The approach to the historic walled city of St Malo, on the coast of Brittany, is surely one of the most dramatic of any city in France. The charming old town stands on a granite islet joined to the mainland by an ancient causeway. It’s enclosed by high ramparts which are bordered by beautiful sandy beaches at the foot of its steep walls.
The largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is just off the coast of Normandy, in the Bay of St Malo, and easily accessed from a couple of French ports, by direct ferry from Guernsey and from the UK. Only 8 kms long and 14 kms wide, the long stretches of beautiful beaches and bays along its coast are never more than ten minutes away.
These two beautiful islands off the coasts of Brittany and Normandy form part of the larger group known in English-speaking countries as the Channel Islands, or les Iles de la Manche from the French perspective. Easily accessible by the regular car ferries plying back and forth from St Malo a couple of times a day, they offer a fascinating, and quite unique, addition to a European itinerary.
The capital of Brittany, Rennes is a picture-perfect gem that will richly reward a couple of days’ exploration. At a little over an hour and half by TGV from Paris, it’s the ideal starting point for a tour of Brittany.
Like many people familiar with the rugged coastal landscapes of Monet and other Impressionist painters, we had long been curious about this small island, 15 kms off the southern coast of Brittany. As its name suggests, Belle Île is certainly one of France’s most beautiful islands.
