The wealth of heritage and the beautiful Emerald Coast landscapes make Saint-Malo and the surrounding area a destination that stays in the minds and spirits of visitors.

In cooperation with local service providers, the Palais du Grand Large organises guided tours of the Corsair City and excursions to all the neighbouring sites, such as the Mont-Saint-Michel, Cancale and its oyster beds, the medieval city of Dinan, the seaside resort town of Dinard, Cape Fréhel, the Anglo-Norman islands, and so on.

The walled city and the ramparts of the Corsair City

Recognised as a City of Art, Saint-Malo has a rich, eventful maritime history featuring a succession of famous historical figures.

A must-do tour of the ramparts, whose main access is through the St Vincent gateway to the walled city, gives you a chance to admire panoramic views of the English channel and its ever-changing tidal landscape.

During a tour of the city and its cobblestone streets, one can see the Gicquelais Hotel where Chateaubriand was born on 4 September 1768, the House of Duchess Anne (15th century), and the Dinan Gate (1716), surrounded with 14 facades of shipowner residences including the one where the famous privateer Surcouf lived.

The Mont-Saint-Michel and Cancale

An 80-metre-high granite island stranded in a vast plain of white sand, the Mont-Saint-Michel is linked to the mainland by a dike built in 1877. The tides are the most exaggerated in France.

The original abbey dates back to the 8th century, when an initial oratory was built by the bishop of Avranches in honour of the archangel Saint Michael, who had come to him. Roman and gothic constructions followed on into the 16th century.

French and foreign visitors alike will enjoy discovering this magical, must-see place.

On the trip back to Saint-Malo, there is a stop in Cancale, the charming little fishing town and yachting resort famous for its oyster farms. A tour of the oyster museum or of an oyster farm can be organised.

The medieval city of Dinan and the Barrage de la Rance

Visitors are transported back to the middle ages as they walk through the streets of Dinan amongst timber-frame houses; stroll along its ramparts, the oldest in Brittany (13th and 14th centuries); visit the 12th-century Saint Sauveur basilica; or walk down the Jerzual to the tiny port on the Rance river.

The return trip includes a stop in Dinard, a beautiful seaside resort town where most of the 407 historical homes date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when the English built their holiday homes on the coasts of France.

Heading back to Saint-Malo, we’ll cross the Barrage de la Rance, built more than 40 years ago, where you can visit the most widely visited industrial site in France: the tidal power station.

Cape Fréhel and the Fort Lalatte

Cape Fréhel features more than 300 hectares of rocky peat bogs where heathers, gorse, ferns, and Scotch broom thrive. A lighthouse is perched at the extremity of the cape, 70 metres above the shore. Weather permitting, you can climb the 145 steps of the spiral staircase inside the lighthouse. At the top, you'll be rewarded with an incredible view of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc and Bréhat on one side, and of Cancale and the Chausey islands on the other.
The Fort Lalatte is just a few minutes away down a footpath. On the surrounding moors stands a solitary menhir, "the finger of Gargantua".

Visiting the pink sandstone fort will familiarise you with the retreat of the lords of Matignon in the 15th century.

The flowered island of Jersey ... day trips

Captivating coastal landscapes, wooded valleys, flowing dunes, and high cliffs… you’ll explore Jersey after a one-hour catamaran crossing.

Once there, you’ll enjoy shopping the port of Saint-Hélier (the island’s capital), touring the historic and prehistoric sites, and exploring the horticultural manors and farms.

Other original excursions...

• Exploring the malouinières:
By bike, at a strolling pace, you’ll discover the natural and architectural heritage of Saint-Malo's backcountry: rural manors or "malouinières", merchants' or shipowners' residences built in the 16th and 17th centuries on a vast collection of small seigiories.

• Viking multi-sport adventure:
From the Aleth Cathedral destroyed by the Vikings to the remnants of their camp near Saint-Suliac, you'll get to mountain bike and canoe your way along the routes once used by the seafarers from the north!

• Nature walks:
For walkers and nature-lovers, outings are organised on the sentry paths along the coast, as well as walks across the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay.

• Sailing:
Explore the Saint-Malo Bay on old ships or competition sailboats.

• Saint-Malo seen from above:
Fly over the Emerald Coast and the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay in a helicopter.

Thalassotherapy, sports facilities, relaxation, etc.

Enjoy the benefits of thalassotherapy at the Thermes Marins, which faces Saint-Malo’s main beach. More than 40 years of experience have given this establishment its international renown. You can go there to relax, enjoy a wide range of treatments, or simply discover the vitalising virtues of the water exercise circuit.
Link to Saint-Malo Thermes Marins

Saint-Malo also benefits from several sports facilities, including:

· A water sports centre: the Surf School with sailing, windsurfing, sand sailing, kite surfing, kayaking, rowing, diving, etc.
· Three 18-hole golf courses within 20 minutes of Saint-Malo
· 15 tennis courts
· An Olympic-sized swimming pool
· An equestrian centre… and many other sports facilities

Link to the Société Nautique de la Baie de Saint Malo website