A friend and I spent 5 days in Brittany late September/early October. I loved it every bit as much as I had hoped. (In fact, prefer Brittany to Provence now.) Am posting my report because earlier postings were so helpful to me in planning this trip.

My last trip to Paris I had taken the RER into town; this trip we decided to take a taxi from CDG to Gare Montparnasse. From now on it will always be the RER for me! By road the trip takes forever, through parts of Paris I'd rather not see. Give me the faster ride and lower expense any day. (And it's so easy to catch the RER at CDG.)

Arrived in Vannes about 3pm. Lovely, lovely town. We stayed at Villa Kerasy. Nice place, very welcoming, a short walk from the train station and into town. Spent a few hours walking around the old town and the walls, then found a cute little bistro for dinner and our first kir breton (made with that wonderful cider).

The next morning we took the train to Quimper, my favorite stop of the entire trip. Wonderful small city, good museums, great shops, nice people. Stayed at the Gradlon, which I recommend. Good location and helpful staff. Went to the faience museum and took the HB Henriot factory tour. (If only French tours are available when you're there, don't worry. They hand you a brochure that explains everything in English; my friend speaks not a word of French and found the tour very interesting and worthwhile.) Then we went to the musee departmental breton and were so glad we did. It's a well-done museum. In addition to the permanent collection there was a very interesting exhibit of Breton wood cuts. Spent some time shopping and walking, with a stop at a cafe across from the cathedral for some more cider. Wonderful dinner at l'Ambroisie, just a short walk from Hotel Gradlon. Make room in your schedule to spend time in this great town.

The next morning we picked up a rent car at the train station and headed back east. Made short stops in Pont l'Abbe (not worth the time) and Le Foret Fouesnant (great little calvaire and church, and the only creperie I've ever seen that closes for lunch!), then to Pont Aven. Charming town. Had crepes and more cider, bought cookies, stopped in a few galleries and visited the art museum. Late afternoon we drove to Locmariaquer. Stayed at the Hotel des trois fontaines. Nice place, but I wouldn't recommend Locmariaquer as a stop after Labor Day. The town was completely closed, most doors with signs saying they were gone for the winter. Good views of the Morbihan, though. Drove to La Trinite for oysters and soupe de poisson.

Next day we were off to the Broceliande, the forest of Merlin, Viviane, Lancelot and Morgan. Visited the Chateau de Comper with its good tableaux about the Arthurian legends. We both enjoyed this very much, since we've always been entraced by those Round Table legends. Good lunch in the village of Paimpont. Then we drove to Dinan and I was reminded of why I dislike driving in France. I kept going in circles trying to figure out why none of my Michelin maps were making sense. . .turns out a good number of the "roads" are pedestrian only. After a few tears I found a parking place near where I guessed the Logis du Jerzual might be and we walked. Lovely place but truly a bear to get to. Found out the secret is the "no access" sign can be ignored (as does the fact that a street appears to be pedestrian) if you have reason to go there. Once we finally got situated in our cozy room we ventured out (which is either straight uphill or down). Once I'd had some cider by the port, I started liking Dinan a bit better. Went uphill and explored the old town, then had a lovely meal at L'auberge Pelican.

The last day, after exploring a bit more of Dinan, we drove to Cancale for lunch. Loved, loved, loved the bay, with Mont Saint Michel in the distance and the oyster farms at low tide. (If you're going to Brittany be sure to read The Oysters of Locmariaquer to understand that the oysters you see in Cancale started out as babies in the waters of Locmariaquer.) Oysters, soupe de poisson, crepes, and cider at an outdoor cafe overlooking the bay. Lovely afternoon. Then we drove to Rennes, dropped off the rent car, spent about an hour walking around and caught the train back to Paris.

"In fact, prefer Brittany to Provence."

Yes, so do I. And "The Oysters of Locmariaquer," by Eleanor Clarke, is by far the best evocation of a place in France by a "visitor" that I've ever read.

Dave: yes, it's a great book and excellent background reading.

fbc34: wonderfully evocative trip report. Thanks very much.

Thanks fbc. Brittany is my second favorite area in France. We made a stop in Belon just to taste the famous oysters near their beds.

Do you have a website for Gradlon? Is it 2 or 3*?
Thanks for the comprehensive on Quimper. It's been on my list for some time.

hopingtotravel,

Don't miss the large covered market in Quimper. I didn't know about it, and it was a lovely surprise.

The Hotel Gradlon in Quimper is a three-star. Doubles run 69E-104E. Website: www.hotel-gradlon.com

Thanks. I don't know when I'll get to do this--it takes me awhile to plan a trip. However, I don't want to waste all the work I spent learning some French!

Quimper is a jewel. I particularly like the musuem next to the cathedral which houses a collection of local Breton Costumes (both men and womens') with the various coiffes (identifying head dress). Also, across the street from the Quimper Faience Factory is a Breton Product store where you can find all the locally produced item like Plougastel Strawberry Liqueur, Breton Butter Cake, Crepes, etc. They even have demonstrations on making les crepes dentelles. Fun!