# Saint-Malo

A corsair city of granite shut within its ramparts. At low tide you walk out to the islands; at high tide, the sea reaches the foot of the wall. You can see it in a day and it deserves two.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/brittany/saint-malo · Revisado: 2026-11-11

## How do you get there from Spain?

By car it is about 720 km from Irún: toll motorway via Bordeaux as far as Nantes and, from there, a free expressway via Rennes. Brittany's dual carriageways (N137, N165, N12) have no tolls: the State made them free in the 1970s to bring the region out of its isolation. Without a car, the most practical flight is to Nantes, with several Volotea routes from Spain; there is no direct flight from Spain to Rennes. From Rennes, regional trains run to Saint-Malo several times a day.

## Why does the tide change everything?

The Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel has some of the biggest tides in Europe: at Saint-Malo, at spring tides, the water rises and falls about 13 metres. At low tide an enormous beach appears and you can walk out to the Grand Bé and Fort National; six hours later those same islands are surrounded by water and the waves leap over the Sillon. Check the tide table the day before and plan your day around it.

## Where do you park?

Outside the walls. Inside the intra-muros the streets are narrow and parking is scarce. The Paul Féval park-and-ride, next to the racecourse, costs €3.30 a day and the ticket includes the bus into the centre for five people.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Customs Officers' Path (GR 34), Brittany Coast
- Cerca: Cancale (a 13.0 km), Dinan (a 21.7 km), Mont-Saint-Michel (a 37.8 km), Brocéliande Forest (a 70.8 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Walk Round the Intra-Muros Ramparts** (1 h · 1.8 km · All ages · Independent visit · free): What it is
The ramparts enclose intra-muros, the old town of Saint-Malo. They measure 1,754 metres, reach 16 metres in height in some stretches and have nine gates. On top runs a free wall walk: you go almost all the way round with the sea on one side and the granite rooftops on the other. It is the first thing to do in the city and the thing that best explains why Saint-Malo is the way it is.
A little history
Construction began in the mid-12th century, when the bishopric moved from Alet to Saint-Malo. At the end of the 17th century, Vauban commissioned the engineer Siméon Garangeau to turn the city into a citadel of the sea: between 1708 and 1742 three-quarters of the enclosure were rebuilt, with bastions for artillery in place of the old towers, and the city grew from 16 to 24 hectares. Of the medieval wall there remain the 15th-century Grand'Porte, part of the castle and the Petits Murs, between the Bidouane tower and the Hollande bastion.
In August 1944 bombing destroyed a good part of intra-muros, but the ramparts held. They have been a listed historic monument since 1886.
The route
Allow an hour at an easy pace, with stops. You can start at any gate; this is a clockwise circuit from the Porte Saint-Vincent, the main entrance:

Porte Saint-Vincent and Grand'Porte. Climb the steps next to the gate. From here you see the port and the basin, and right away the Grand'Porte, with its two towers.
Porte de Dinan. At its foot is the cale de Dinan, from which the Bus de Mer to Dinard leaves. On the other side of the estuary you can see Dinard.
Hollande bastion, Porte Saint-Pierre and Porte des Bés. In front of you, Bon Secours beach, its seawater pool and the islets of the Grand Bé and the Petit Bé.
Bidouane tower and Fort à la Reine. The north stretch looks out to the open sea and the islands of the bay.
Porte Saint-Thomas. Below, the Grande Plage and the Fort National. Next to it is the castle, with the Qui-Qu'en-Grogne tower, which interrupts the walk: you go down to the street and go round it to close the circuit at Saint-Vincent.

When to go
You can climb up at any time and in any season. At low tide you see the beaches enormous and people walking to the islands; at high tide, the sea reaches the foot of the wall, and at autumn and winter spring tides the waves leap over the Sillon. At sunset there are fewer people and the light falls on the Grand Bé. In July and August, in the afternoon, the Porte Saint-Vincent stretch fills up: start from another gate.
Getting there and parking
Do not drive in. Leave the car at the Paul Féval park and ride: for €3.30 a day, the ticket includes the bus to intra-muros for five people. From the station, bus line 2 drops you at intra-muros.
Accessibility, children and dog
The walk is cobbled and is accessed by steps at the gates, with no lifts. With a pushchair it is heavy going: better a baby carrier. In a wheelchair it is not practicable. With children, hold their hands on the crowded stretches.
Guided visit
If you want to understand the privateer city, the Saint-Malo tourist office runs guided visits of intra-muros. Check dates and prices on its website.
For lunch on the way down, intra-muros is full of crêperies; the Crêperie Le Tournesol and Le Comptoir Breizh Café are inside the wall.
- **Walking to the Grand Bé at Low Tide** (1 h · All ages · Independent visit · free): What it is
The Grand Bé is the islet in front of Bon Secours beach, at the mouth of the Rance. Twice a day, at low tide, it becomes a peninsula and you walk to it along a concrete causeway that the sea covers afterwards. At the top, facing the sea, is the tomb of Chateaubriand. It is the most famous walk in Saint-Malo and it costs nothing.
What you see

