Dinard

Dinard was a fishing village until the 1850s, when British and American visitors began building holiday houses on the cliffs facing Saint-Malo across the estuary; more than four hundred villas survive from that period, in an eclectic mix of neo-Gothic, Anglo-Norman and Art Nouveau, many listed. Picasso painted here in the 1920s. The Promenade du Clair de Lune runs along the shore below the villas, lit and with music played on summer evenings, and three beaches face different directions. A British film festival has run since 1990, reflecting the town's long English connection, and a tidal power station spans the Rance estuary nearby.

History

Dinard's name probably comes from din, "hill" or "fort", and ard, "fortified". It was first settled in modern times by shipping merchants from Saint-Malo, who built some of its larger houses, and it belonged to the parish of Saint-Énogat; in the late 19th century British and American aristocrats made it a fashionable summer resort, building villas on the clifftops and grand hotels on the seafront in the Belle Époque. The town was officially called Saint-Énogat until 1879, Dinard-Saint-Énogat until 1921 and Dinard since then; it began to decline in the 1930s as fashionable society turned to the Côte d'Azur, but it remains one of the most British of French resorts, with 407 listed villas (Wikipedia, Dinard).

Highlights

• The Belle Epoque villas - over four hundred houses on the cliffs and slopes.
• The Promenade du Clair de Lune - a lit shore walk with summer music.
• The three beaches - Ecluse, Prieure and Saint-Enogat facing different ways.
• The Saint-Malo view - the walled city across the estuary.

When to go

May to September; the British film festival falls in autumn. The Channel is cold and swimming brief. Out of season much of the town closes.

Before you go

Most villas are private and seen only from outside. Prices are high. The water is cold and the weather changeable even in summer.

Nearby

Saint-Malo lies across the estuary; Dinan is south.

Key facts