St. Malo/Dinan

Where is your next destination? I would plan to spend the night in one or the other. Lots of people here like staying in St Malo. I was happy with a day trip to St Malo and a half day in Dinan.

You did not mention the month. St. Malo is a tourist magnet, a ferry hub, and at yacht haven in high season. One advantage of renting a car there UPON DEPARTURE is that you won't have to fuss with difficult parking "outside the walls." St. Malo is attractive, but if you can avoid coming back there in high season, it might be nicer. Parking in Dinan isn't easy either, but at least there's a large modern city around the old-town. Traffic and being on a peninsula affect cars going in and out of St. Malo.

I am inclined to say that St. Malo felt more like a place with actual residents than did the old town section of Dinan.

Thank you so much. These comments really help. We are planning to go sometime in May. Is this peak tourist time? Probably need to change if it is. Do you think May would be good? After getting the rental car when arriving on the ferry, I wanted to see St. Malo and Dinan, but one of them would probably be OK. I like where Rick talks in the book about an old Gothic look - wanted to see that. My plan is to see Dinan then (if limit to one) during the day and then drive to Honfleur. About 5 years ago, we were in Honfleur and my husband got sick and was in the hospital there for 3.5 days. The people in the hotel we were staying at were so very kind, I want to go back and stay there again and see them. After one night we would head to Rouen and drop off the car and train in to Paris. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Since the ferry arrives in St. Malo, why is there any question about seeing St. Malo, with or without another town? I might note that there are lots of towns in Europe that look like Dinan. Have you already been to many of them? It's almost on the way, and an hour there could be enough.

I'm surprised that you didn't mention Mont St. Michel, but maybe you've already been there. It's a much more important site than Dinan. (Opinion) This area is very rich in sites of beauty and of history (and I'm not referring to this newsboard's preoccupation with the Normandy beaches.) Since you have Rick's book, you have ideas already. I haven't been to all of these, but I'd mention: Dol-de-Bretagne menhir,Paimpol steam train/Beauport Abbey/moonlight walk, Gardens: Coutances, de La Ballue ,Chateau de Caradeuc, Jardin Thabor, … de Beaumesnil, … de Bizy ...Vitré, Cider Route, Bayeux Tapestry, Caen, resort towns/Lace workshop/war cemeteries, Gardens: Chateau de Brecy, ... de Canon, … de Harcourt, … de Vendeuvre,

This is an area with a lot of public gardens, and May might be a nice time. This part of France has a high number of English expats, which is funny to me because the climate is exactly the same as they would have at home!

I would do St Malo,we spent three nights and it was just about right,one full day in St Malo plus nights and day to Dinan and then to Cancale and the Emerald Coast which also is on the way to Mont StMichel.
Mike

Tim and Mike- thanks. No - we have not been to any of these towns - it would be our first time. We have, however, been to Mt. St. Michel (and loved it). I will look at some of these others suggested. So, perhaps I would get the same Gothic "fix" by seeing St. Malo as Dinan. Thanks!

Never been. But I'm reading "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr, and part of it is set in St. Malo during WWII. If you like to read fiction before or during a trip, it's a good one.

Karen, I've never heard of that book, but I will get it. I definitely like to read things like this before I go on a trip. Thanks!

Sharon, that book won the 2015 Pulitzer and it is wonderful. I loved it. If you're at all interested in the Nazi occupation in France and the treatment of the Jews there during WWII check it out.

I visited all the places you mentioned last summer, some great sites!

I get the sense this trip is a bunch of 1 nite stays. Unless you've done this before, I would advise against it and try to stay in a location 2-3 nites. Moving every nite is more tiring and takes more time than you think.

I thought Dinan was interesting; there is the old town, a castle, the ramparts to walk, and more down at the river as well as a path you can walk to the next town as the RS book describes. I could see spending much of a day there. St. Malo, I thought a few hours was enough to walk around the rampart and visit a few shops inside the walls. Also there is plenty of parking in Dinan at the lots along the D795; look at the satellite photo on Google maps. There are 2 side-by-side; one is pre-pay, the other charges by the hour. I prefer the latter since if I want to leave early I only pay for what I use, and if I decide to stay longer I don't worry about getting a ticket.

Normally a car is a good idea in Normandy/Brittany, but unless you are also planning on driving along the coast or thru the interior for sightseeing (which may be tough given the quick schedule you have outlined) all the places you mentioned are served by rail. It is worth looking into those schedules to see if you could do the trip by train. Also you mentioned returning the car in Rouen. I did that last summer, the dropoff is underneath the train station and the entrance to use is not well marked. The streets around the station are all one-way so a loop if you miss the correct entrance is about 10 minutes and more than a mile of driving; I would not advise returning in Rouen unless you have a GPS to help.

Both places St Malo and Dinan are worth seeing, but since you have very few time and you arrive in St Malo, I would agree with others to concentrate on St Malo, where there are more areas to see than just the intra muros. To avoid losing time with driving, finding your way and interesting places, taking a local guide for the day can also be an alternative.

If you have time, I'd try to spend one full day in each place.

In St. Malo, you can walk the walls, stroll the beach, wade in the water or walk out to the tiny island fortifications at low tide. There's a history museum, decent restaurants and way too much shopping that is geared for tourists.

In Dinan, there is a really nice historic town center plus a really nice port area to explore and plenty of nice restaurants.

I think I'd avoid the most touristy seasons because both places can look like Disneyland in August. I'd still go if there is a specific festival or pardon going on during your visit, I think those would be worth braving the crowds for.

I second the vote for reading "All the Light You Cannot See". The history of St. Malo during WW2 is interesting and the author really did his homework. Great read! It has a Pulitzer.

Just ordered "All the Light We Cannot See" - anxious to read it. Thanks!

There is a modern, public multi-level parking garage in Dinan. If you are interested in staying at Dinan, locate that on the map/GPS and plan to keep your car there. We stayed at La Maison Pavie a couple of blocks away from the garage and the garage expense was included in the B&B charges. (I double checked and their website confirms this.) We do recommend the B&B. As noted, other than this very good option, parking in Dinan is problematic, plus driving around the town's edges may have repair or construction issues. It is a very good stop in any case. I am pleased to hear that others had pleasant times in St. Malo, we hit the place (driving from Dinan) on a very rainy day and all the parking was totally full. Very frustrating ... but this is, I'm sure, a limited situation, not the norm from what I see posted.

About parking, in May in Dinan, you should rather easily find free lots just outside the ramparts. Inside the old town, depending on the day, it is often more difficult.