Chateaubriand's tomb. The writer was born in Saint-Malo in 1768 and died in Paris in 1848. In 1828 he asked the city for "a small corner of land" on the islet, and on 18 July 1848 he was buried there. He wanted a tomb with no inscription, no name and no date: just a granite cross. A plaque in front asks the passer-by to respect his last wish. Erosion now threatens the tomb, so do not leave the paths.
The defences. Vauban fortified the islet in 1689 and Garangeau extended the work around 1697. In the Second World War the Germans installed a battery with bunkers and trenches; American infantry took it by assault on 16 August 1944.
The view. From the top you see the intra-muros rampart head-on, the Petit Bé on one side, Dinard on the other side of the estuary and the Fort National to the east.

When you can cross
Only at low tide. The tourist office reckons a window of an hour and a half before and an hour and a half after low water. The day's times are posted next to the Porte des Bés, in the rampart, and are in the tide table. At spring tides the window is wider and the beach enormous; at neap tides it is shorter.
Since March 2011, at spring tides, a "sonneur des Bés" sounds a horn to warn that the water is returning. If you hear it, turn back without waiting.
Getting there
Leave intra-muros by the Porte des Bés or the Porte Saint-Pierre and go down to Bon Secours beach. The causeway starts on the sand, next to the seawater pool. It is about 500 metres to the islet, and then an earth path and steps climb to the tomb. In all, an hour at an easy pace.
Leave the car outside the wall, at the Paul Féval park and ride, and go in by bus. Inside intra-muros there is almost no room.
When to go
All year, depending on the tide. At sunset, if low water falls at that hour, the light on the islands is the best of the day. In July and August the causeway fills up in the middle hour of low water; go at the start of the window. In winter, at spring tides, the walk is spectacular but the wind blows hard at the top: bring a coat.
With children, a pushchair or a dog
With children it is easy and they love crossing along the sea floor. With a pushchair, the sand and the steps of the climb make it hard: better a baby carrier. The islet has no facilities or shade; bring water. With a dog, bear in mind the city's beach rules in season and keep it on a lead.
Combine it
At the same low tide you can cross to the Fort National, on the other side of the point, if the tide gives you time. On the way back, climb up to the ramparts to see the sea surround the islet again.
- **Fort National** (45 min · Adults €5 · children aged 6 to 16 €3 · cash only): What it is
The Fort National is the granite bastion that rises on an islet facing the Grande Plage, about 300 metres from the rampart. Vauban built it in 1689 to defend the entrance to the privateers' port, and it has been a listed historic monument since 1906. It is privately owned: it is run by the company that has been restoring it since 2000 with help from the State, the département and the region.
You can only reach it on foot at low tide, across the sand. At high tide it is cut off, which is why it opens at different hours each day.
What you see
All visits are guided. The guide meets you at the top of the drawbridge and the visit lasts about 35 minutes. It covers the two enclosures and the underground passages: the great cistern, the dungeon that also served as a powder store, and the stories of the fort, from sea attacks and the duels of the privateer Robert Surcouf to Chateaubriand's memories and the tragic days of the Second World War. The explanation is in French; they give you the text in Spanish, English, German, Dutch and Italian.
From the top you have an open view of the bay and of intra-muros, with the whole rampart in front of you. It is a good place for sunset if the tide allows.
When it opens
It opens in the French school holidays at Easter and All Saints, on the long weekends in May (1 May, 8 May, Ascension and Pentecost) and every day from 1 June to 30 September. The hours depend on the tide and change each day: the fort publishes them in the calendar on its website. In 2026 it reopened on 1 June.
The signal is simple: when the French flag flies on the mast crowning the fort, it is open.
Prices

Adults: €5.
Children aged 6 to 16: €3.
Under-6s: free.
Groups of 10 or more: €4 per person.

