muros (within the city walls) makes up around 20% of the city's total area and is surrounded by water on three sides.

Atlantic pure! ❤️❤️❤️Read more