Saint-Malo: Audio Guided Walking Tour (2:40 – 29 audio comments)

Here you can observe a remarkable line of Corsair houses, all rebuilt identically after the great bombing of 1944.

You now arrive at the Saint-Louis Bastion, named in honor of Louis XIV. The houses bordering the Bastion are the only survivors of the bombing of 44.

You pass the famous Corsair's house, classified as a historical monument! It is one of the last shipowners' hotels still standing!

This pretty closed bridge crossing the street is part of the remains of the former Récollets convent. The order of the Récollets brothers came from a reform by the Franciscans.

This nice building with its beautiful glass roof and metal structure is the Halle au Blé.

Here you are in front of a rather original coffee. If its long name makes you smile and its “historic and hysterical” ranking is intriguing you, let me tell you 2 words about the café on the corner of the street at the end of town across the street from the port!

You arrive on Place Chateaubriand, lined with beautiful mansions and numerous cafes and restaurants.

This fortified castle overlooking the ocean has the particularity of having been built in several stages. But always with the same objective: to ensure the guardianship of the Dukes of Brittany over the city of Saint-Malo.

You have noticed that everything around you is now called Chateaubriand. The street, the square, the cafes, the hotels, etc.

The Saint-Thomas Gate that you use to get to Fan Range Beach was built in 1740 during the expansion of the city.

So here you are on the rocky promontory housing the famous National Fort.

The National Fort offers you an excellent panorama of the city of Saint-Malo in front of you, standing behind its ramparts and its fortified castle.

The bastion you are now reaching is called Fort la Reine.

A little anecdote like that in passing, because the names of streets in Saint-Malo are often steeped in history. The Rue du Chat qui danse takes its name from the most famous English attack on the city.

Built at the corner of the enclosure, on the tip of the rock, the Bidouane tower is in the shape of a horseshoe like any artillery tower that respected itself in the 15th century.

Enjoy the beautiful Place du Québec with its white and blue flags flying in the French sky and admire the view of the bay.

If the tide allows it, I say it, I repeat, watch out for the tides: go see Grand Bé!

Respecting his wish to be buried there in order to continue I quote “his conversation with the sea”, the tomb of Chateaubriand, sober and unnamed, lies with the only epitaph: “A great French writer wanted to rest here to only hear the sea and the wind.

The natural pool that you see below in front of you is a strong image of Bon-Secours Beach.

Here, as you pass over Saint Peter's Gate on the ramparts, you have a bird's eye view of the lookout square.

This Bastion was built following the collapse of part of the rampart wall. It was called Bastion of Holland, because at the time of the works we were at war with Holland.

You arrive at the Bastion Saint-Philippe, which dates from the second expansion of the city, carried out between 1714 and 1720.

A complete tour of the Citadel allows you to discover the secrets of nine fortified gates.

Facing the Bay of Saint-Malo, is the famous seaside resort of Dinard, renowned for its imposing Belle Époque villas, and its British Film Festival.

The beach of Môle des Noires, well sheltered from the wind, at the foot of the city, invites you to go and see it from further away, at the end there, at the end of the pier.

This is the oldest fortified gate in Saint-Malo! Try to imagine that at the time, we arrived at this door by boat!

You are now facing Saint-Vincent Cathedral. It was built in the 12th century.

You can now see the house known as Duchess Anne, easily recognizable with its pointed tower and its ancient balcony.