There is a discount for students, large families and jobseekers, with proof. Tickets are sold at the fort's gate and only in cash or by cheque: the fort has no electricity and does not accept cards.
Getting there
Access is via the Grande Plage, also called the plage de l'Éventail, in front of the castle. You go down to the sand by the Porte Saint-Thomas or from the Galère car park and cross about 300 metres of beach. Check the tide table first: the way opens at low tide and closes when the water rises.
For parking, the convenient option is the Paul Féval park and ride and the bus to intra-muros; inside the wall there is little room and it is expensive. From the station bus line 2 drops you at intra-muros.
With children and accessibility
Children are given a free adventure guide to follow the visit and ask the guide questions. It works well from about age six: it is short and has a drawbridge, a dungeon and tunnels. It is not accessible by wheelchair or pushchair: you have to cross the sand and climb stone ramps and stairs. Wear footwear that can cope with wet sand.
Combine it
At the same low tide you can also go to the Grand Bé, on the other side of the point, although you will not have time for everything if the tide is short. Afterwards climb up to the ramparts to see the fort from above, by then surrounded by water.
- **Bon Secours Seawater Pool** (1 h 30 · Swimmers · Independent visit · free): What it is
The Bon Secours pool is a concrete basin built in the middle of the beach, at the foot of the intra-muros rampart, which the sea fills and renews with every tide. It has a diving board at one end, which is what everyone wants to try, and in front the islets of the Grand Bé and the Petit Bé. Swimming is open and free.
A little history
In the 1930s, three bathing establishments shared Bon Secours beach. The one in the middle, the "Bains René", was run by René Lesaunier. His problem was the spring tides: the sea went out so far that his customers went to swim in the Dinard pool. So in 1937 he had a seawater pool built so that people could swim at any hour. He boasted that the water was renewed twice a day, with each tide, and not only with the big ones, like Dinard's.
How the tide works
At high tide the pool is under the sea and cannot be told apart from the beach. When the water falls, the wall appears and the basin is left full of clean water. It is best to go as the tide is falling or at low water: the pool is whole, the diving board emerges and the sand around it serves as a sun terrace. Check the tide table to know when.
The water is that of the English Channel, so it is cold even in August. It is for swimmers and for anyone who can stand the first plunge.
Facilities and safety
Bon Secours is a family beach with supervision, with a lifeguard post in summer, a shower and, in the upper part, terraces for a drink. Outside the swimming season there are no lifeguards: swim with caution and never alone.
The city may close swimming temporarily if the water tests are not good: in July 2025 swimming at Bon Secours was closed for a time. If you see a flag or a prohibition sign, respect it.
Getting there
You leave intra-muros by the Porte Saint-Pierre or the Porte des Bés and go down to the sand. The pool is a few minutes from the causeway to the Grand Bé, so you can combine the two with the same low tide: first to the islet, then a swim.
For parking, the convenient option is the Paul Féval park and ride and the bus to intra-muros. Inside the wall there is hardly any room.
When to go
In July and August, mid-afternoon in good weather, the pool and its diving board fill with teenagers and the beach with families. If you are looking for a peaceful swim, go early with the tide in your favour. In June and September there are fewer people. At sunset the light falls on the islets and the rampart.
With children
It is a very rewarding plan: the basin protects from waves, but the diving board is not for little ones. Always keep an eye on them, also when they play at the edge. Bring jelly shoes: the bottom and the wall have seaweed and shells.
Combine it
From the pool you climb to the ramparts by the steps at the Porte des Bés and you are five minutes from the streets of intra-muros for a galette.
- **Bus de Mer to Dinard** (10 min · All ages · Desde 6.3 € per trip): What it is
The Bus de Mer is the passenger boat that crosses the Rance estuary between Saint-Malo and Dinard. It is run by the Compagnie Corsaire, the shipping company with its office at the Bourse maritime station. The crossing takes about ten minutes and saves you going round the estuary by road, about 18 km over the Rance dam bridge. On the crossing you see the walled city from the water, with the Grand Bé and the Fort National on one side, and Dinard's coast of villas on the other.
It works as transport, not as an excursion: there is no commentary on board and no fixed timetable to book. You buy the day ticket and board the boat that leaves.
Where to catch it

In Saint-Malo: at the cale de Dinan, at the foot of the intra-muros ramparts, next to the Porte de Dinan. From the Grande Porte it is five minutes on foot.
In Dinard: on the promenade du Clair de Lune, below the Grand Hôtel Barrière on the avenue George V; you go down the steps between the Le Dôme agency and the hotel. Some departures use the cale de la Vallée, about five minutes' walk away. The timetable leaflet says which landing stage corresponds to each departure: check it before returning.

Season and frequency
In 2026 the service runs daily from 28 March to 1 November, and also on 7, 8 and 11 to 15 November. The 2027 dates have not yet been published. The company speaks of very frequent departures; the Dinard tourist office puts them at around one every twenty minutes in season. The exact times for each period are in the leaflets that the Compagnie Corsaire posts on its website.
Outside those dates there is no boat: you go to Dinard by car or by the regular bus.
Prices
2026 prices per person. Between 4 July and 31 August, and from 20 October to 1 November, a slightly higher rate applies (period B), shown in brackets.

Adult: €6.30 a trip (€6.60); €8.90 return (€9.30).
Children aged 2 to 12: €4.50 a trip (€4.70); €6.30 return (€6.60).
Under-2s: free.
With a bike: €9.50 a trip for an adult and €14.20 return (€9.70 and €14.50 in period B).
Pass for 20 crossings: €67 (€70 in period B), useful if you are staying in Dinard and cross daily.

