12 Things to do from your Ferry or Cruise Ship in Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo is a popular ferry and cruise ship destination. This historic seaside city is remarkable to visit. Not just because of its stunning location, unique history, or regal architecture, but also because it is in an area where there are so many things to do. All of the activities in this list are possible to do on foot from the cruise ship dock and ferry port. If you just have one day in Saint-Malo for your cruise ship stopover, this list will help you make the most of your time in Saint-Malo.

1. Take a Guided Walking Tour in the walled city
   

   

Walking tours are a fantastic way to see the city. With Saint Malo Guided Tours, you can hire a private guide to tour with you and your friends from your ship (10-people max). Our guides are native English-speakers who live locally in the Saint-Malo area. They take you to the ramparts, the narrow backstreets, tell you about the origins of the city, its most influential citizens, and legends, tall tales, and battles that have given this seaside granite city so much character.

Book Your Walking Tour

2-hour tour: 200€ (12 people max)

Full-Day Tour: 400€ (8 people max)

2. Take an E-Bike Tour along the stunning Saint-Malo coastline

   
   

   

   
   

E-bikes are a perfect way to hop off your ship and explore what’s outside the port. Saint-Malo has a particularly rich concentration of incredible sites. An E-Bike tour will bring you to locations that will take your breath away. The guide knows the most scenic and safe routes to make your E bike tour the best part of your stopover.

Half-Day tour: 200€ + e-bike rental  (8 people max)

Full-Day tour: 400€ + e-bike rental  (8 people max)

3. Eat a Galette at the Corps de Garde Creperie

The corps de garde creperies has one of the best views in Saint-Malo: a restaurant perched on the ramparts overlooking the sea. The establishment is in a medieval guard tower. Galettes are one of the most popular dishes in Brittany. It’s a buckwheat crepe filled with delicious buttery toppings. It’s a must-try, and the Corps de garde creperie has delicious galettes and unbeatable views.

4. Buy Breton salty-butter biscuits at a “biscuiterie.”

Brittany is famous for its salty-butter cookies (they are also called Galettes). Throughout Saint-Malo you will see Biscuiteries (biscuit shops) and souvenir shops selling these traditional treats. They are a perfect snack to bring back on your ship and make great gifts to give to friends and family back home.

5. Get a Sanchez Ice Cream

Sanchez Ice Cream is a hallowed institution in Saint-Malo. Founded in the 1980s, it has an ice-cream counter with dozens of unique flavors to tempt your taste buds.

6. Visit the Saint-Vincent Cathedral

The Saint Vincent Cathedral is one of the earliest gothic cathedrals in Brittany. It has survived multiple wars and sieges, not without its scars. It contains the remains of several of the city’s most famous citizens, including Jacques Cartier, the first Frenchman to explore Canada.

7. Dive off the famous Bon Secours diving board and swim in the tidal pool

The Bon Secours tidal pool is an emblem of Saint-Malo. It was built during the 1930s, when the city was on the rise as one of the most popular seaside resorts in France thanks to its close proximity to Paris. The pool is a public swimming pool. You can set up your beach towel and enjoy a jump and swim in this iconic basin.

8. Visit the Fort National

   
   

   

The Fort National is located just off the coast of Saint-Malo. At low-tide the fort can be accessed and entered. There is a 5€ entrance fee for adults. The fort is an incredible piece of architecture, gives you great views of Saint-Malo, and was the site of one of the most harrowing episodes of WW2 during Saint-Malo’s liberation.

9. Hike up to Chateaubriand’s tomb on the Grand Bé Island

Francois Réné de Chateaubriand is one of Saint-Malo’s most famous citizens. He is known as the father of French romanticism in literature. He was passionate about the beauty of nature, which is why he requested to be buried alone, facing the rocks and the waves. On the island there are traces of WW2 bunkers and a chapel. However, you must be careful visiting the island. If the tide comes in when you are on the island, you will have to swim back to shore!

10. Eat Mussels and French fries at the beach bar

Mussels and French fries or “moules frites” are one of the most popular seaside dishes in France. They usually come in three varieties: moules marinières (white wine butter sauce), cream & garlic sauce, and curry sauce. The Buvettes des Bains snack bar at the porte Saint-Thomas has tables and chairs where you can sit out and enjoy this coastal classic.

11. Visit the Demeure du Corsair
    

Saint-Malo is famous for its monumental houses that belonged to the wealthy shipowners who were some of France’s wealthiest subjects in the 1700s. A lot of these houses were destroyed during WW2. However, the Demeure De Corsaire is one of the few original houses belonging to the city’s storied past that can be visited.

Tours from 10:00am to 11:30am or 2:30pm to 5:00pm

8.5€ per adult

6€ per child

12. Experience World War II history at the Mémorial 39-45

Adult: 6.80€

The Cité d’Alet is a half-hour walk from the port of Saint-Malo. With Roman ruins, WWII bunkers, and sweeping harbor views, visiting the Cité d’Alet is a must for history fans. Over 500 German soldiers were stationed here during World War 2, making it a decisive site in the Liberation of Saint-Malo. The Mémorial 39-44 features stunning exhibitions in the network of bunkers on the peninsula. The tours are in French but English translations are provided.