Dinard seaside promenade

Dinard – Introduction

Dinard in Brittany is a fantastic place to stay for a few days. The seaside promenade is an incredible walk, alongside a narrow winding pedestrian area, covering the beaches and rock formations.

Dinard is located just a few kilometers from the more well known city of Saint Malo. They are divided by the “La Rance” river, and from the Eastern parts of Dinard, you can easily see St. Malo.

Saint Malo as seen from Dinard
Saint Malo as seen from Dinard

The city, counting some 11,000 inhabitants, is one of the most favored holiday spots in West France. It’s often considered the Cannes of the West. Many famous people have vacationed here, notably King Albert I from Belgium, Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock (there’s even a statue of him), Winston Churchill, Kirk Douglas, Hugh Grant, Victor Hugo, Lawrence of Arabia, Picasso, and many, many others.

The Promenade

One of the nicest things to see and do in Dinard is walk the enormously long seaside promenade. It’s not a straight promenade since the coastline wiggles, turns and snakes alongside the city walls. The promenade itself is often narrow, but at every turn, the scenery changes.

TIP: Watchout when it’s high tide and there is a wind blowing, since you will get wet!

At times during your stroll along the sea there are places you can sit and take in the scenery, but most often you’ll need to keep walking to the next alcove.

Sit to watch the beautiful sea scenery in Dinard
Sit to watch the beautiful sea scenery in Dinard

Here are several photos of the promenade

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The Dinard promenade with waves crashing onto it'The Dinard promenade with waves crashing onto it
Promenade in Dinard along the coastPromenade in Dinard along the coast
Houses along the Dinard promenadeHouses along the Dinard promenade
The sea and the Dinard promenadeThe sea and the Dinard promenade
The promenade turns a corner in DinardThe promenade turns a corner in Dinard
Protected promenade in DinardProtected promenade in Dinard
Piers going to the Dinard promenadePiers going to the Dinard promenade
xxxTower of a house alongside the Dinard promenade

Beaches

The promenade also, obviously, takes you along four beaches, some just a simple beach while others have huts, restaurants and other structures. The biggest and most visited is the “plage de l’Ecluse” with its casino, olympic swimming pool (heated sea water) and restaurants.

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Plage de l'Ecluse of Dinard'Plage de l’Ecluse of Dinard
Plage de l'Ecluse (Locks Beach) of DinardPlage de l’Ecluse (Locks Beach) of Dinard
Panoramic photo of the Dinard beachPanoramic photo of the Dinard beach
Dinard beachDinard beach

Swimming Pools

It’s not only beaches and rocks that make the promenade stroll interesting. There are even two natural swimming pools alongside the sea. These are real swimming pools, but they are not treated, nor warmed. So it’s 100% natural, i.e. sea water.

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Natural swimming pool at the seaside of Dinard'Natural swimming pool at the seaside of Dinard
The swimming pool is located on the beach next to a road in DinardThe swimming pool is located on the beach next to a road in Dinard
The round natural swimming pool of DinardThe round natural swimming pool of Dinard
View of the beach, sea and DinardView of the beach, sea and Dinard

It’s not the only pool like this along the sea… here’s one not so far away:

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Square sea pool along the Dinard beach'Square sea pool along the Dinard beach
Panoramic photo of the beach and its swimming pool in DinardPanoramic photo of the beach and its swimming pool in Dinard

The Forts

One thing you will see for sure along the coast are several forts built on islands. They were built several centuries ago to defend the city from attackers that would come from the sea.

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Fortress on the Harbour Island (L'ile Harbour) in front of Dinard'Fortress on the Harbour Island (L’ile Harbour) in front of Dinard

The Isle Harbour fortress (above) was built on this island in the 17th century. It now is owned privately (it even used to belong to the French actor Alain Delon).

There are other island-based forts in front of Dinard:

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Small island fortress in front of Dinard'Small island fortress in front of Dinard
Close up of the fortress in DinardClose up of the fortress in Dinard
Island fortress in between Dinard and St MaloIsland fortress in between Dinard and St Malo
Large island fortress in front of DinardLarge island fortress in front of Dinard

Lighthouse Phare du Grand Jardin

There is even a rather big lighthouse located in between Dinard and Saint-Malo:

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Phare du Grand Jardin (Big Garden Lighthouse) close to Dinard'Phare du Grand Jardin (Big Garden Lighthouse) close to Dinard

The lighthouse in front of Saint-Malo was built in 1865. The 32 meter high lighthouse was mostly destroyed towards the end of WWII by the Germans. In 1950 the new lighthouse went into operation.

The Rocks

All along the coastline around Dinard you will find many large rocks & boulders. This makes the Dinard seaside so attractive thanks to its ruggedness.

