The St Malo Citadel

Apart from watching the never ending performance of the rising and falling of the huge tides, the other major attractions of St Malo are walking the huge sea wall and exploring the so called "old city". With such monumental tides and damaging waves to defend against, the city requires a very serious barrier to prevent their buildings being destroyed by the marine onslaught.

The major part of these defenses is a gigantic stone wall that has been erected along the Atlantic coastline. Not only does this wall provide a primary defence against the huge waves, but it also gives the people of St Malo a perfect place to walk, jog, cycle, roller skate or walk the dog. At any time of the day you will find a continuous passing parade of people and dogs moving past.

The old city (aka "The Citadel" is an impressive walled city that was home to a German garrison in WW2. The commander of the garrison refused to surrender and this resulted in nearly all of the original structure being destroyed by allied shelling and bombing. It was a complete waste of a priceless historic relic. An intensive 12 years rebuilding plan from 1948 to 1960 resulted in the construction of the current reproduction of the original city.

On our first free day in St Malo we had no ambitious plans, apart from walking to the city and then wandering the full length of the sea wall. So that's exactly what we did. We even got to see a couple of dolphins cavorting near the water's edge. It was a perfect day and an ideal way to relax after our long days on the bike.Read more