Trains to and from Dinard Airport (DNR)

Dinard Airport is a public airport recognised by its code of DNR, and is found on the north-western coastline of France. It is nearby to the towns of Dinard, Saint-Malo and Dinan, and is located in the commune of Pleurtuit. The airport is therefore commonly known as the Dinard-Pleurtuit Airport, or as the Saint-Malo Airport. Under 200,000 passengers use the airport each year, and only two airline carriers are present. It is therefore a small French Airport, but an important gateway nonetheless. Although fairly well equipped with facilities, there are limited public transport options, and no Dinard Airport train station. Train services are only available from the railway stations in the nearby towns.

The airport, serving the towns of Dinard, Saint-Malo, Dinan and other areas in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of France, is located approximately 5km, or 3.1 miles from Dinard, and only a few kilometres from Saint-Malo as well. It is also nearby the larger city of Rennes, which is the capital of the Brittany area. The airport of Rennes is about 63km away. The terminal building is quite small, but able to accommodate up to 250,000 passengers per annum. It is equipped with a restaurant/bar, toilet facilities suitable for disabled passengers, car hire companies, a lost property office, a general information desk and public payphones. There are no banking or currency exchange services at the airport. Although there is also no Dinard Airport train station, passengers can travel by bus or taxi to the train station in Saint-Malo, for connections to the SNCF train services of the country.

The bus services from the airport are limited, but there is mention of a bus which travels to the Saint-Malo train station. This bus departs from outside the terminal building, at times which mostly correspond with the Ryanair flight arrival schedules at the airport. Ryanair is the low-cost airline carrier which handles the majority of flights at Dinard. The bus to the train station will cost about 3 Euros, and the journey will take around half an hour. Bus tickets are available for purchase from the bus driver, and will need to be validated on board the bus. The official website does not mention this bus service, therefore it is advisable to contact the airport prior to your arrival to ensure its availability. The airport’s telephone number is 33 (0) 825 08 35 09.

Another way to reach the Saint-Malo train station is by taxi. There is a taxi rank outside of the airport terminal, and a trip to the train station will cost approximately 20 Euros. Taxis may be a more reliable option than buses, and a quicker journey as well. If there are no taxis waiting in the rank, simply ask the information desk to call one for you.

The Saint-Malo train station is the nearest railway connection to the airport, as there is no train station in the town of Dinard. The station in Saint-Malo is found in the Square Jean Coquelin, and nearby the bus station as well as the ferry port of Saint-Malo. It is a station operated by SNCF, the official French Railway Company, and offers several trains per day to various destinations. One of the most common trips taken is between Paris and Saint-Malo, on the TGV high-speed trains. The journey to Paris takes about three hours, and passengers will arrive at the Gare Montparnasse in the capital city. High speed trains are also available to Rennes, and from both Rennes and Paris, passengers will be able to travel to anywhere in the country. Slower local trains may travel to nearer towns, such as Dinan and Dol-de-Bretagne. Most train tickets can be purchased on the day of travel from the automatic machines at the train stations, or at the ticket offices, however, tickets for the TGV trains need to be reserved in advance. They can be booked up to three months before your date of travel. Further information about the train services available from Saint-Malo station can be found online, at http://www.sncf.com.

From the train station in Saint-Malo, passengers are also easily able to reach the ferry port of the city, and travel by boat to a variety of destinations. The ferry operators available include Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, Caen Ferry, Cherbourg Ferry, Dieppe Ferry, Le Havre Ferry and Roscoff Ferry, and they offer journeys to and from Guernsey, Jersey, Weymouth, Poole, Portsmouth and Newhaven. Trips are made to these destinations and others by large ferries capable of carrying passengers and vehicles, and are equipped with comfortable sleeping cabins and a variety of entertainment areas. Journeys are also made by faster boats, which are smaller with fewer facilities.

Although there is no airport train station, passengers will be able to reach the Saint-Malo train station by bus or taxi, and be able to continue their journey in France by train. By train is an excellent way to travel the country, and is enjoyed by many local people and tourists.