Thoughts on staying in Dinard?
 

Hello everyone, I am planning a solo trip of four nights/five days in Brittany at the end of June. I like the idea of staying on the coast, since I will have just been in the lovely Swiss Alps and also in the bustling city of Paris. (A city--mountains--coast combination seems to strike a nice chord for me this summer.) As I've been researching, I came across the town of Dinard. It looks lovely in pictures but I'm not hearing many people choose it for a place to use as a short-stay homebase. And, some reviews and comments that I have read aren't very positive. I would love to hear opinions, thoughts, and suggestions. A few things about me and the trip:

• I will have a car
• I plan on doing some exploring in that area of Brittany and won't only be in Dinard (or wherever I end up)
• I was in St. Malo two summers ago and though I plan on visiting it again, I don't really want to stay there
• I like doing a large variety of activities when traveling, but food and drink is not a big deal for me, so I'm not seeking out specific restaurants to dining experiences

Thank you for your help!

We stayed in Dinard for a couple of nights and enjoyed visiting St Malo from there.

We had 2 nights at Hotel Castelbrac. It’s a beautiful property with a very good restaurant and gorgeous views. At the high end of the cost spectrum though.

I think the hotel is what made our visit special. They have parking available. If you just want a base for day trips I’m not sure Dinard is the easiest to get into and out of.

Why not stay in lovely Dinan instead?

I was originally looking at staying in Dinan, and that's how I found Dinard existed. Staying within walking distance of the beach seems more attractive to me. (Not that I'd spend a ton of time in the water but I'd be walking on the beach every night I'm sure!) Whe would you stay in Dinan over Dinard?

Dinard doesn't have a lot of charm - except for the area immediately around the beach. There is a lovely cliff-side walk to the west of the beach that has some grand villas above. At the end of the walk you can climb up some stairs to the top of the cliffs to see the villas up close, and get wonderful views of the area.

We are not big fans of St Malo. Been there many times. Nice - but over-rated, IMO. We've spent 4 weeks on 2 trips staying near Dinan. A good description of the cliff walk and other stuff is in the attached itinerary.

Stu Dudley

fully agree. Even if you plan to visit St Malo (ferries are available but I am not sure they operate till late, need to check June schedule).
Traffic is likely to be quite heavy in the area. If you are unlucky, you may be stuck when the dam opens. Someone suggested Dinan instead. I would also agree.

The beach in Dinard is so and so. At low tide, the water is far away and the beach looks like a wide stretch of sand.

Stu, thank you for the information. I had come across that document earlier as I was planning and it was nice to read it again. All of the details are very helpful. However, now I feel like I am even more undecided about where to stay:) So many good options. I suppose I could do two nights in Dinan and then two nights somewhere right on the coast? What would your favorite Brittany costal town be? I'm curious.

Thanks for the information about the beach itself. That doesn't sound quite as appealing as some of the photos make it look! I'm now looking a little farther west to some of the beaches in the pink granite coast area.

Pink Rocks area. Details in my itinerary.

Stu Dudley

Perfect! Thank you for the attention and for the awesome resource.

Dinan is very picturesque. You can explore the upper town area then walk down to the river. We stayed at a simple place, up narrow stairs above a bar/cafe. Loved being in the centre of things. Let me know if photos of Dinan would help you.

Sure! I'd love some photos! Thank you!

Here are my photos of Dinan, loved that town!

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...k1cFFHZUZRR0dR

Okay, thank you all for your help. This is what I'm thinking for overnighting:

Night 1: Dinan
Nights 2 & 3: Ploumanac'h
Night 4: Bernay

These are all new areas that I haven't explored and the total drive time for me (from Paris and back where I'm dropping off my daughter to visit our exchange student at her home and then picking her up after their visit) is around 12 hours, which isn't horrible over the course of 4+ days. The problem is, as always, that there is so much to see and so little time. But for this trip, I think this is what I'll do. I'll sleep on it for a few nights before I book anything though!

Thanks again:)

These are lovely! I noticed a marker for el Camino de Santiago in one of your pictures. Is Dinan part of a pilgrim's route?

Yes, it is. And, thanks for the compliment!

You will be amazed how many places are on the pilgrimage route (think Copenhagen)

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2a89b0fc2.jpg
Dinan, very picturesque

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f132af7de.jpg
View of Dinan lower town

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cc2477a175.jpg
The walking path down to the lower town