rhianapritchard

Hi there,

My partner and I are thinking about going on a driving holiday from the UK to Brittany and Normandy in the summer and I was wondering whether anyone has tips of places to go or itineraries? Don't really know where to start to be honest! Any advice would be appreciated

annhig

Hi rhianna,

there's a recent thread asking the same sort of questions with some answers that may help:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm

the info from Stu Dudley is well worth getting hold of.

also, you might like to look at this for ideas:

http://www.fodors.com/search/results...earch=Normandy

where are you starting from and how long have you got? when we lived in the SE we used to get a ferry from Portmouth to Caen and then work our way west, ending up coming back from Roscoff to Plymouth. Cherbourg is also a good place to aim for, depending on how much time you have to spend on the trip.

there is a lot to see in Normandy and Brittany, probably more than you can achieve in one go.

and how

indy_dad

We didn't get as far as Brittany as we only took a week. We had a wonderful time in Normandy. My TR with blog link:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...y-uk-stops.cfm

Good luck.

annhig

indydad, I tried to find this TR to tell the OP about it, but couldn't.

glad you could!

FrenchMystiqueTours

You can have a look at these two threads, which will give you an overview of some of the main sites in Normandy and Brittany:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#39058384

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...-Brittany.html

annhig

Hi FrenchMystique,

thanks for the link to your Brittany report; it's given me lots of ideas for our short break in Vannes next month.

FrenchMystiqueTours

You're most welcome annhig. As you can tell I am a big fan of the Gulf of Morbihan so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

annhig

You're most welcome annhig. As you can tell I am a big fan of the Gulf of Morbihan so feel free to ask if you have any questions. >>

possibly you may regret that posting that, FM.

how about this for starters - for people who know nothing about megaliths, dolmen, etc,. where should we start? BTW we had been thinking of staying in Locmariaquer but decided that lovely though it looked, it did not provide enough interest for evening strolls, wet weather activities, etc. It does however have some stones, i believe. are they worth visiting?

FrenchMystiqueTours

Yes, Locmariaquer has has some very notable megalithic sites. Obviously Carnac is the star of the show in that region but Locmariaquer is second. This page from the tourist office website will highlight the main sites in Locmariaquer:

http://www.ot-locmariaquer.com/page....92&IDparent=50

The museum is a must for megalith lovers and don't miss the dolmen called Pierres Plates at the end of the peninsula on the beach, which has amazing carved neolithic art (open 24/7). It's the one in my photo report that has the miserable looking family picnicking on it. I also highly recommend taking the ferry to the island of Gavrinis to see the cairn, which is like the Sistene Chapel of neolithic art (covered in my report).

As far as places to stay Vannes is the largest and liveliest place and it is lovely. Quiberon is next but my problem with it is that it is at the end of a peninsula and it's a 15km drive to get off the peninsula. Traffic is heavy getting on the peninsula in the morning and off in the afternoon since it is where ferries depart for Belle-Île. However, if you stay there you are always going against the traffic, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon. Auray is supposed to be nice (stay in the old section by the port) but strangely enough I've never been there. Carnac is where I stayed and it is also lively (pictures in my report). Locmariaquer and La-Trinité-sur-Mer are nice but they are smaller than the other places I mentioned. I like them as bases but since I live in a densely populated area just outside Paris I prefer smaller villages or rural gîtes when I vacation.

I got a map from the tourist office in Carnac that shows the location of the various megaliths in that area. The Michelin maps have icons for the megalithic sites designated as historic monuments (and you'll see many on the map) but there are many others that you'll only find on the tourist office megalith map. If you want to learn more about megaliths in general you can have a look at my report on megaliths:

http://tinyurl.com/n835kv6

So in regards to megaliths, Carnac, Locmariaquer and Gavrinis are the highlights in that region but there are literally hundreds of other megaliths scattered about that region.

Sorry to the OP for hijacking your thread.

bilboburgler

oh no Mrs Bilbo is a big Dolmen fan, I'll have to tell her

julia_t

I've driven from the UK to Brittany and Normandy several times,

As annhig says, much depends on where you will travelling from (I live in the Cotswolds/SW Midlands and have taken ferries from Plymouth, Portsmouth and Dover) and how much time you have.