How to buy the ticket
On the Compagnie Corsaire booking website you choose destination, departure port, date and one way or return. You do not choose a time: the ticket is valid for any departure that day. The company recommends buying it online to avoid queuing at the landing stage, which in July and August can be long mid-morning and late in the afternoon. For discounts and membership cards you have to call the office (02 23 18 24 60).
A half-day plan
Cross in the morning, stroll along the promenade du Clair de Lune and the coast of villas, have lunch in Dinard and return mid-afternoon. From the Dinard side you have the full view of the ramparts, which is the photo you cannot take from Saint-Malo. If you are with a bike, the boat lets you carry on along the coast on the other side of the Rance.
On your return, you are a couple of steps from the walk round the ramparts. If you arrive in Saint-Malo by car, leave it at the Paul Féval park and ride and go down to the centre by bus: there is no parking at the cale de Dinan.
With children, with a dog and in bad weather
With children it is a short, easy trip: ten minutes on the boat are enough for them to experience it as an excursion. With a pushchair, expect the steps at the Dinard landing stage. Dogs board with a €3 ticket, on a lead or in a basket, according to the company's FAQs. On wheelchair accessibility the crossing's website says nothing: ask by phone before going. In strong wind or a very rough sea departures may change; ask at the landing stage before crossing if the day is bad.
- **Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo** (2 h · Families, rainy day · Adults from €19 · children aged 3 to 11 from €15 · under-3s free): What it is
The Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo is the city's aquarium, outside the centre, next to the Rennes expressway. It brings together some 600 species in ten themed zones and two attractions. It is the classic plan for a rainy day or a tide that is of little use, and it works above all with children.
What you see
The route passes through ten spaces: the cold deep seas, the Côte d'Émeraude (the coast you have outside), a sea laboratory, the Mediterranean, an underwater grotto, the tropics, a sunken galleon, the mangrove and tropical fresh waters, a black corridor and the touch pools, where some animals can be touched.
The two attractions are separate from the route:

Expédition Nautibus: a submarine simulator that "descends" to 300 metres. From age 4; €5.90 as a supplement according to the published rate.
Virtual reality: a 360° immersion in a virtual ocean. From age 5; €5.90.

For those who want more, the aquarium offers a "keeper for a day" morning with an aquarist (€90 for ages 7 to 11, €120 from age 12) and a 2 h 30 session with rays and sharks.
Hours
It is open every day except Mondays, with hours that change according to the season and some closing periods. Check the calendar on its website before going: the ticket offices close an hour before the aquarium. The aquarium itself recommends avoiding rainy days, when it is busiest, or arriving from 16:00.
Tickets and prices
Prices published on its website in November 2026:

Dated online ticket (at least 4 days ahead, limited places): €19 adults from age 12, €15 children aged 3 to 11.
Undated ticket: €20.50 adults, €16.50 children aged 3 to 11.
Under-3s: free.
Annual pass: €50 adults and €40 children; gives a 10% discount in the shop and restaurant.
People with disabilities: €16.50 adults and €13.50 children.

Tickets are valid for a year from purchase and are not exchanged or refunded.
How long
Allow about two hours for an unhurried visit. If you add the Nautibus, virtual reality and a stop at the snack bar, it takes half a day.
Getting there and parking
It is on the avenue du Général Patton. By car, from the D137 expressway, take the direction of Saint-Servan: the aquarium is on the left at the first roundabout. It has a free car park with 500 spaces. Without a car, city bus line 1, direction La Madeleine, leaves from intra-muros and the station and stops at the Aquarium stop; by car it is about fifteen minutes from the station.
Accessibility, children and facilities
The circuit is wheelchair accessible except the underwater grotto and the Nautibus. Wheelchairs and pushchairs are lent out. There is a baby-changing table in the ground-floor toilets and microwaves for heating food: in the snack bar from April to September and next to the shop the rest of the year. Animals are not allowed, except accredited assistance dogs.
With small children it is one of the most rewarding things in Saint-Malo: the route is indoors and ends with the touch pools at the end. If the weather is good, make use of the tide for the Grand Bé or the Bon Secours pool and leave the aquarium for the afternoon.
- **Rothéneuf Carved Rocks** (45 min · No pushchairs · Adults €5 · children €3): What it is
On the Rothéneuf cliff, above the sea, there are more than three hundred figures carved directly into the granite. They were made by one man, Abbé Adolphe Julien Fouéré, known as Abbé Fouré, between the end of 1894 and 1907. They cover more than 500 m² of rock: faces, whole bodies, sea monsters, ships and animals that merge with the cracks and the lichen. It is considered a work of raw art and is one of the rarest sites on the Breton coast.
The enclosure is private and is not protected as a monument. Entry is paid, and it received some 40,000 people in 2012.
Who Abbé Fouré was
He was born in 1839 and died in 1910. A retired priest at Rothéneuf, which then belonged to the commune of Paramé, he spent more than twelve years carving the rock facing the sea.
What they represent
The version told by the tourist office speaks of pirates, sea monsters and the legendary Rothéneuf family, a saga of privateers and smugglers. More recent studies, collected in French Wikipedia, dispute that legend: many figures would portray real figures from the news of his day, such as Jacques Cartier, his favourite subject, Breton saints such as Budoc or Yves, the Boer president Paul Kruger and episodes of the Transvaal war, Gargantua, or scenes evoking China, Russia and Japan. Keep both readings in mind as you walk round the rocks: each explains different faces.
The visit
The route is outdoors, over rock, steps and slopes, and takes about three-quarters of an hour at an easy pace. There is a shop and toilets at the entrance. The ground can be slippery if it has rained or in the sea damp, so the organisation advises good footwear. It is not accessible by wheelchair or pushchair. Dogs are allowed.
Hours and prices

Adults: €5.
Children: €3.
Groups (up to 40 people): €3 per person.

