Hello. My husband and I are planning a week in Brittany and Normandy. He is particularly interested in seeing the WWII places of interest and Mont St. Michel. I am interested in eating well, shopping and wonderful hotels. We need some help. Our plan is to fly into CDG and the the train to Caen where we will pick up a car.(First question, will we be able to get the TGV to Caen from CDG? How?) From there we want to stay in the area around the landing beaches for a couple of days, move on to the area around Dinan and then on to Le Mans and the Loire Valley. Any suggestions of great hotels (our budget is up to $150 per night unless it is just incredible and a once in a lifetime experience), comfortable restaurants (nothing dressy or stuffy) and must sees. We are in our 50's, like to hike and generally have more interest in seeing great natural sights than chateaux. Thanks for any help you can offer us.

This will sound like a broken record of so many other replies here on this forum, but it's true: a week is so short, and there is so much to see in all three of the places you mention, Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley.

The website www.normandy-tourism.org will give you mor ideas than you can process, not only on Normandy bu also on the "near edge" of Brittany that adjoins it (including MSM).

Best wishes,

Rex

I think, first, that you might have to settle for taking the TGV to Rouen and then going by either a local train or rental car to Caen. We are actually spending a week in Normandy next September too, and the hotels we have chosen are L'Ecrin, near Honfleur, and then a chateau B&B, the Château de Cottun, near Bayeux.

Now for Brittany: I would highly recommend the hotel/restaurant Jean-Pierry Crouzil in the charming small town of Plancöet (which has its own mineral spring). The restaurant has 2 well deserved Michelin stars, and the hotel (another L'Ecrin) is nicely contemporary, prettily decorated, and very reasonably priced. If you're going to see Dinan, factor in St.-Malo and Dinard as well; they're worth the time.

For that once-in-a-lifetime hotel experience head to Onzain, in the Loire Valley, and stay at the Domaine des Hauts de Loire, a member of the prestigious Relais et Château hotel group. Book a room in the Sologne wing and you will be very, very happy. Our room had a bathroom as large as many Paris hotel rooms and was complete with a shower that had about a dozen jets.

The hotel's restaurant has 2*, but we arrived late and just had sandwiches (and Champagne) delivered to our room. The château's grounds are excellent for walking; the hotel was once a royal hunting lodge. Amazingly, the hotel's rates do not yet reflect the splendor that one finds; prices last year ranged from 110 to 225 Euros.

For suggestions, you might want to search for and read my "Trip Report:Ghent, Normandy and Brittany" which I ended in Angers. It includes B&Bs, some restaurants and things to see. Most of the Normandy part would not apply since in took place north of the Seine, but we did stay in Honfleur and close to the Mont St. Michel.

Hi-- I agree with Rex and the others who will say all that about a short trip -- Nonetheless this may help: I've stayed at the Dauphin in Caen, (Fodor's lists it) and found it really nice, agree with the rating I just looked up. The amazing thing is that it IS an old monastery, in a city that was just about flattened in WWII.

Also re MSM, the omelettes at Mere Poulard are legendary, as is their price: but if you can stay there, or another hotel "dans le mont," you can park closer, and you'll have a more leisurely experience than day-tripping.

Dinan is great.

Thanks to all of you for your helpful responses. Rex, you are so right, but the best I can do is get him to Europe for one week at a time! Next year it is Norway!
I appreciate the help.

I did it in a week in 2001. In fact, I was visiting Mont St. Michel on September 11. A week is not much and we raced through the latter half of the trip after seeing the WWII beaches. But great memories include stopping for Calvados at a farmhouse on a country road and unforgettable Al Fresco dinner in St. Malo.

Don't miss the Mémorial in Caen--it's outstanding. You should also visit Bayeux, not only for the Tapestry, but the town itself is one of the few in Normandy which escaped relatively unscathed from the war. The Battle of Normandy Museum is well worth a visit.

By all means spend a night on Mont St. Michel. There are only a few small hotels there, and it is a memorable experience, once all the tourist buses have left. There are very mixed opinions about the Mère Poulard at Mont St. Michel--some say the omelettes are very overpriced and the service is surly.

We went to France for 15 days intending to visit Normandy, Brittany and Tours. We spent a week in Normandy and a week in Tours...never made it to Brittany. So much to see and do ! Guess where we're going this year ? Brrittany to finish 2003 schedule. A week is a short time to cover your plan. Can't you eke it out to 10 days at least ?

I also encourage you to spend a night on MSM. Yes Mere Poulard is expensive, but the other hotels are a few dozen yards away.

Keith

Your Location: Discount Hotels > France > Langeais > Chateau De Rochecotte Langeais

Chateau De Rochecotte Langeais



This castle overlooking the Loire, was once the property of Prince of Talleyrand. With classical architecture, Italian terraces, the French gardens and elegant salons, it appeals both to the eye and the imagination. The excellent food is a tribute to the grandeur of a distinguished past.

