Travel from Provence to Dinan and Mont St. Michel

Posted by Lance (Honolulu) on 09/06/22 11:18 PM

I am planning a trip to France in June 2023. We will visit Provence first, then we would like to visit Mont St. Michel and Dinan, and end in the trip Paris. The plan is to take the TGV from Avignon to the station closet to Mont St. Michel or Dinan, which appears to be Rennes. Correct?

It seems that the best plan would be to: (1) arrive by TGV in Rennes and rent a car; (2) drive to and visit Mont St. Michel and stay overnight, (3) drive to Dinan, stay overnight there, then (4) drive to Rennes and take the TGV to Paris.

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions on this plan.

Posted by Bill G

USA

09/07/22 02:42 AM

399 posts

I'm from the "less is more" school. One night stays, if that's what you're planning in Dinan, can be tiring and by the time you get there and park, check into the hotel, etc. often end up amounting to just an afternoon visit. More time in fewer places can be rewarding. On the other hand one nite is plenty for MSM.

Since you asked for "thoughts or suggestions" here's mine. Rennes is a beautiful smaller city with a pedestrian-only downtown, interesting architecture, Thabor park is beautiful and arguably one of the prettiest in France. I'd spend two nites in Rennes on your trip which gives you a full day to explore plus the time left on the arrival day (you know you take the TGV into Paris and then need to get across town to the departure train station to Rennes, right?) Dinan is a nice town but also makes a good base for exploring the surrounding area including St. Malo, Dinard, Cap Frehel, Cancale, etc. If it was me I'd stay 2-3 nites in Dinan.

The Brittany Green Guide from Michelin gives lots of details on the area and ideas on where you might want to visit.

Posted by Lance OP

Honolulu

09/10/22 09:16 PM

3 posts

Thank you Bill. I appreciate your suggestions and like the idea of staying in Rennes. Thank you for also alerting me to the train station change in Paris. We've been to Paris multiple times, but not to Brittany, but plan to explore that area on the future trip.
Lance

Posted by PlannerMom

Wisconsin, USA

09/11/22 03:32 AM

148 posts

Staying a night on Mont St Michel was magical for us - as my 12 year old said, it was like living in a fairytale to walk along the mostly deserted streets in the evening.
But I have read itineraries such as arriving at 2 or 3 pm, walking along the ramparts to be out of the crush of day tours leaving, going through the Abbey around 4, exploring the other streets some more, maybe having a picnic, and driving back to Rennes or Dinan (about 1.5 hours). You could arrive earlier in the day if you want to walk across the bridge or find a tour or guide to hike on the mudflats, which didn't feel crowded even when the crowds were inside the walls.
Sunset will be late in June, so you might even have light for driving.