At the bottom of Rue du Jerzual and Rue Petit Fort, the old port sits on a bend of the Rance River beneath a 19th-century viaduct. The contrast with the hilltop town above is striking: down here it is quieter, flatter, and distinctly maritime. Stone warehouses from the medieval trading era line the quay, most now converted into restaurants.
You can rent kayaks and canoes here to paddle on the Rance, or take a boat downriver to Saint-Malo in summer. The river is tidal this far up, which gives the port an atmospheric quality — the water level drops to expose mudflats at low tide, and the boats sit on their hulls in the mud. There are good views back up the cliff to the ramparts from the far bank.