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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 (47 mi) south; bus or train to Saint-Malo, about 1 h 15 min door to door (check)47 mi (75 km) 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)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 (0.9 mi) east of the old town; best if you arrive late or leave by train.Chain hotels, 0.9 mi (1.5 km) 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 (7.5 mi) north-coast beach; car or bus needed for the old town.East along the 7.5 mi (12 km) 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.