You pay by card, cheque or cash. The hours change according to the season and published listings do not agree; the tourist office marks them as unconfirmed. Call before going (06 68 98 23 95), especially outside summer.
Getting there and parking
The entrance is at 4 chemin des Rochers Sculptés, in Rothéneuf, about 5 km from intra-muros along the coast. The enclosure has parking. If you are on foot, the rocks are next to the GR 34 stretch from Paramé to Rothéneuf, at the end of the route: it is the best way to arrive. To return to the centre without a car, the MAT network city bus serves Rothéneuf; check the line and timetable on its website.
If you are travelling by motorhome, the Les Ilots area is in the same district.
When to go
At high tide the sea breaks at the foot of the figures and the scene gains; at low water you see the base of the cliff and the rocks below better. First thing in the morning or at the end of the afternoon the low light picks out the reliefs better. In summer, mid-afternoon, the narrow path between the rocks fills up.
With children
Children like looking for faces and monsters in the stone: set it up as a game. Hold their hands on the steps and at the edges, which face the sea. It is a short visit, good to combine with a Rothéneuf beach.
- **Sillon Beach and Sand Sailing** (3 h · 3 km · All ages · Beach free · activities paid): What it is
The Sillon is Saint-Malo's great beach: three kilometres of sand from the Porte Saint-Vincent to Paramé, the longest in the city. It includes the Grande Plage, the plage de la Hoguette and the plage de Rochebonne. Behind it runs the Digue, a 1,671-metre sea promenade among late-19th-century villas; in front, a row of oak-trunk groynes that has become the image of the beach.
It is an urban beach open to the wind, good for swimming in summer and, above all, for wind activities: kites, windsurfing and char à voile, the sail cart that runs over the sand at low tide.
A little history
The Sillon was a tongue of sand with dunes and windmills that joined Paramé with the walled city and was the only dry route on foot at low tide. The first causeway was built in 1509 and was rebuilt several times. The present Digue was raised between 1883 and 1913, and the oak groynes, devised in the early 19th century by the engineer Robinault, protect the wall from the force of the sea.
What to do

Stroll along the Digue. Flat and tarmacked, it can be done with a pushchair or wheelchair, and takes you on foot to Paramé. At spring tides and high water the waves leap over the wall: watch from a distance.
Swim. In summer the beach is supervised, with a lifeguard post. The tide changes the beach a great deal: at low water the sea is far away; at high water there is hardly any sand.
Char à voile and sailing. The Surf School, at 2 avenue de la Hoguette, at the end of the plage de la Hoguette, offers 1 h 30 char à voile sessions from €35 per person, according to the Brittany tourism listing, open from age 9. It also gives Hobie Cat 15 catamaran courses from age 14, introductory sailing and windsurfing in school holidays. Its listing states it is open all year Monday to Saturday; confirm hours and the tide for each session on its website or by phone (02 99 40 07 47).
Continue on foot towards Rothéneuf. At the end of the Sillon the GR 34 stretch to Rothéneuf begins.

Facilities
The beach has showers, drinking water, toilets, a children's club, bars and restaurants on the Digue, and adapted access for people with disabilities. It is open all year.
Getting there and parking
From intra-muros you leave by the Porte Saint-Vincent and go down to the Grande Plage. By car, the practical thing is to leave the car at the Paul Féval park and ride and get around by bus.
When to go
From July to August for swimming, with the beach supervised. In spring and autumn, for walking and for the spring tides, when the sea pounds the Digue. For char à voile you need low tide and wind; the school sets sessions according to the tide. At sunset the Digue fills with people strolling and looking towards the rampart.
With children and with a dog
With small children it works well at mid-tide: there is sand to play on and the water is not far. Teenagers are the audience for char à voile. Dogs are banned on the beach from April to September; along the Digue you can walk the dog on a lead.
- **GR 34 from Paramé to Rothéneuf** (2 h 30 · Reasonably fit · Independent visit · free): What it is
The GR 34 is the customs officers' path, the route that goes round the Brittany coast. This stretch leaves from the end of the Sillon beach, in Paramé, and follows the coast point after point to Rothéneuf, where the carved rocks are. It is the wildest part of Saint-Malo's territory: coves, wooden steps, small beaches among villas and, halfway, the Pointe de la Varde, a protected natural area with one of the widest views of the city and the bay.
Allow about two and a half hours of easy walking, not counting stops. It is not difficult, but it has many steps and some rocky stretches.
The route, step by step

