Dinard: events

Good to know about going out in Dinard

Dinard was born of the nineteenth-century taste for sea bathing, when French and British visitors had villas built on its headlands. What remains is an instantly recognisable seafront, beaches turned either towards the estuary or the open sea, and a promenade that follows the shore just above the water, between rocks and gardens. Dinard belongs to the Emerald Coast, which runs west from headland to headland and beach to beach.

The resort lives by the season: from late spring to early autumn events gather on the beaches, the seafront and in the gardens, with exhibitions, concerts and watersports. In winter the town grows quieter and the programme retreats indoors without disappearing: associations and the market keep the weeks ticking over.

In practice: the estuary separates Dinard from Saint-Malo, which is reached by road across the Rance barrage, or by the boat shuttle in the warmer months. Parking near the beaches gets difficult as soon as the sun is out. The tides here are among the strongest in Europe: check the times before walking out on the foreshore.