tomandjudy

It looks as if we'll have to just suck it up and choose the train itinerary that involves two changes. Leaving Dinan at 10:03, we change in Dol de Bretagne and again in Rennes. Then we will arrive in Paris at 13:04, a perfect time. The site shows 9 or 10 minutes to make the connection at each change. Do you know if that is tight, or are the platforms nearby and easy to reach?
Thanks.

StCirq

9 or 10 minutes is almost always sufficient to make a train connection in France. If you have mobility issues SNCF will send helpers/wheelchairs/whatever to meet you and whisk you to the next track, if you arrange it in advance. There will almost always be a controlleur at your arrival station to ask questions of. And there will be illuminated signs telling you when the next trains depart, in how many minutes, and which tracks. You should always know the final destination of the next train you're going to take, because it can take a minute or two to read through all the intermediate stops, and they are not always shown on the quai-side sign.. It also helps to know the number of your train, which should be printed on your ticket.

I haven't been in either the Dol or the Rennes station, but Dol is bound to be small. It seems to have only one hall, which means there will be one large billboard listing all the trains.

kerouac

The Rennes station is a construction nightmare as they put a new metro line under the station, but at the same time it makes the station a bit easier to navigate since most of it is closed off.

StuDudley

We had a long walk up & down temporary stairs and around construction areas from the Rennes station to the EuropCar office last June. Friends who where there the year before, told us the station was a mess.

Stu Dudley

KayF

To tomandjudy, we stayed in Rennes last September and then visited Dinan. We had originally planned on getting the train to Dinan but in the end, caught the bus. It was cheaper and quicker and goes directly to Dinan. The bus station in Rennes is in the same building as the train station, to the side. As mentioned by kerouac, the Rennes station was/is having an enormous amount of work done and can be hard to navigate. There is a luggage compartment underneath the bus and we found the staff at the ticket office helpful. If you want more info about the bus, like timings and cost, I can check my travel journal for you.

Kay

tomandjudy

Thanks to all. KayF, the problem is that we will be leaving Dinan on a Sunday when few if any buses run.

KayF

To tomandjudy, we had the same problem as we were leaving Dinan on a Sunday and had booked TGV tickets from Rennes to Paris for that same day. It all worked out fine but we were concerned about what we'd do if the bus didn't turn up. Anyway, this may be of help:

Bus line was Illenoo. Booked tickets at the bus ticket office in Gare de Rennes but people were paying the driver on the bus.
We saw a man in front of us open the compartment under the bus for his case, so we did the same thing with our bags. There is no room on the bus for luggage.
The bus took an hour and a quarter with a couple of stops along the way. Mostly locals on the bus.
On our return trip, this was a Sunday, caught the 10am bus. It was on time and quite a few people waiting by the time it arrived.
Arrived Rennes bus/train station at 11.15am. Our TGV left at 12.50pm so plenty of time to find the right platform and carriage.
Finding our way to the toilets at the station was convoluted and took a bit of time
Almost nowhere to sit so ended up at Pret a Manger where there were comfortable seats and we had coffee and sandwiches.

Kay

tomandjudy

We finally decided that we'll take a cab from Dinan to St. Malo on Sunday morning to catch the direct-to-Paris TGV that departs at 12:01. The train tickets were a breeze to arrange. Thanks to all for the help.