Brittany/Normandy Itinerary Help?
 

Hello! I'm trying to figure out the best plan for a 2-week-ish trip to Brittany and Normandy this August with my family. We are in our mid 30s with two boys, who will be ages 7 and 4 then.

Because we seem to be incapable of truly traveling light, we want to make sure that we're not packing and repacking too much - staying for at least 3 nights in each location seems reasonable. We'd like a mix of slow, beachy days and "destination" days where we're taking short drives to specific locales.

Any help or suggestions for good places (and specific places to look into for accommodations) would be most welcome.

Thanks!

You might find the last two thirds of my trip report useful, although we often stayed only one night in certain locations.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34444403

The B&amp;B near Cancale was also a <i>gite</i>, but I do not know what it required as a minimum stay..

We stayed in Bayeux as a central point while in Normandy. Close to the WW2 sites, Mont St Michel, etc. I know the Lion D'Or has family suites which easily sleep 4. Futher north, you'd probably want to use Honfleur or there abouts as a base.

Hi, we stayed at Chateau de Lignerolles this past fall. It's a B&amp;B located near Bayeux. What I liked about it, is that the upstairs is reserved for entirely for guests, I think there are 3 rooms total upstairs. So you could reserve 2 rooms(around 70 euros per room includes breakfast) not have to worry about your children having their own room next to you as it is like a home. The yard is huge, great for running around. The are also some large sitting rooms for the guests and a fridge stocked with beverages. Roel runs D-Day tours also, website for both is victorytours.com It's a nice country location, yet close to Bayeux and the beach. Roel and Pia were both child friendly.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! It sounds as though Bayeux is a great place to be based - how long do you think makes sense? Do you think that 3 nights is enough to see things in a leisurely manner? Where to next? If you had to pick the next few 3-night stays, what would they be? Any accommodation recommendations?

Also, any restaurants that are not to be missed? I keep reading about the food and getting so distracted that I forget about everything else!

-Mia

We spent 5 nights in Bayeux - 1.5 days for D-Day tour with Col. Chicott, 1 day for Bayeux proper (tapestry, cathedral, market and nearby museums), 1 day for Mont St Michel 1 day for Utah Beach, St Mere Iglese, St Lo and another .5 day at the Caen Peace Memorial. however, our boys were in their early teens and quite interested in the history of the place. There are several hotels in Bayeux proper - Churchill, Lion D'Or come to mind or many B/B's just outside. Depends on your interest.

cmeyer54 - Thanks! It sounds as though 3 nights/4 days might work then. Where else did you go?

Through the years, our favorite dining places I can recall are:

Normandy- Moulin des Fourges in Fourges,
Le Repaire de Kerroch- Paimpol,
Les Vapeurs- Trouville,
Deux Tonneaux-Pierrfitte-en-Auge,
Le Jardin de Giverny- Giverny,
Le Pave D'Auge-Beuvron-en-Auge,
Leaving out more expensive and too formal places like La Ferme Saint-Simeon. Besides price, not a place for children to enjoy
Brittany: Restaurant de Bricourt- Cancale .(sitting in the garden in back to lunch),
Chez Jacky- Riec-sur-Belon(Best seafood),
Chezz Angele- &quot;Belon for Crepes,
Le Moulin de Rosemadec-Honfleur.

Oooo-la-la! Thank you!

Any consensus on other locations for bases of operations?

We enjoyed our time at &quot;Le Provenchere&quot; in Saint Caradec last Fall.It is in the interior but with easy access to many of the special sites in Brittany. www.beautifulbrittany.com

Wow - looks just great! Did you happen to try the bread-making excursion?

Brittany: Spend 1 week based near Dinan. Visit: Dinan, Northern Coast beaches, Cap Frehel, Fougeres, Rennes, St.Malo, Mont.St.Michel.

Check out www.cheznous.com for 1 week house rentals. It's worth it when travelling with a family. (if you stay 1 week, as we did with our kids).