Dinard is one of the most internationally renowned seaside resorts on the French Atlantic coast and is sometimes called Nice of the North or "La Perle de la Côte d'Émeraude" (The Pearl of the Emerald Coast). It became a popular tourist destination in the 19th century, especially among affluent Englishmen, and to this day the architecture of many hotels and villas is English. In the 1880s, Dinard was the first seaside resort in France, aristocracy, industrial barons, artists and intellectuals met here, and the main economic activity of the city is still tourism. There are four beaches: the very large main beach Plage de l'Écluse in the city center, the plague de Saint-Enogat, which is lined with magnificent villas, the Plage du Prieuré overlooking the old town of Saint-Malo and finally the Plage du Port -Blanc in the west.
Today, the city's "British" past is not least linked to the Festival du Film Britannique, which every year in September turns Dinard into the capital of British film. The statue of Alfred Hitchcock on the beach promenade is a reference to the film award given at the festival, the "Prix du Hitchcock d'or".