Petit Bé

Saint-Malo, France

Petit Bé is a tidal island near Saint-Malo, France, close to the larger island of Grand Bé. There is a fort built in the 17th century. It was part of the defense belt designed by Vauban to protect the city of Saint-Malo from British and Dutch fleets. This belt also included the walls of the Saint Malo, Fort National, Fort Harbour, Fort de la Conchée, and the forts of Cézembre and Pointe de la Varde; these last two have been destroyed. The forts were built by the Saint-Malo engineer Siméon Garangeau.

The fort belonged to the French army until 1885. Later, the army turned the fort over to the city of Saint-Malo. It became a Monument historique in 1921, but was neglected until 2000, when the city gave a free rent to a non-profit organization for the renovation and visiting. At low tide the island can be reached on foot from the nearby Bon-Secours beach.

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Founded: 1695
Category: Castles and fortifications in France

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4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Gleb (2 years ago)
Fort on a small island just off the coast of Saint-Malo. Accessible on foot only at low tides during so called 'grandes marées'.
Manu Gond (2 years ago)
The walking path to this fort is easy once you have low tide. Just make sure to check the opening timing sometimes they change the opening hours.
Edwin (4 years ago)
Good to look at, but can’t go inside on the day I visited. You can walk up to the front gate during low tide to get a higher view of the surroundings, but grand be has the better views.
Natalie Daz (4 years ago)
At the end of the 17th century, maritime warfare between the French, English and Dutch wreaked havoc. In the heart of this economic and military battle, Saint-Malo was on the way to become the main port of France. So it became urgent to defend the famous corsair city whose strategic position was of first importance. For this purpose, Louis XIV commissioned the architect Vauban to implement a military defense. Vauban created an ambitious defense system that perfectly integrated the geography of the coasts and possible maritime attacks. At the heart of this system of fortifications is the Petit Bé. A flag is raised to indicate that the fort is open to the public.
Liza Xx (7 years ago)
There was nothing to do there but the place is just majical to me. Walking around the rocks, the beautiful tide pools. I loved it and hope i am fortunate enough to go back some day.
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