Here are but a few of the large boulders sticking out of the sea:

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Large rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastline'Large rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastline
Large rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastlineLarge rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastline
Large rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastlineLarge rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastline
Large rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastlineLarge rocks/boulders in the sea just in front of the Dinard coastline

The Houses

Dinard is not only known for its coastline, pools and beaches; it has some 400 old style villas that are protected by French law (historic buildings). Many date back to the “Belle Epoque” when people built beautiful houses which were used at most once a year.

Here are some of the attractive houses you will find when walking along the promenade:

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Beautiful houses alongside the Dinard coastline'Beautiful houses alongside the Dinard coastline
A villa alongside the Dinard coastlineA villa alongside the Dinard coastline
A tower from one of the seaside villas in DinardA tower from one of the seaside villas in Dinard
Perched high, the villas has a fantastic view of the sea and city of DinardPerched high, the villas has a fantastic view of the sea and city of Dinard
Villa with a beautiful landscaped gardenVilla with a beautiful landscaped garden

Another interesting building you will find when walking the promenade is one of France’s oldest yacht clubs

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The Yacht Club of Dnard, one of the oldest in France'The Yacht Club of Dnard, one of the oldest in France
The side view of the Yacht Club of Dinard (with restaurant on the top floor)The side view of the Yacht Club of Dinard (with restaurant on the top floor)

Yet another interesting building you will encounter is just around one of the corners. You will see the words Aquarium written but it’s not really an aquarium. In fact, it’s a 5-star hotel with a bar located inside the aquarium.

The hotel is called Castlebrac and it’s a “Soul Haven”… just have a look at the link of the hotel.

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Castlebrac 5-star hotel in Dinard'Castlebrac 5-star hotel in Dinard

Inside Dinard

It’s not just on the outer ring, on the seaside, that you will find interesting buildings and houses. Inside the city, there are some pretty ones, but not as many. The rest of the inside is pretty bland.

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Building with a cinema/movie theatre inside Dinard'Building with a cinema/movie theatre inside Dinard
A cafe/restaurant inside DinardA cafe/restaurant inside Dinard
Villa Eugenie chateau, built for the wife of Napoleon III in DinardVilla Eugenie chateau, built for the wife of Napoleon III in Dinard

The last photo above (Photo 3) is castle Villa Eugenie. It was built in 1868 for the wife of Napoleon III, but after a fight, they never came here. It’s now for sale.

More about this castle click here.

As is the case in almost every French city/town/village (and even hamlets) there is a food market. And like almost everywhere in France, it’s called “Les Halles”.

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The covered food market of Dinard'The covered food market of Dinard
Inside the covered food market of DinardInside the covered food market of Dinard

Outside the food market, on the square (and elsewhere in Dinard), you will find this “strange” object. It’s a mini public library. People can take out books and even put new books back. It’s free.

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Mini public library in Dinard'Mini public library in Dinard
Books can be taken out for free (and hopefully new ones are put back) in DinardBooks can be taken out for free (and hopefully new ones are put back) in Dinard
Instructions for using the mini public library of DinardInstructions for using the mini public library of Dinard

The streets in Dinard are a combination of older ones, with cobblestones and modern ones. Here are a few images of the kind of streets and shops you will find:

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Cobblestone streets of Dinard'Cobblestone streets of Dinard
Square of the Saint-Enogat district (and beach)in DinardSquare of the Saint-Enogat district (and beach)in Dinard
Popular at the time with artists, the square of the Saint-Enogat district (and beach)in DinardPopular at the time with artists, the square of the Saint-Enogat district (and beach)in Dinard
Place de la Republic shopping square in DinardPlace de la Republic shopping square in Dinard
Place de la Republic shopping square in DinardPlace de la Republic shopping square in Dinard

Some Churches

As you would expect, there are quite a number of churches in Dinard, but few standout. Here are two of them:

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Eglise de Saint Enogat in Dinard'Eglise de Saint Enogat in Dinard
Close to the Enogat beach, the Eglise de Saint Enogat in DinardClose to the Enogat beach, the Eglise de Saint Enogat in Dinard
Side view of the Eglise de Saint Enogat in DinardSide view of the Eglise de Saint Enogat in Dinard
Notre Dame d'Emeraude de Dinard churchNotre Dame d’Emeraude de Dinard church
In front of the Notre Dame d'Emeraude de Dinard churchIn front of the Notre Dame d’Emeraude de Dinard church

Summary

Dinard is THE place to visit when looking at staying somewhere in the West coast of France. It has been and will be for many years be an “in-spot” for vacations. Neighbouring Saint-Malo is very beautiful as well, so there’s plenty of choice since they are apart by 4 kilometers.

The walkway along the beach stretches all the way to Saint-Malo, so if you are into walking, it’s a 13 kilometers long walk.

The city has character and beauty. A MUST visit.

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