aggiegirl

I have a two week trip to France next April. Below is my draft itinerary. Any comments/suggestions? My favorite things are castles and churches.
Day one - depart USA
Two- arrive Paris, take TGV to Rennes. Rest of day at leisure, walk around Rennes, overnight in hotel near the train station.
Three- pick up rental car near train station. Tour Vitre and Fougheres. Overnight in Pontorson, home for four nights.
Four- Mont St. Michel and St. Malo. Ferry to Dinard if there is time.
Five- Bayeaux Cathedral and tapestry museum. Walk about town. Visit Omaha and Utah beaches and American cemetery.
Six- Dinan, Fort La Latte and Cap Frehel
Seven - suggestions for morning activity before heading back to Rennes to return car and train to Paris? Combourg?
I will be meeting up with a friend in Paris who will accompany me to Corse.
Eight- morning flight from Orly to Bastia. Pick up rental car and drive to Bonofacio. Good stops along the way?
Nine- Bonifacio
Ten- morning in Bonifacio, then drive to Bastia. Late afternoon and evening wandering Bastia,
Eleven- Full day driving Cap Corse, visiting various villages including Barrettali, home of origin of my great great grandfather.
Twelve- morning touring Bastia. Afternoon flight to Paris. Wander Paris in evening.
Thirteen- day of leisure in Paris. Considering a day trip to Reims. Otherwise, visit Chateau de Vincennes and putter around the rest of the day.
Fourteen- fly home

kja

I haven't been to Corsica, but FWIW, here are some comments:

- I was glad to spend a night on Mont St. Michel – it was magical after day trippers left.
- Why return the car to Rennes rather than in Paris or elsewhere along the train line? Many car rental companies won't charge extra if the return is within France.
- And why fly into and out of Paris rather than flying out of Corsica? "Open-jaw" tickets (in one place, out of another) are often less expensive than round trips to/from the same city, particularly once you consider the time and money it takes to return to the original destination.

Good luck!

neckervd

CORSE:
Bastia - Bunifaziu:
stop over at Corti, Aiacciu, FILITOSA, Prupia, Sarte
Bunifaziu - Bastia: stop over at Portivechju or drive through the hinterland (more scenic than the coastal stretch)

PalenQ

TGVs to Rennes -booking way early can result in getting limited number of discounted tickets - saving tons over full fare- www.voyages-sncf.com is site to book your own on - for info on trains and France www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

rennes pick up and drop-off of cars makes sense with TGVs blasting back to Paris - with discounted fares could be cheaper than driving- factoring in a day rental, high autoroute tolls and petro.

PalenQ

Considering a day trip to Reims<

Easily done - less than hour each way via high-speed train - check www.voyages-sncf.com for booking (required) and possible cheaper fares than walk-up and be guaranteed seats.

Great cathedral of course and Champagne House tours about 3 km from train station and town center. check hours of tours as some may close for long noon break.

aggiegirl

Thanks for the responses.

Kia, it's an odyssey to get to Corsica and back. I'm stuck connecting in Paris and having to change between Orly and CDG. Might as well have a day in Paris.

Palenq, I appreciate your train tips. It was your tip about the TGV from CDG to Rennes in another thread that got me on track.

Necker, I will stop in Porto Vecchio for sure.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Nothing to say about Corsica but your itinerary for Brittany looks pretty well researched. I've never been to Combourg but I know it's got an interesting castle and is supposed to be nice so maybe not a bad choice. Don't know what time you have to be in Rennes but on your way to Combourg (if that's what you do) you could check out Dol-de-Bretagne and if you're into prehistory then just south of there you could stop for a quick look at the Menhir de Champ-Dolent (a menhir is a pre-historic standing stone). If you don't mind skipping Combourg/Dol/Menhir and can head a bit further west then you could check out the lovely little village of Saint-Suliac (one of the Plus Beaux Villages in France) and/or the little known but very pretty/charming town of Jugon-les-Lacs, but the latter might be a bit too far west if going to Rennes.

https://www.pays-de-dol.com/

http://www.saint-suliac.fr/office-de-tourisme-N58.html

http://www.jugonleslacs-tourisme.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menhir_de_Champ-Dolent

On day four you start with Mont Saint-Michel and then want to head to Saint-Malo, which is fine. But instead of doing Dinard I would do a scenic drive along the coast on the way to Saint-Malo and stop in Cancale and maybe have an oyster lunch. Then from there do a scenic coastal drive to Saint-Malo starting at the Pointe du Grouin and continuing along the coast through Rothéneuf before arriving in Saint-Malo. There's an interesting curiosity in Rothéneuf. If you're into unusual stories and sculpted stone you could check out Les Rochers Sculptés (check google images):

http://www.saint-malo-tourisme.com/d...chers-sculptes

If it's of interest to you then you can have a look at a photo report I wrote about spending five days exploring that area. It might give you more ideas or help refine your itinerary a bit: http://tinyurl.com/82azcyh

bilboburgler

FMT you are back, yeeha!

FrenchMystiqueTours

Never went away bilbo, just haven't been here in a while but thanks for the shout out buddy.

aggiegirl

Frenchmystique, thanks so much for your post. I appreciate your suggestions. I was interested in those sculptures, but had no idea they were along my path. I will check out the links you provided. I viewed your photo report. Wonderful pictures! I can't wait to tour this beautiful region.

How is the driving in the area? Are drivers pretty civilized? How is parking in general? Are most towns pay and display?

neckervd

So you may visit the menhirs of Filitosa (see my post above) too. They are just along the way from Aiacciu to Bunifaziu, not far away from Prupia.
http://www.filitosa.fr/en/

aggiegirl

I will not be going anywhere near Ajaccio.

yestravel

About how far in advance does one book to get the discounts?

FrenchMystiqueTours

I find the driving/parking in Brittany no different than anywhere else in France so no problems there. Outside of cities and large towns I always find traffic light, especially on country roads. Even if there is paying parking with limited time duration there will always be a larger public lot a bit further from the town center with adequate parking. The larger/more touristy the town the more likely you'll pay if parking in/near the town center.

neckervd

I gave an answer to your question: "Eight- morning flight from Orly to Bastia. Pick up rental car and drive to Bonofacio. Good stops along the way?"
But I agree that the boring East coast road from Basia to Bonifacio is about 60 miles shorter than the itinerary via Corte, Ajaccio, Filitosa and Cauria. People who are not interested in the historical places of Corsica (or in scenic landscapes) may find the detour via Ajaccio too long.