"Jewel of the Rance" Top 5 Page for this destination Dinan by rexvaughan

Dinan Travel Guide: 64 reviews and 233 photos

Time honored timepiece

Staying in St. Malo, we decided to see what Dinan had to offer in a short day. I wish we had spent two days there. This charming old city is full of half-timbered buildings, a lot of them extending out over porches where there are restaurants, shops, etc. One of the hallmarks of the city is the Tour de L'Horloge (Clock Tower) which dates from the 15th C. and has sounded alarms, feast days, curfew and today stands over the same but changed busy streets.

Hotel De Keratry

This old building is on the narrow cobbled street leading to the Clock Tower. It was built in 1559 and had some reconstruction done in 1938. Note the lovely half-timbered construction and if you enlarge the photo you can see the carved figures near the top of the upright wooden beams.

St. Saviour's Church

There is lots of wonderful architecture. This photo is of the basilica, 11th to 16th C. The expansion of the church during the Golden Age of Dinan took 150 years. Behind it is an English style garden.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Eye-catching beauty, wonderful history
In a nutshell:The Jewel of the Rance

Last visit to Dinan: Oct 2004
Intro Updated Oct 28, 2004
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Reviews (6)

Dinan - the bridges Things to Do (4)

Visit the quiet (at least in October) and picturesque Dinan Port or Quay where the town started centuries ago. Here is a... more travel advice

Dinan - St. Saviour's Church Things to Do (4)

This church is the result of a vow by a local Crusader, Rivallon le Roux, who vowed that if he survived to return to... more travel advice

Wander around Dinan Off The Beaten Path (1)

This ancient cobbled street just arrested my attention due to it aged look and charming old stone houses with the... more travel advice

Not fancy but really good Restaurants (1)

This little creperie is on the main street through the port area. The day we were there was a beautiful sunny but cool... more travel advice

Comments (6)

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balhannah Mar 5, 2011 at 10:45 PM

What a lovely page! Dinan sounds just gorgeous to me. Your photo's are great!
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iandsmith Apr 14, 2008 at 8:35 PM

You've sold me! Lovely stuff.
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deecat Aug 27, 2006 at 4:01 PM

Rex, how lovely this Dinan is; your descriptions are enticing. Loved the Quay, the old/new bridges, the castle, the St. Saviour's Church, but I especially admired the cobbled streets and stone houses. Marvelous.
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sue_stone Jun 21, 2006 at 12:58 PM

Thanks for the sneak preview of Dinan Rex!! I will be checking it out for myself next week : )
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nickandchris Feb 1, 2006 at 10:41 AM

Looks absolutely beautiful. Our only experience of France was travelling through on our way overland to and from Greece. Spent nearly a week in various campsites and loved what we saw. We MUST return.
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olja1234 Dec 15, 2004 at 2:16 PM

It was a great pleasure for me to revisit St.Malo and Dinan throughout your superb page. Greets.