soisbelle

I'll be spending 3 days in Brittany in late June and since it's a short time, I'm thinking of basing myself in St Malo and just leisurely visiting Mont St Michel, Cancale, Dinan.

Is St Malo a good base? I'll be solo, relying on buses/trains.

Thanks very much!

tod

St.Malo was our last last stop after seeing Mont St.Michel. We went in Oct. and had no hotel bookings. Our guide book on France said to stay in the 'old city' so we did and thoroughly enjoyed it! If you do choose a hotel on the square in the old part, ask for a room at the back. The noise from the restaurants below goes on until 3am when the waiters clear up!
We were driving from Chartres just following the route towards the coast and ended up in Avranches for our first night. The town has WWII history but we thought a bit of a dump.
We left St.Malo by ferry for Guernsey.
I don't think you will go wrong making it your base but someone else may suggest a better one. Good luck!

Keith

This is mainly to top your message.

I also like St. Malo a lot, but don't know how good a location it is for your purpose (needing buses & reains to other locations).

Keith

sheila

St Malo is a nice town and there's a lot to see in the vicinty, but it's right off to one side of Brittany, so if Brittany's your aim, go west a bit.

Underhill

You could begin your visit with Mont St-Michel, then head over to the very nice small town of Plancoët (which has its own spring). From there you can drive to Dinard (a nice resort town with a good beach), St-Malo (next to Dinard), and Dinan. You might even fit in a trip down to Carnac to see the megaliths.

soisbelle

Thanks for the replies. I won't have a car, so will be using buses and trains.

It's mainly the towns I outlined in my original post that I plan to visit, as with only three days my style is to just take it easy, no rush, and I think it's better to have a base instead of changing hotels every night.

Underhill

Adding the use of trains and buses leads to a different equation.

soisbelle

It does, that's why I mentionned it in my original post.

Would St Michel (or any other towns in this north Brittany area) be a better base than St Malo?

klondike

St. Malo is nice to base out of and you could bus to the coastal towns or to Dinan, definitely worth a visit.

However, you might be best served by basing in a town along the train line where you can hop on and off, especially when you are only talking about 3 days!

Rennes-lovely larger town with lots to do. Easy to make side trips from. If you aren't using a pass, Vitré is the stop BEFORE Rennes and you could visit it on your way to Rennes--but make sure it's not the TGV, they don't stop in Vitré. Fougères, Dinan, Dinard, St. Malo all within train/bus range from Rennes.

Further West you go, the more "true" Bretagne you will experience.

Other stops along the train line as you head west:
St. Brieuc (pronounced Bree-oo, oo as in vowell sound of look, c is totally silent). 2 miles from the sea. Good Saturday market on the Cathedral's square. Area near the cathedral still has streets from 15th/16th century, local museum, and the little Chapelle Notre Dame de la Fontaine with its porched fountain

Guingamp- Vibrant little town with a fantastic Basilica of architechtural interest that has a Madonna Habillée both inside and out under the porch. Around the basilica is a cobblestone piéton area with a lovely fountain, cobblestone streets and little shops. Excellent eateries for it size. Worth a morning or afternoon visit and lunch.

Morlaix-a little port town on the estuary. Huge Viaduct across the valley that the train goes over. Church and old town to visit...sort of reminds me of Honfleur a bit with its little yachts along the quais. Nearby is the seaside resort of Carantec with its lovely beaches. Can probably get local bus service to nearby St. Thégonnec and/or Guimilau to see the famous Parish Close.

All of the above is on the Northern Coast area. My personal favorite if I only had 3 days would be Quimper further down south. On the Odet River it has cathedral, museums, world renowned faiencerie that can still be visited, boat trips on the Odet or kayak/canoeing. Wonderful marché. Also, bus trips to Pont Aven (of Gaugin fame) and its watermills, Conacarneau and its enclosed old port town, and Renaissance Locronan, a "village fleurie".

It all depends on what you want to do. Good luck and have fun investigating!

soisbelle

Thank you so much klondike. St Malo is also on the train line, isn't it? While Rennes sounds good, it would probably add more travelling time to each day trip as I would like. This way I'm closer and can spend longer in the evenings in different towns as well.

I guess because this time I really want to see St Michel, Cancale, Dinan, I'll keep with the north. I'll try and head out west as well.

klondike

Hi, soisbelle! Yes, you can get to St. Malo from Paris, either direct via TGV or with a change of trains at Rennes.

I guess what I meant is that Rennes is a major "hub" where you can train outward in multiple directions.

You might want to research bus service to Cancale, however. To the best of my knowledge Cancale does not have train service. Have a great time!