Dinan Safe Parking/Must Dos

I didn't see anything unsafe parking in Dinan. There are squares that are used for markets some days and parking lots others, but I think Sunday will be clear.

My concern is your route. It's a long drive from MSM to Cheverny, Via Michelin has it at over four hours and it's usually overly optimistic. Dinan is pretty much in the opposite direction, adding at least another hour of driving. I've been through there and the driving off the major autoroutes isn't fast. That's going to make for a very long travel day. I drove from Vannes to Chinon, with about 1 1/2 hour stop at Fontevraud Abbey, and it was a full day trip.

We parked in a public lot at Dinan, which was a little iffy regarding scraped car doors. But certainly the contents of the car would have been visible to passers-by.

It's not a reason to change your plans, but understand that Dinan's medieval core is surrounded by postwar modern sprawl. You are not going to a "village". You're going to see (very attractive) remnants of a village, with opportunistic minstrels and other street performers. This is typical (although there are exceptions, like Perouges, France) of Europe's medieval town centers.

Edit: Referring to a later post, we stopped in both Fougeres and Vitre on the same trip. Both were nice, but the medieval aspects were a little more "diffuse" than they are in Dinan. Both have more things to actually do than (eating and shopping in) Dinan, for example Mdm. Sevigney's mansion outside Vitre, which we didn't have time for. The town parking in Vitre was also diffused, but we found a small metered lot with an empty space after driving around for a few minutes. Even a town that appears to be "on the way" might be 15 minutes or more off the highway, each way. Both Fougeres and Vitre were too much for a "travel day".

Thanks Brad... my map was showing the time to be about the same to Cheverny from Dinan or MSM so I assumed easier highway access...? But I appreciate your comments and rethinking our strategy...we are spending the night outside MSM Saturday so instead of dropping our luggage at hotel and going to MSM on Saturday and Dinan on Sunday maybe we will switch it around. That way we could get our luggage at the hotel after MSM right before we leave. I know we will still have a long haul on Sunday afternoon....hmmm. Are there any quaint villages along the way to Cheverny from MSM that you would recommend?

I agree with the other posts. Skip Dinan and drive directly from Mont St. Michel to Cheverny. There are quite a few chateaux along the way. If you like gardens, Villandry is an amazing site. Or you could stop at a vineyard if you like wine. Save Dinan for another trip.

I liked Dinan (and the caramels were good), but I can recommend Fougeres as an alternative; it's on the direct path to Cheverny. Much, much less touristy than Dinan last July. I don't think I heard any English while I was in town. Vitre is a bit off the direct route but is also a worthwhile stop, also not heavily touristed.

Thanks everyone for taking time to reply. I will look into your suggestions!