GREAT BRETON
PLANNING WHERE TO VISIT WHEN WE CAN TRAVEL AGAIN? WE GET THE LOWDOWN ON ST MALO, FRANCE
WHERE: A granite hunk of Gallic magic on the north Brittany coast, St Malo is easily reached by ferry from Portsmouth.
If you take the overnight crossing on Friday you’ll wake up the next morning in time for coffee and croissants, a 10-minute walk from the old city centre.
WHAT TO SEE: St Malo was bombed to bits in the Second World War but rebuilt to recreate the narrow streets of the old city, often with the very granite from the destroyed houses.
The city makes a perfect base for touring the surrounding delights. Wealthy English visitors in the last century fell so in love with Dinard, on the opposite bank of the River Rance, that they built many of the elegant seafront villas.
The coast is made particularly stunning by the powerful tides that can rise by 13 metres in six hours, meaning the rocks you walked to in the morning will be an island in the afternoon.
WHERE TO DRINK: The streets are dotted with cosy bars spilling out on to the pavements. Neighbouring Normandy might be more famous for its cider, but Brittany has plenty of local varieties of its own.
For something stronger there’s Calvados, or apple brandy, and sweet Breton honey mead known as Chouchen, drunk over ice or mulled for a winter warmer.
To escape the bustle you can head a few miles south to SaintSuliac, famed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, and enjoy a drink or bite at the Bistro de la Grève by the water’s edge.
WHERE TO STAY: There’s a selection of bijou hotels such as the elegant Hotel des Marins inside the city walls – intra muros, as it’s known (rooms from £59pn, hotel-des-marins. com, re-opens April 16).
For somewhere larger you’ll need to head outside the old city, where there are plenty along the sandy seafront eastwards.
North Brittany also has a good selection of campsites that open in spring. Visit saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk for details.
WHAT TO EAT: It has to be savoury galettes – rich, thin, dark pancakes. Le Corps de Garde, on the seaward side of the city walls, offers a delicious creamy leek and scallop creation. At the upper end, there’s Texture, near the imposing turrets of La Grand’ Porte, where you’ll be treated to a tasting menu of French and exotic fusion cuisine.
For dessert, keep it local with more pancakes, this time sweet crêpes served with honey and lemon. Or any one of dozens of ice cream flavours. Seafood also abounds – you’ll have no trouble finding moules frites or oysters, up the coast at Cancale.