Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast Guided Boat Tour

Solidor Tower and Saint-Servan

The tour starts in Saint-Servan, the quiet southern district of Saint-Malo, at the foot of the Solidor Tower. Built in the late fourteenth century by the Duke of Brittany to control the mouth of the Rance, it is made of three round towers joined together and still dominates the small harbour of Solidor. Next to it rises the headland of Alet, where the first town of the area stood in Roman times before its people moved to the rock of Saint-Malo.

Arrive a little early to look around the harbour and the waterfront path. At low tide the slipway is very long, so allow time to walk down to the boat, and watch how fast the sea level changes here.

The walled city and its ramparts

Saint-Malo intra-muros, the old walled city, is the heart of any Saint-Malo boat trip. Its granite ramparts enclose tall stone mansions built by wealthy shipowners and the spire of the Cathedral of Saint-Vincent. Much of the city was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt stone by stone in the following decades, so today it looks much as it did in its golden age of sea trade.

From the boat you see the full line of the walls rising above the beaches, a view impossible from the streets. Is Saint-Malo worth visiting? Few French towns have such a dramatic waterfront. After the tour, walk the ramparts, about two kilometres around, for the opposite view.

Fort National and Petit Bé

Just off the walls stand two of the sea forts that once protected the port. Fort National, built in 1689 by the king's military engineers on a rocky islet, can be reached on foot at low tide and is open to visitors in season. Further out, the small Petit Bé fort sits on its own tidal island and was part of the same defensive ring.

Seen from the sea, the forts show how carefully the town was guarded against enemy fleets. Your captain explains how they worked together, and how the tides decide whether they are islands or part of the beach. The best time to visit Fort National on foot is at low tide; from the boat you see it surrounded by water.

Dinard and the Rance estuary

Across the mouth of the Rance lies Dinard, a seaside resort that became fashionable in the nineteenth century when wealthy British and American families built grand villas along its cliffs. Turrets, balconies and gardens line the shore, and the boat follows the coast so you can admire them closely.

The estuary between Saint-Malo and Dinard is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Emerald Coast, with rocky islets, beaches and sailing boats. How to get to Dinard from Saint-Malo: a short passenger boat crossing runs in season, or about twenty minutes by car over the tidal dam. Seen from the boat, the town's promenade and beaches give a perfect preview before you visit in person.

The Emerald Coast and its tides

The Emerald Coast, or Côte d'Émeraude, takes its name from the green colour of the sea along this part of northern Brittany. Saint-Malo has some of the highest tides in Europe, with a difference of more than ten metres between high and low water during the strongest tides, which completely changes the landscape twice a day.

The captain knows these waters well and adapts the route to the tide and weather. The tour runs in rain or shine, and grey skies often make the granite and the green sea look even more dramatic. The best time to visit the Emerald Coast is from spring to early autumn, when the light lasts long into the evening.