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Saint-Malo Guide

Route du Rhum 2026 in Saint-Malo: the dates and where to stay

Updated on 16 July 2026

Every four years, Saint-Malo becomes the capital of offshore racing: the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe sets off from the corsair city for Pointe-à-Pitre, 3,542 miles single-handed. The 2026 edition follows the calendar confirmed by the organisers: village from 20 October to 1 November, start on Sunday 1 November at 1:02 pm. Two million visitors are expected over the twelve days — and the region’s beds go accordingly.

The village: twelve days, two moods

The village sets up around the docks, at the foot of the ramparts: pontoons open to the public, the Ultims and other classes moored within touching distance, events, accessible skippers. On weekdays, the mood is that of a great port in quiet effervescence — this is the time for the curious and the connoisseurs. At weekends, and building to the start, the crowd becomes the event itself.

A detail that matters on a tide website: the spring tide of 26–28 October (coefficient 100) falls right in the village period. An emptied bay at low water behind the race boats, high water climbing back to the foot of the ramparts: photographers know why they come on those days.

Where to stay, and when to book

Intra-Muros is the obvious choice: the village is literally at the foot of the walls, you walk down morning and evening and skip the saturated car parks. It is also the first area to sell out — for the start weekend, serious bookings are made a year ahead.

Saint-Servan is the best second choice: quiet, twenty minutes’ walk from the village along the coastal path, with views over the docks from the Cité d’Aleth. Paramé and Dinard round it out, with the little ferry on the Dinard side — very handy on road-blocked days.

The booking module above is set to the village dates. If your goal is the start on 1 November, aim for the nights of 31 October and 1 November — and don’t wait.

Start day

The skippers’ parade leaves the docks through the morning, lock by lock, before the start line off the Pointe du Grouin at 1:02 pm. The Saint-Malo viewpoints (Pointe de la Varde, Rothéneuf) and those across the water (Dinard, Cap Fréhel) fill up from early morning. Allow for everything: transport, the tide (check the official SHOM times if you go down on the foreshore) and a saturated phone network are part of the experience.

Spring tides 2026 in Saint-Malo

DatesMax coef.Season
4–6 January 202696winter
3–5 February 202699winter
19–21 February 202697winter
4–6 March 202699winter
19–22 March 2026104spring equinoxequinox
17–19 April 2026105spring
17–19 May 202699spring
16–17 June 202695summer
16–17 July 202698summer
13–15 August 2026Next spring tide102summer
11–13 September 2026102autumn equinoxequinox
27–29 September 202699autumn equinoxequinox
10–11 October 202695autumn
26–28 October 2026100autumn
25–27 November 202697autumn
25–27 December 202699winter

Dates and coefficients are indicative. Always check the official SHOM tide times before heading onto the foreshore.Official tide times (SHOM) ↗

Compare places to stay

  • La Maison des Armateurs

    hotel · Intra-Muros · €€€

    Tide advantage : In the very heart of the walled town: no sea view from the rooms, but the rampart walk — the town's best spring tide balcony — is two minutes away.

    coming soon

  • Hôtel France & Chateaubriand

    hotel · Intra-Muros · €€

    Tide advantage : Against the Porte Saint-Vincent: some upper rooms glimpse the Fort National, which the tide turns from island to peninsula before your eyes.

    coming soon

  • Hôtel Elizabeth

    hotel · Intra-Muros · €€

    Tide advantage : A 16th-century house near the Saint-Louis gate: quiet within the walls, a five-minute walk from the Noires pier and the wave show.

    coming soon

  • Le Valmarin

    hotel · Saint-Servan · €€

    Tide advantage : A quiet 18th-century mansion in its own grounds in Saint-Servan: the Solidor tower and the Rance estuary — where the tide reads differently — are at the end of the street.

    coming soon

What are the Route du Rhum 2026 dates in Saint-Malo?

The race village opens on Tuesday 20 October 2026 on the Saint-Malo quaysides, and the start is given on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 1:02 pm, off the Pointe du Grouin. Village entry is free. Full programme on the official routedurhum.com website.

Where can I watch the start on 1 November?

From Saint-Malo: the Pointe de la Varde and the heights of Rothéneuf offer the best views of the line. Across the water, Dinard and the Pointe du Décollé, then Cap Fréhel further west, see the fleet pass closest. Wherever you go, arrive very early: it is one of the busiest days of the Saint-Malo decade.

Do I really need to book a year ahead?

For the start weekend (31 October – 1 November), yes: hotels and rentals across the area sell out very early, at peak-season rates. The twelve village days during the week are far more accessible — and the village is at its best outside weekends.

Is there a spring tide during the Route du Rhum 2026?

Yes: coefficient 100 from 26 to 28 October, right in the middle of the village period. A spectacular low tide in the bay, race boats on the pontoons and the ramparts as a backdrop — the full calendar is on this page.