Address
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THIS is MY favorite in the Loire--
Chateau can arrange hot air ballooning for you and their dining room is superb..

Chateau De Rochecotte Langeais
St Patrice
37130 Langeais
France
Tél. (33) 02 47 96 16 16 - Fax : (33) 02 47 96 90 59

and website:

http://www.chateau-de-rochecotte.fr/uk/index.htm

It is an awesome place- rooms are HUGE- has it's own Chapel on site and the views are gorgeous...We had a WONDERFUL time at this Chateau and would go again in a heartbeat....

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can get from CDG to Rouen by train. I just checked the SNCF site, and it would seem to confirm that.

The regular train from the Gare St-Lazare takes about 2.5 hours. Car pickup in Caen is a breeze - all the companies are ringed around the station.

I second the recommendation not to miss the Mémorial in Caen. It could take up a half-day, but is well worth it.

I'd recommend staying in Bayeux, which has far more charm than Caen. It also, of course, has the famous tapestry. We very much enjoyed our stay at the Château de la Bellefontaine there, but others have raved about the hotel-restaurant Lion d'Or. We also enjoyed dinner at Le Petit Normand in Bayeux.

I've never overnighted at le Mont-St-Michel, but have been there a few times and would certainly tell you not to miss the chance to visit it. We did eat at Mére Poulard once years ago and were mightily disappointed.

I honestly don't see how you can fit the Loire Valley into this trip. I would just make a circuit of Normandy and Brittany, and maybe hit Chartres on the way back. Even then, this will be a hasty trip.

The hotel In Honfleur I would recommend is the Manoir du Butin. This is a charming country inn where we enjoyed a marvelous dinner. Our hotel was L'Ecrin, which was OK but nothing special.

You are getting good advice. Probably best to do Normandy and Brittany and then do Loire later, or do it now and save the others. However you decide to go, I'd certainly agree with the two suggestions of splurge hotels in the Loire--Domaine des Hauts de Loire and Rochecotte. Both are terrific. I'd add a splurge place in Britanny/Cancale, another Relais and Chateau. Name is Maisons de Bricourt but under that name they have three establishments, two hotels and a restaurant. We stayed in Chateau Richeux and loved it. Excellent seafood restaurant with views right onto the sea and beautifully appointed, cozy rooms. I differ with others on the necessity for seeing Mt. St. Michel by staying there overnight. It's interesting to see but not worth the overnight stay unless it happens to be the right place at the right time on your itinerary. I'd sure not work things around a stay there. Frankly we were very disappointed in our stay there. Failed to see the additional magic.

I second the recommendation to stay in Bayeux. It is very near the D-Day sights and you have many choices for good tours. The Bayeux Tapestry is a marvel and must be seen. I recommend the Hotel D'Argouges, a lovely place to stay. Our experience with the food was great. We had delicious meals at L'Assiete Normande, Le Pommier and Le Petit Normande. Bayeux is a beautiful, scenic and very French town and we loved it.

I concur with St. Cirq and MAMC.

Two years ago we stayed at the Chateau Bellefontaine in Bayeux. Very nice. We dined at the Lion d'Or and Petit Normand, both very good. See the Tapestries in Bayeux.

Do not miss the Caen Museum, very emotional film, short on words long on unforgettable pictures of D-Day.

The American Cemetery at Colville sur Mer is a must see; also Pointe du Hoc.

Normans are very friendly. Calvados a great drink.

Stay with Normandy/Brittany. To go beyond on a short trip would not be worthwhie in my opinion.

Thank you for your help. I am making note of all your suggestions and will be back with further questions.
JMV, your recommended hotel in Brittany has the most wonderful website. It looks well worth a splurge!

We tried to do Normandy and Brittany in a week (actually 6 days, in the interest of honesty) last year. Decided it just was not worth it--only Normandy. We really could have gotten to MSM but even decided against that (I have been there--husband hasn't). We picked up our car at CDG and drove to Rouen (along the Seine for a part of it) for the first night. Rouen has a wonderful museum with an outstanding (to me) impressionist wing. Normandy has SO many charming things to see plus its WWII history. Why not just bathe in that and have a real memory rather than and "if it's Tuesday" experience. We spent one night in Honfleur, went to Caen and then 3 in Bayeux (don't forget the tapestry). At this point you could go to MSM. On our trip back to Paris (to complete our trip for a week) we stopped in Chartres for the cathedral tour with Malcolm Miller. Turned in the car at Orly and taxied into Paris.
The distances are not "great" but if you stay on the autoroutes to just get from place to place you will miss the charm of the countryside. The Michelin Green Guides to the specific areas of France give a wonderful idea of how much there is to see--and how to do it. Why don't you check some out from the library and take a look. For example, outside of Rouen there is the Abbey Road--a string of Norman abbeys.