Tell us that, and then we can come back with suggestions for itineraries to hopefully fit.

annhig... Morbiham is lovely. Try to find time to visit Quiberon at the end of a long narrow peninsula. All sandy sheltered beaches one side and harsh rocky Atlantic coast the other. The little town of Quiberon is quite charming, reminded me a bit of Salcombe. We ended up at some fisherman's festival there, eating a chunky fish soup (a very rustic bouillabaisse) and swaying along with many people in an uncoordinated attempt to keep in rhythm to unfamiliar songs.

julia_t

Places in those regions I've really liked, for various reasons, and in no particular or logical order...

Rouen
Quiberon
Dol de Bretagne
Dinan
Combourg
Mont St Michel
Vannes
Honfleur
Bayeux
Arromanches
Caen
Veulettes-sur-Mer
St Valery-en-Caux
Cancale (oysters!)
Granville (for the most wonderful beaches somewhere on the coast road north - the shells were incredible)
Pourville-sur-Mer (wonderful restaurant but can't remember the name now)
Dieppe (really good Auchan hypermarket)

And lots more small towns on back roads with masses of charm and character.

rhianapritchard

Waw. Thank you so much for all the response guys. Not entirely sure where the best place to travel from is. We live in Wales and ferry crossings from Portsmouth seem to be quite expensive! My friend travelled via the channel tunnel, is this a good option or not?
Rhian

bilboburgler

Check the Poole ferries into Cherbourg if you click the france to england line towards the bottom it shows you all options and will offer good deals
http://www.directferries.co.uk/england.htm

annhig

FMT - thanks for the run-down on the megoliths. We are now officially committed to staying in Vannes so that's one less decision to make. We only really have 2 full days to explore so depending on the weather, I'm hoping to do a boat trip one day and to explore the Locmariaquer side the other - no grumpy picnicing, I asssure you - we'll be in the restaurant eating the oysters!

Julia - thanks for the tip about Quiberon - it's on the list.

Rhiana - the trouble with the tunnel is that it puts a good few miles on the journey, and probably a night too, so it may be a false economy. for example, if you are travelling from Wales, you could head for Portsmouth, get the 16.00 ferry and be in Cherbourg in time for a late supper. the best price i could find for that was £159, BTW.

coming back you could get the early ferry from Caen to Portsmouth for £139 [that was travelling on a thursday].

of course you could drive all the way to Kent to get a ferry or use the tunnel but you'd need to pay for the tunnel or ferry AND probably add an overnight between Wales and Dover or just the other side of the channel, so I'm not sure that it's much of a saving.

we just picked up a good deal that was going, I suspect, because ferry usage is down, so why not wait to see what bargains come up, unless you are tied to specific dates?

Underhill

Get copies of the Michelin Green Guide for Brittany and for Normandy, along with the relevant maps. Both Guides have suggested itineraries that are very useful.

indy_dad

We took the tunnel over and the ferry back because we were doing a loop and I wanted to try both methods. However, we weren't starting as far west as you would be. As annhig says, you'd be adding a lot of driving time to get to/from the tunnel.

To maximize time (and as part of the adventure), we took the overnight ferry return. Do spring for the room if you do that. We had friends that didn't on another trip and they were pretty miserable. I thought ours worked out well.

I assume you found this: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/

Good luck.

spiral

Like Julia we live in the Midlands and for Normandy and Brittany we usually take the Portsmouth/Poole ferries. For other parts of France we take the Dover ferries.

The overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo is an enjoyable start to a trip and you can enjoy a good meal and a drink in the evening. Of course the pleasure can be weather dependant if you are prone to seasickness!

julia_t

From both Ludlow and Gloucester I've taken ferries from the south coast AND driven the 4-5 hours to Dover and taken a ferry to Calais (much cheaper and a shorter sea journey). I book my ferry so I avoid rush-hour traffic on the M4 and M25, and it's really quite an easy drive down to Dover now it's all motorway.

I actually prefer the longer drive as I find the longer ferry crossings quite tedious, and if I get a bit seasick I don't want to have to be driving as soon as we dock.

So from Calais I've driven to Paris, Rouen, Dieppe on the same day, arriving early evening. It is a long day of driving, but you get a nice break in the middle, and plan it right and you can be in France for a late lunch!

There are night crossings Portsmouth-Caen but they tend to be more expensive and cabins get booked up well in advance.

I've never driven through the tunnel, but Ashford is even easier to get to that Dover.

rhianapritchard

Thank you all so much on your contributions. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. The headache for me at the moment getting there.
So, that problem aside for a minute, if you had to choose 3 towns/cities to stay in where would they be? I've been recommended Caen but maybe one further west and one further east?