The Sillon. If you set out from intra-muros, the first part is the Sillon sea wall, 1,671 metres of promenade beside Sillon beach, with late-19th-century villas on one side and the oak groynes on the other. It is flat and tarmacked.
Rochebonne and Paramé. At the end of the sea wall the real coastal path begins. At high tide do not try to go round the rocks at the Pointe de Rochebonne: go up to the street and follow the marks.
The Paramé beaches. The path goes down and up between the plage du Val, the plage du Pont and short stretches of street. At the plage du Pont, at high tide, you cannot pass over the sand: follow the sea wall to the end and continue along the streets the waymarking indicates.
The Pointe de la Varde. It is the great viewpoint of the route, a headland with a view of Saint-Malo, Cap Fréhel and the islands. Stay on the marked path: it is a protected area and there is wildlife that must not be disturbed.
Rothéneuf. After the Varde, the path goes round the coast to Rothéneuf and its beaches. The rocks carved by Abbé Fouré are above the sea, next to the path; entering the enclosure is paid.

For those who want to continue, the GR 34 goes on to the Guimorais beach, in Saint-Coulomb, and beyond towards Cancale. The Brittany tourist board suggests a 12.5 km stage, about 3 h 30, which begins in Dinard with the Bus de Mer and ends at the Guimorais.
Waymarking and navigation
The GR 34 is waymarked with the white and red marks of long-distance footpaths. On this stretch, among streets and vegetation, some marks are hard to see; carry the map downloaded on your phone. When the path goes over sand, the tide decides: if the water is high, always look for the street variant.
Where to start and how to return
You can set out on foot from intra-muros along the Sillon or start in Paramé. There is parking for cars and motorhomes at the Pointe de la Varde, which lets you split the route in two. To avoid retracing your steps, return to intra-muros on the MAT network city bus from Rothéneuf: check the line and timetable on the network's website before setting out. If you are sleeping in a motorhome, the Les Ilots area is at Rothéneuf, at the end of the stretch.
When to go
It can be done all year. From May to September there is more light and more people; the stretch is one of the busiest on the coast in summer. In winter the wind hits hard on the points. Plan with the tide table: at low tide you have the beach variants and the walk is prettier.
Water, shade and food
There is almost no shade: the path is exposed to sun and wind. Bring water; at Paramé and Rothéneuf you pass through districts with shops and bars, but not at the Varde. Bring a windcheater even if the day looks fine.
With children, with a dog and if the weather changes
With primary-school children it works well in short stretches: the walk around the Varde from its car park is short and scenic. Not with a pushchair: there are steps, roots and rock. With a dog you can do the path on a lead, but note that on Sillon beach dogs are banned from April to September. If rain comes or the wind rises, the path always runs close to streets and bus stops: you can cut it short at Paramé or Rothéneuf.

## Dónde comer
- **Le Comptoir Breizh Café** (Restaurant, Saint-Malo intra-muros, €€). Qué pedir: a buckwheat galette complète and a bolée of cider from its list.
- **Crêperie Le Tournesol** (Restaurant, Saint-Malo intra-muros, €). Qué pedir: a savoury buckwheat galette and, for dessert, a salted butter caramel crêpe.
- **Le Cambusier** (Restaurant, Saint-Malo intra-muros, €€€). Qué pedir: the fish of the day.
- **Méson Chalut** (Restaurant, Saint-Malo intra-muros, €€€). Qué pedir: the menu of the day, of local fish and seafood.
- **La Maison du Beurre Bordier** (Market, Saint-Malo intra-muros, €€). Qué pedir: the house salted butter and a cheese for a picnic.

## By car: Getting here is easy; park outside the wall
From the border it is about 720 km. The toll ends before Nantes; Breton expressways are free. In the city the car is a nuisance: leave it outside and go in by bus or on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hôtel France et Chateaubriand** (Hotel): On the place Chateaubriand, inside the wall: you arrive from the station by bus and need nothing else. Parking is paid.
- **Grand Hôtel des Thermes** (Spa hotel): A grand seaside hotel on the Sillon, with direct access to the seawater Thermes Marins. On foot along the sea wall you reach the rampart.
- **Malouinière Le Valmarin** (Small hotel): A malouinière, the shipowners' country house, from the 18th century with a garden in Saint-Servan. You park inside, away from the bustle of intra-muros.
### Servicios
- **Saint-Malo Tide Table**: Check it before going · the way to the Grand Bé is only open at low water and its times for the day are posted next to the Porte des Bés
- **Paul Féval Park and Ride**: €3.30 a day · the ticket covers 5 people on line 2 to intra-muros · motorhomes €7.50 / 24 h
- **Bus de Mer to Dinard**: Compagnie Corsaire · about every 20 min · 10-minute crossing · from 28 March to 11 November in 2026 · from about €6

