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Voykit pocket guide · France
Saint-Malo
Stay 2 nights inside the walls: walk the ramparts at low tide, cross to Grand Bé, then day-trip to Mont-Saint-Michel. Skip the car.
Saint-Malo is a walled port town on the Brittany coast, 2 h 15 min from Paris by TGV and 70 km from Mont-Saint-Michel. The intramuros fits in a day; the tides, the ferry port and the Mont-Saint-Michel run make two nights the useful minimum. Come May–September for the forts and beaches; the town is quiet and half-closed in deep winter.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (cold, wet, many places shut)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18 · Text emergency (deaf callers) 114
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or a crêpe to go | €2–5 |
| Galette or crêpe in a crêperie | €8–14 |
| Moules-frites | €13–20 |
| Beer in an intramuros pub | €5–8 |
| Fort National entry (cash only) | €5 adult, €3 child |
| Grand Aquarium entry | €18.90 adult, €13.90 child |
| Demeure de Corsaire tour | €8.50 adult, €6 concession or child |
| Musée Jacques Cartier tour | €6.80 adult, €3.40 child |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RNS · Rennes–Saint-Jacques
- 75 km south; bus or train to Saint-Malo, about 1 h 15 min door to door (check)47 mi south; bus or train to Saint-Malo, about 1 h 15 min door to door (check)
- CDG · Paris Charles de Gaulle
- TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Malo in under 90 min; from CDG you must cross Paris first
- DNR · Dinard–Pleurtuit–Saint-Malo
- Private aviation only; not a scheduled option
Typical fares
- Park & Ride Parking Féval, 24 h + bus
- about €3.30 a car, pay on exit (2025 rate, check)
- Train Saint-Malo → Rennes
- about 1 h, hourly (check)
- TGV Saint-Malo → Paris Montparnasse
- under 90 min, every couple of hours (check)
- Ferry Saint-Malo → Jersey (DFDS)
- about 70 min, daily (check)
Get around
Walk. Intramuros is small and the ramparts are free and open 24 h. MAT buses reach the station, Saint-Servan, Paramé and Dinard; taxis wait at the station and the old-town gate. A car is a liability inside the walls — use the Park & Ride at Parking Féval (about €3.30 a car for 24 h plus return bus tickets for the driver and up to three passengers, 2025 rate, check) and only pay on exit.
See and do
Known for
- Walled intramuros and ramparts
- Tidal forts: National, Grand Bé, Petit Bé
- Corsair history and Chateaubriand's grave
- Ferry port for Jersey, Guernsey and England
- Crêpes, galettes and Cancale oysters
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mont-Saint-Michel | Keolis Armor coach from Saint-Malo station, Apr–Oct; year-round from Rennes | About 1 h 30 min each way |
| Dinard | MAT bus or a seasonal ferry across the Rance estuary | About 30–45 min |
| Cancale | Bus or car east along the coast | About 30 min by car |
| Rennes | TER train, hourly, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Cap Fréhel and the Emerald Coast | Car, west past Dinard | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Intramuros (inside the walls)
- Walk to everything; book early for summer and expect small rooms and no parking.
- Near the station (Av Anita Conti)
- Chain hotels, 1.5 km east of the old town; best if you arrive late or leave by train.Chain hotels, 0.9 mi east of the old town; best if you arrive late or leave by train.
- Saint-Servan / Aleth
- Quieter, cheaper, 20–30 min walk south of intramuros; campsite on the Aleth peninsula Apr–Sep.
- Paramé and the beaches
- East along the 12 km north-coast beach; car or bus needed for the old town.East along the 7.5 mi north-coast beach; car or bus needed for the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
| What time is low tide? | À quelle heure est la marée basse ?ah kel URR eh la ma-RAY BASS |
| Can I pay by card? | Je peux payer par carte ?zhuh puh pay-YAY par KART |
| Where is the old town? | Où est la vieille ville ?oo eh la VYAY VEEL |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- The tide comes in fast and cuts off the causeways to Fort National, Grand Bé and Petit Bé. Check the tide table before you cross and never start a crossing on a rising tide.
- Fort National is cash only and opens only when the tide is out and the flag is flying (Jun–mid Sep).
- Demeure de Corsaire tours are in French only and cover 3 of 56 rooms.
- The Château museum closed in 2019; you can only see the exterior.
- Summer ferries and the Mont-Saint-Michel buses fill up: book dated tickets ahead.
- Rance Tidal Power Station tours must be pre-booked.
A safe, walkable town. The real hazards are the tides — causeways to Fort National, Grand Bé and Petit Bé flood fast — plus wet rampart stone, summer crowds and pickpockets at the ferry port.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Saint-Malo yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Walled intramuros and ramparts
- Tidal forts: National, Grand Bé, Petit Bé
- Corsair history and Chateaubriand's grave
- Ferry port for Jersey, Guernsey and England
- Crêpes, galettes and Cancale oysters
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Saint-Malo tourist office: www.saint-malo-tourisme.com/
- Brittany Ferries: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/
- DFDS: www.dfds.com/
- Keolis Armor (Mont-Saint-Michel coaches): keolis-armor.com/
- Fort National: www.fortnational.com/
- Grand Aquarium: www.aquarium-st-malo.com/
- Wikivoyage: Saint-Malo, revision 5160298 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5160298
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Saint-Malo
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Saint-Malo; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian, Irish and New Zealand embassies are in Paris. The US also has a consulate-general in Rennes (check the address).
Tipping: service is included by law; round up or leave 5–10% for good service. Tide tables are posted at the old-town gates and at the tourist office on Esplanade Saint-Vincent.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/saint-malo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.