Brittany excursion choices

[NYAS]

Our upcoming Oceania cruise will be stopping in Lorient and in St. Malo. For Lorient I am trying to decide on an excursion to Quimper, Concarneau, or Vannes.  For St. Malo i am choosing between staying in St. Malo or an excursion to Dinan. 
 

All of these options appeal, and I’d appreciate opinions from those who have been to one or more of these towns. Thanks for your help!

[sleepingcat]

Hi NYAS, Concarneau is really lovely with lots of interesting history and views. and you can pretty much wander on your own. our last visit was enhanced by jazz musicians playing in the square in the walled town. tourist office has good maps. havent been to Vannes. and not to Quimper for about 50 years!

 

You'll find that all French towns have a good tourist office website, and some of it will be in English (Brittany gets lots of British visitors because its just a hop for us). have a lovely time. 

[NYAS]

Thank you, sleepingcat. Looking forward to just the kind of thing you described!

[Simon-t]

I would definitely recommend Concarneau from Lorient for the reasons sleepingcat sets our. Vannes is pleasant enough but not as quaint and pretty as Concarneau. 

 

St Malo old town is lovely to walk around. The walk around the Town Walls has some lovely views, and the old town itself is full of streets with lots of nice restaurants. Dinan is also pretty, but there is a bit less to do once you have wandered around the old town. It's not that far from St Malo, so depending on how much time you have, I would suggest trying to get to Dinan in the morning for a few hours, then the afternoon in St Malo.

[NYAS]

Thank you, Simon-t!  We’re now set on going to Concarneau from Lorient, and sticking to St. Malo on our port day there. Hoping to get up on the ramparts if the steps up aren’t too steep. When we were at Mont St. Michel a few years ago we stopped climbing  the steep stone steps with no hand rails about halfway up. Still very glad we got to MSM, though.

[Simon-t]

Just now, NYAS said:

Thank you, Simon-t!  We’re now set on going to Concarneau from Lorient, and sticking to St. Malo on our port day there. Hoping to get up on the ramparts if the steps up aren’t too steep. When we were at Mont St. Michel a few years ago we stopped climbing  the steep stone steps with no hand rails about halfway up. Still very glad we got to MSM, though.

The steps up to the ramparts are just one flight of stairs. Once you are on the walls it is reasonably flat to walk around . Nothing like Mont St Michel which is, as you say, a real slog to the top!

[NYAS]

Very good to know. Thanks again, Simon-t!