## Car-free: The city is explored on foot
With a train to the station and a bus to the rampart you need nothing else. The islands, the beaches, the boat to Dinard and the GR 34 start at the door.
Presupuesto orientativo: 80–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hôtel France et Chateaubriand** (Hotel): On the place Chateaubriand, inside the wall: you arrive from the station by bus and need nothing else. Parking is paid.
- **Grand Hôtel des Thermes** (Spa hotel): A grand seaside hotel on the Sillon, with direct access to the seawater Thermes Marins. On foot along the sea wall you reach the rampart.
- **Ty Al Levenez Ethic Étapes** (Hostel, desde 37 € / bed): The former Patrick Varangot hostel: rooms for two to six with a bathroom and breakfast included. Bus line 3 links it with the station in five minutes.
### Servicios
- **Saint-Malo Tide Table**: Check it before going · the way to the Grand Bé is only open at low water and its times for the day are posted next to the Porte des Bés
- **Bus de Mer to Dinard**: Compagnie Corsaire · about every 20 min · 10-minute crossing · from 28 March to 11 November in 2026 · from about €6
- **Saint-Malo Station**: Direct TGV from Paris-Montparnasse and TER from Rennes · line 2 of the MAT network to intra-muros

## By campervan: Well served, with the area far from the centre
A motorhome does not fit inside intra-muros. There is an area with facilities at Rothéneuf, space at the park and ride and campsites that admit large vehicles.
Presupuesto orientativo: 45–70 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in a campervan
- **Cité d'Alet Municipal Campsite** (Campsite, desde 22 € / pitch): On the Alet headland, with the rampart opposite across the port. It is the campsite closest to the centre; it opens in season.
- **Camping Domaine de la Ville Huchet** (Campsite): A large campsite with a pool in the grounds of a mansion, south of the city. For families who want space. Open from April to September.
- **Les Ilots Motorhome Area** (Campervan area, desde 15 € / night): A hundred metres from Rothéneuf beach and with a bus to the centre. You do not book: you pay on arrival.
### Servicios
- **Saint-Malo Tide Table**: Check it before going · the way to the Grand Bé is only open at low water and its times for the day are posted next to the Porte des Bés
- **Paul Féval Park and Ride**: €3.30 a day · the ticket covers 5 people on line 2 to intra-muros · motorhomes €7.50 / 24 h
- **Water and Waste Emptying at Les Ilots**: Rothéneuf, avenue de la Guimorais · municipal area with 173 spaces with water, waste emptying and electricity · €14 to €16 a day · all year, no booking

## Camping: Two campsites, one with the rampart in front
Wild camping is not allowed on the urban coast or on the beaches. There are campsites with tent pitches in Saint-Servan and at Quelmer, open in season.
Presupuesto orientativo: 40–60 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're camping
- **Cité d'Alet Municipal Campsite** (Campsite, desde 22 € / pitch): On the Alet headland, with the rampart opposite across the port. It is the campsite closest to the centre; it opens in season.
- **Camping Domaine de la Ville Huchet** (Campsite): A large campsite with a pool in the grounds of a mansion, south of the city. For families who want space. Open from April to September.
### Servicios
- **Saint-Malo Tide Table**: Check it before going · the way to the Grand Bé is only open at low water and its times for the day are posted next to the Porte des Bés

## On foot: The GR 34 leaves from the beach
Saint-Malo is a stage on the customs officers' path. Eastwards it is about 30 km to Cancale, by points and coves; westwards you cross to Dinard by boat and continue along the Emerald Coast.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–80 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Ty Al Levenez Ethic Étapes** (Hostel, desde 37 € / bed): The former Patrick Varangot hostel: rooms for two to six with a bathroom and breakfast included. Bus line 3 links it with the station in five minutes.
- **Cité d'Alet Municipal Campsite** (Campsite, desde 22 € / pitch): On the Alet headland, with the rampart opposite across the port. It is the campsite closest to the centre; it opens in season.
### Servicios
- **Saint-Malo Tide Table**: Check it before going · the way to the Grand Bé is only open at low water and its times for the day are posted next to the Porte des Bés
- **Bus de Mer to Dinard**: Compagnie Corsaire · about every 20 min · 10-minute crossing · from 28 March to 11 November in 2026 · from about €6

## With young children: Sand, boats and fish

With small children Saint-Malo works through the beach, which is enormous at low tide, and through short activities. The rampart has steps: a baby carrier rather than a pushchair.

### What works best
Sillon beach, with a flat sea wall for the pushchair

The Bus de Mer to Dinard: ten minutes by boat

The Grand Aquarium, free for under-4s

### Sleeping
Hotels on the Sillon, with the beach in front

Camping de la Ville Huchet, with a pool

### Eating
A sweet butter and sugar crêpe never fails

A picnic with Bordier bread and butter on the beach

### Bear in mind
The tide rises fast: do not leave children alone on the rocks

The water is about 18 °C in August: they swim only briefly

The rampart and the Rothéneuf rocks are not for pushchairs

### Qué hacer with young children
- Bus de Mer to Dinard
- Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo
- Sillon Beach and Sand Sailing

## As a family: A city played with the tide

For children of various ages, the challenge is to walk to an island and come back before the water rises. That, and a galette at the end, makes the day.

