Waterford/Lorient Aer Arann

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WaterWater

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Just wondering if anyone has used the new Aer Arann service from Waterford airport to Lorient in France? If so can I....leave my car at Waterford in a long term car park. Rent a car at Lorient airport?
Really trying to figure out would it be easier/cheaper to fly the aer arann route and rent a car when I get there or simply get the car ferry from Rosslare and bring my own car. Just thinking of touring around Brittany for a week or so.

Leaving my car at Waterford would incur a cost. Renting a car in France would incur a cost. Flights would incur a cost etc etc viz a vis the car ferry?.
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Hi I have used Aer Arann Waterford ( and Galway) to Lorient twice in the last year and found it wonderful compared to the ferry :)o rolling seas, not for moi!) The flight is just over an hour and car hire is available from the airport when you land (check via the net for rates). I hired a car for a week in May and it cost about 160 euro then for small car. I think the flight cost about 180 euro. The time saved is the major advantage and Aer Arann are so efficient. The airport at Waterford is the smallestI ever saw but very efficient and user friendly. No long delays at security there I guarantee!! Accomodation at B and B was cheap so we toured around and paid no more than about 40 euro per room per night B and B. Hee Hee Hee dont tell anyone else this but the cost of parking at Waterford is.............3 euro for the week!!! If you stay five minutes or five days, still 3 euro!! Value or what?
 
Thanks Tomthumb. Just checking the AerArann site, I could get flights over and back for less than €30 each way in late September. Lets say €100 to include taxes etc. You say to rent a small car about €160 for a week. So flights plus car rental €260.

To go with Irish ferries low cost over and back with car about €200 plus cost of cabin of about €80.

As regards convenience 1 hour flights compared to nearly 20 hours on boat plus drive from Dublin to Waterford and back.

Am I missing something?
 
No don't think you are missing a thing!! Its wonderful to arrive fresh and ready to explore Brittany in so little time at good cost!! I went last Sept. for the first time and again in May and enjoyed every second!!! I think its a great gateway to France for those not too pushed on the long sailing and money wise, hard to beat!! Brittany is lovely and great value - Lorient/Waterford a fabulous way to go. Read recently theres a Cork/Lorient flight starting so obviously people are learning that flying there makes sense! 20 hours on a ferry with kids - hell to me! My youngest, 9, enjoyed every bit of the flight and holiday. Aer Arann is a great airline - punctual, helpful, can't praise them enough.
 
I would probably base myself in or around Lorient and travel outwards daily. Or would you suggest something different?
 
We stayed just outside Lorient at a b and b in Lomener, 10 minutes from the airport, same place for the week last time. To be honest, think if I was doing it again, I would stay maybe a night or two in different places as Brittany was much bigger than I imagined and roads are great, but never got seeing all I wanted to see. Maybe consider doing a circle starting west from Lorient, towards Quimper, Brest, then the north coast and towards the Normandy border and back again by Vannes towards Lorient for the flight home? Lovely places everywhere, medieval type towns and villages. Some when we saw them made us want to stay longer but couldn't as we had booked the full week in Lorient. Depends on how you are fixed really. If you are free to tour a bit more, don't stay the full week. Lorient itself has little to offer tourist wise but is a great gateway.
 
A bit nervous about driving and I would prefer to avoid the bigger towns and stick with the villages etc. Any problems especially with a left hand drive? Got a book from the library called Secret France an AA publication. I have been availing of Aer lingus cut price air fares of late and have had some great holidays abroad this year but I want to head to Brittany and travel around by car and as you suggest stay in B & B's as we go.
 
just back from lorient having flown to it via galway.
It was my first time to drive with a left hand drive car. Found it very easy and the roads very good. We stayed in a campsite approx 220 kms south of the airport and had no trouble with the driving. Definitely would use lorient again.
One negative note was that it cost 90 euros for two weeks parking at galway which i thought was a bit high.
 
90 euro!!! 3 euro in May at Waterford unless they have copped on how cheap it was!!! I had no problem with the left drive, easier if anything. Only thing I hated was the Priority a Droite (rare though) whereby you have a car come shooting from the right of a side street and you must stop! Otherwise real easy compared to here. I avoided the big cities/towns as much as possible and enjoyed the drive really, especially up around Pontivy and Josselin and the quieter roads, away from the expressways. Compared to Dublin traffic, this was a real relaxing drive!
 
Thats the Aer Rianta one I think? Last time I used the newer Quickpark which then, in february, was 5 euro a day and very efficient. Quite a difference if you are going for a week or two. Big amount to add on to the holiday cost though!
 
That would make good economic sense when flying out of Dublin. For me hop on the Luas at Tallaght (just up the road), change to Airlink at Heuston?and what the cost - a few euros compared to what about a 100 euro carpark fees for a fornight?:D Worth thinking about certainly if travelling light or without kids maybe?
 
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