St Malo
The beautiful old Corsair port of Saint Malo is located approx. 40km west of Mont Saint Michel.
It has an old walled town (Intra-Muros) with six gateways, and ramparts which are accessible to pedestrians and offer a fantastic view of Saint Malo and the Bay.
80% of the town was destroyed during the liberation in 1944 but it was later reconstructed and today offers plenty of seafood restaurants, boutiques and souvenir shops and has a wonderful French charm all of its own.
Dominating the skyline of the old town is the Saint Vincent Cathedral which took nearly 7 centuries (11th century to the 18th century) to complete, the spire was fitted in 1987 and the cathedral has the most breathtaking, modern stained-glass windows which are worth seeing.
The Grand Aquarium
The Grand Aquarium is located on the outskirts of Saint Malo (direction St Servan).
With more than a million litres of water and over 40 giant aquariums, a visit to the Grand Aquarium is a fantastic way to spend a rainy day - it also has a "shark dome", interactive manta-ray pools and an exciting 3D cinema.
Cancale
The small fishing town of Cancale is east of Saint Malo, along the D355 through St Coulomb or by the D155 and D76.
This picturesque village is situated close to the sea front with a small harbour dotted with flat-bottomed oyster boats.
The road along the front offers a wide choice of seafood restaurants with lovely views over the bay.
The town itself has some beautiful buildings, including the church with a wonderful fountain in front depicting two people washing baskets of oysters.
Pointe du Grouin
Just a few kilometres drive north of Cancale along the D201 is a promontory called the "Pointe du Grouin".
There is a free car park leading to a wide verdant cliff walk, with a sheer drop into the sea, and the startling sight of enormous jagged rocks jutting 40 metres out of the water.
It has a panoramic view which includes the lighthouse "le Phare de Herpin" and on a clear day the bay of Mont Saint Michel can also be seen in the distance.