### What works best
The Grand Bé on foot at low tide

The walk round the rampart, one hour

The Bon Secours pool, free and with a diving board

### Sleeping
Camping de la Cité d'Alet, with views of the rampart

Hotels at Paramé, near the beach

### Eating
Crêperies in intra-muros: a savoury galette and a crêpe for dessert

The Grand Aquarium and the boat to Dinard for the grey day

### Bear in mind
Check the tide the night before

In August, book weeks ahead

The carved rocks of Rothéneuf have steps without railings

### Qué hacer as a family
- Walk Round the Intra-Muros Ramparts
- Walking to the Grand Bé at Low Tide
- Fort National
- Bon Secours Seawater Pool
- Bus de Mer to Dinard
- Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo
- Rothéneuf Carved Rocks
- Sillon Beach and Sand Sailing

## With teenagers: Diving board, sand sailing and a path

A teenager finds cold water, wind and some freedom here: the city is small and they get around on foot.

### What works best
The Bon Secours diving board, at mid-tide

Char à voile on the Sillon at low tide

The GR 34 to Rothéneuf, and back by bus

### Sleeping
Ty Al Levenez hostel, if they are with friends

Camping de la Cité d'Alet

### Eating
Cheap galettes in intra-muros

A picnic on the rampart at sunset

### Bear in mind
Char à voile depends on the tide and the wind

The water is cold even in August

At high tide and in a storm, the waves leap the sea wall: do not go near

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Walk Round the Intra-Muros Ramparts
- Walking to the Grand Bé at Low Tide
- Bon Secours Seawater Pool
- Rothéneuf Carved Rocks
- Sillon Beach and Sand Sailing
- GR 34 from Paramé to Rothéneuf

## With a dog: Saint-Malo with a Dog, Between the GR 34 and the Sea Bus

In Saint-Malo your dog goes with you on the GR 34 towards Rothéneuf, along the Digue du Sillon and on the sea bus to Dinard, with its own ticket. The carved rocks of Rothéneuf admit it. The big Sillon beach, however, is off-limits to it from April to September. A campsite and a thalassotherapy hotel accept it.

### Walks
GR 34 towards Rothéneuf and the pointe de la Varde, on a lead

The Digue du Sillon, all year, on a lead

The carved rocks of Rothéneuf: dogs are admitted

### Beaches and swimming
Sillon beach: dogs prohibited on the sand from April to September

The rest of the year you can go down with it on a lead

### Where to sleep
Domaine de la Ville Huchet: €5 a night, two at most, in some accommodation

Grand Hôtel des Thermes: with a supplement and under conditions; check them when booking

### Keep in mind
Sea bus to Dinard: €3 ticket for the dog, on a lead or in a basket

The Grand Aquarium admits only accredited assistance dogs

At the Ville Huchet it may not enter the pools, bar or restaurant, and categories 1 and 2 are not accepted

### Qué hacer with a dog
- Bus de Mer to Dinard
- Rothéneuf Carved Rocks
- GR 34 from Paramé to Rothéneuf

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- Grand Hôtel des Thermes: With a supplement and under conditions; check them when booking
- Camping Domaine de la Ville Huchet: €5 a night, two at most, in some accommodation; on a lead and away from pools and bar

## Consejos

### Check the tide before the weather
The day's table is at the tourist office and at the beach accesses. Organise the day around low tide.

### Climb the wall at sunset
The walk is free at any hour. Last thing there are fewer people and the light falls on the islands.

### Cross to Dinard by boat, not by car
The Bus de Mer takes ten minutes and saves you going round the Rance estuary.

### Order the galette with cider in a bowl
It is the norm here: cider is served in a bolée, a ceramic bowl.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need?
One is enough for the walls, the Grand Bé and a galette. With two you add Dinard by boat, the GR 34 towards Rothéneuf or an afternoon in Cancale.

### Can you walk to the islands?
Yes, to the Grand Bé and Fort National, only at low tide: an hour and a half before and after low water. Check the day's table.

### When are there the most people?
In July and August, and on the French bank-holiday weekends in May. In August book accommodation weeks ahead and arrive early at the car parks.

### What is closed in winter?
Many campsites close between October and April, Fort National opens only in season and the Bus de Mer doesn't run in midwinter. The town, the walls and the restaurants in the centre stay open.

### Are there tolls in Brittany?
Not on the Breton expressways, which are free. You do pay on the Bordeaux to Nantes motorway.

### Can you swim?
Yes. In August the water is around 18 °C. The seawater pool at Bon Secours fills with each tide and is free.

### What Breton words will I see?
Few in Saint-Malo, which is in Gallo country. Further west you will see them on every sign: ker (inhabited place), plou (parish), loc (holy place), penn (point), enez (island).