Parks to Visit Near Dinard and St Malo, Bretagne, France

Brittany has an oceanic climate with mildly wet winters and bright sunny summer days. The air can be quite humid, allowing for an abundance of green foliage throughout the year. This gift of greenery – especially during the winter months – is one of reasons I settled here. After spending the majority of my life in the Midwestern United States, where winters are long and freezing cold, I cannot begin to say how much I appreciate being able to walk along the river Rance, in January, and still see leaves on some of the trees and plants that I thought only grew in the hot tropical regions.

With this climate, and abundance of rain, it is no surprise that Brittany has a plethora of fabulous family friendly parks to visit. Here, I will highight 3 in the Cotes d’Armor and Ille-et-Villaine departments that lie minutes from the beautiful cities of Dinard and St Malo. Additional information on these parks can be found at the close of this article.

Family Friendly Parks in Northern Brittany:

Le Parc de Port Breton, Dinard

This lovely park is situated just opposite of one of the prettiest beaches in Dinard. If you are visiting Dinard in the near future (and I would highly recommend doing so!) allow some time to stroll about, particularly if you have young children or grandchildren with you. We spent a good part of the afternoon here, so plan for a few hours if you can.

This is a park that seems to have been taken out of a storybook. The clincher for me was the pond that sits at the entrance, where ducks and swans swam gingerly as if on cue. The views of the beach and of neighboring St Malo were nothing short of breathtaking.

“Today, Port-Breton is a 23-hectare park with trees and flowers where you can go for a walk with your family, enjoy the playgrounds or the pond, and maintain your physical condition thanks to the sports course.

Port Breton is also a wildlife park, with 40 species of animals (deer, fallow deer, donkeys, goats, wallabies, pheasants, ducks, llamas …) and 20 species in aviary, becoming over time a place not to be missed.

The Celtic symbolism is honored thanks to the astrological signs that you will find on the trees, explaining the character of each one according to its date of birth.”

Above taken from: https://www.ville-dinard.fr/le-parc-de-port-breton-2/

The Jardins du Montmarin

I spent an afternoon in early April with my furry friend Stella at the jardins du Montmarin. Less than 15 minutes from Dinard, and about 25 minutes from St Malo, this park is a wonderful location to take an easy stroll about. When we entered the park, I received a laminated copy of the gardens which made it easy to identify which areas I wanted to see. This is not an overly large park, but one that is a perfect if you arrive in the summer and want a little break from the sunshine.

Note the hours of operation at the close of this article. This is an ideal location for weddings and other events, and therefore is closed most Saturdays. Dogs are permitted when on a leash.

Here is a description taken from: https://www.parcsetjardins.fr/jardins/457-jardins-du-montmarin

The gardens of the Montmarin were built in 1762 as a series of four ‘French’ terraces descending to the Rance river, with boxwood embroidery, bowers and lime tree porticoes. The Montmarin is accessed via a courtyard of distinction, which is followed by an avenue (‘rabine’) intended only to afford a view. After 1840 the garden was totally abandoned and disappeared for the most part. In 1885 it was restored in the same way for the first two terraces: parterres à la Française with embroidery, bowers and pruned lime trees. On the 2 other terraces and in the south of the park, a romantic garden was created in the manner of the Bûhler brothers (probably by one of their collaborators) with groves, lawns, shrubbery and perennial beds. Finally, in 1920, a rock garden was created. The Montmarin has always been the property of shipowning families and has been constantly enriched with exotic plants: Magnolias (a “grandiflora” is almost 250 years old), beschonerias, palms, euphorbias, colletia, agapanthus, and since then the gardens have been embellished with collections of ceanothes, viburnum, hydrangeas, perennials and roses. The Montmarin was almost destroyed during the storm of October 1987. Its rehabilitation earned it the 2nd Bonpland prize in 1992. In 1999, it was again badly damaged, but today it has been completely restored.

Le Parc de la Briantais

Lastly, and probably my favorite, is the Le Parc de la Briantais. The park is located just 15 minutes from the intra muros of St Malo. After visiting the stunning city, take the afternoon to enjoy this lovely park. Le Parc de la Briantais sits on the estuary of the river Rance offering onlookers magnificent views. It boasts 27 hectares and will delight visitors who love plants, flowers, and sculptures.

If you enjoy a good long hike, then I suggest starting at this park and walking along the coastline to La Tour Solidor. We took this route several weeks ago and it was just stunning. More on randonnées in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Where Can I Find Information About Dinard, France?

Please read my article about Dinard here: https://talesfrombrittany.com/a-day-in-dinard-bretagne/

Where Can I Find More Information About St Malo, France?

Please find more information about St Malo here: https://talesfrombrittany.com/saint-malo-and-les-rochers-sculptes-de-rotheneuf/

**Note: As part of my work here, I will be offering travel coaching and individualized tours of Brittany. If you are interested in hearing more about this project, please email me at talesfrombrittany@gmail.com . **

Where can I find additional information about parks in northern Brittany?

Le Parc de Port Breton

Horaires d’ouverture du Parc :

du 1/04 au 30/09 : 8h30-22h
du 1/10 au 31/03 : 8h30-18h

Le Parc de Port Breton, Dinard https://www.ville-dinard.fr/le-parc-de-port-breton-2/

Jardins du Montmarin

Located at: Le Montmarin 28 rue de Cancaval 35730 PLEURTUIT

General information (in English): https://www.saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk/explore/the-natural-environment/parks-and-gardens/domaine-du-montmarin-1566312

Hours of Operation:

From 30/03 to 31/05 and from 15/09 to 02/11 from 14h to 18h
From 01/06 to 14/09 from 14h to 19h
Closed on saturday
Rare plants day the 1st week of May
Agapanthus Day the last week of July and the first two weeks of August

Fees:

• Adults : 6.50 € for adults
• students, young people (14/18 years old) : 5 € (€)
• children (7/14 years old) : 4 € for children
• under 7 years old : free
• Groups (more than 20) : 5 € per person (guided tour on reservation : 30€ /group in addition to the entrance fee, <45 pers)

Above taken from: Les Jardins du Montmarin (in French) https://www.parcsetjardins.fr/jardins/457-jardins-du-montmarin

Le Parc de la Briantais

https://www.brittany-tourism.com/offers/le-parc-et-domaine-de-la-briantais-saint-malo-en-2723898/

http://briantais.free.fr/

Rue Maurice Nogues

35400 SAINT-MALO

The park is free of charge.

Information on La Tour Solidor (in French) https://www.st-malo.com/tourisme/art-culture/tour-solidor/

Thank you for reading this post. I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment below.

Take good care,

Amy Gruber, Tales from Brittany