France, Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley
 

In mid may 3 of us are renting a car and spending about 2 weeks in this area before flying back to the states from Paris. we would like suggestions about any "must see" sights. Any suggestions for wineries to visit? Can we get by with only a few french phrases and words, or should we sign up for a semester course? How about the weather? Is it cold? Do I need long underwear?

"Must sees" can easily be gleaned from any good gudibook such as Fodor's or the Guide Michelin.

Normandy and Brittany are apple cider country, with all sorts of ciders available. The Loire valley is wine country. You should not need long underwear, but do get a good rain jacket and a sweater to wear under it, at least on the coast.

You might be interested in my trip report on Ghent, Normandy and Brittany; click on my name to find it.

We've been to the Loire twice but in Sept., so I can't comment on the weather in May. I can comment on the language though. No problem. In our experience (and we speak no French), we have travelled all over the country, and the people are wonderful, kind, and helpful. If you are really stuck, ask a young person, most of them speak some english.

On one trip we stayed in Amboise for the Eastern Loire, and on another we stayed in Chinon for the Western Loire. The driving was quite easy, the chateaux fantastic, the food all that you would dream of, and the wine? Well, I'm a wino at heart and I was in heaven.

Of all the European countries we have visited, France was the most welcoming.

Here is some good information for planning a trip to Normandy.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=2057610

Try to get hold of the Michelin Green guides to the loire, Brittany and Normandy - the library may have them. they will give you a good idea of what there is to see in what is a pretty big area - too big to see all of it in 2 weeks.

then think what you are most interested in - chateaux? wineries? coastline? WW2 sites?

then you can tailor the trip more to your interests, not ours.

and in mid-May, you might need a brolly, or a sun-hat, but you shouldn't need long underwear!

First I think you should sign up for a semester of French. If you speak to the locals even with a tiny bit of the French you've learned they will be so pleased and more welcoming and treat you better. Brittany is one of my favorite places in France. (where my husband's family are) It is rural and windswept and magical with few tourists. The regular folk ie those not in the tourist trade speak very little English. Knowing some of the language enables you to begin to engage in the culture and your trip will be all the more rewarding.

Must see: Mont St Michel, the dday Beaches in Normandy http://www.french-culture-adventures...-normandy.html,
Pont Aven in Brittany, the Finistere department in Brittany.
The Pink Granite Coast of Brittany in the north. I don't know Normandy very well.

Pick two chateau in the Loire to visit.

Eat crepes in Brittany and cider (it's hard and very good), moules fites, and other fish.

bring a rain jacket, fleece for under it. Normandy and Brittany are rainy sometimes.

I did a similar trip to yours in late April / early May and spent 4 nights in southern brittany followed by 4 nights in Loire (split between 2 nights in Chinon which is West of Tours and 2 nights near Amboise which is east of Tours)

In hindsight, it was too short in both of these places butI knew I wanted to see both Brittany and the Loire Valley with the days I had so I had to settle for a more rushed itinerary.

It was difficult to decide between northern vs. southern brittany. In the end, I chose southern brittany because of its closer proximity to the Loire valley. If you have two weeks, I think you can do northern Brittany, southern brittany and the Loire. You might also be able to fit in Normandy but I'm not sure how many days it take to see that region as I've never been.

I'm guessing you will fly into/out of Paris so you might want to spend some time there either in the beginning or at the end of your trip.

Um - no May is not cold. You will need a light jacket - but do be prepared for rain - sturdy folding umbrella and 2 pairs or well-broken in waterproof waling shoes.

Having a little French - at least enough to read menus and cope at the gas staions (you will need a car for this trip) will be really helpful - since a lot of the places you will be are quite small towns.

Also - be sure to check opening ours of everything in advance. Restaurants are typically not open all day - but just for a few hours for each meal. Cafes more likely to be open all day.

I would definitely stay at least at one chateau - so you get a better feel for the history of the area. We stayed at the Chateau des Reaux near Chinon and loved it.

In my recent tour of France with Cosmos, I covered some areas of your proposed trip so my trip report below may give you some ideas on possible stops; Mont St.Michel is a must. I found that I was able to get by with just a few basic French phases. It was cold at Pointe du Hoc in the Normandy beach (because of the very strong wind and rain then, not sure if it is normal), otherwise it was OK during my visit in late May; definitely long underwear not required!

Ronald
http://my-tourdefrance.blogspot.com/

I studied high school French 2 years, college French 1 year but never learned to speak it well enough to be understood, nor can I understand the language when spoken by a Frenchman. I still know enough words to read simple directions, instructions, and order a simple meal; however, it has been our experience that good English is better understood/accepted in France than bad French. A French-English dictionary and a phrase book would be helpful, but frankly I think a semester of French lessons wouldn't accomplish much. We have traveled to France a number of times and have never had a problem just using English -- always with a smile.

crkwc- I'm really surprised by what you write. IME, the french are one of the most appreciative races when you try to communicate in french with them and they are almost invariably polite when I inflict my not very good french upon them.

I suspect that what you lack are not language skills bit confidence, something which some evening classes might well fix.

Agree that using even very basic French - I sound like a not very bright 3 year old - is much appreciated. Although I do admit no one has trouble understanding what I say - just my vocabulary and grammar arent great. And I can understand way more than I can speak. So I start speakngFrench, insert an English word if I dont know the French and they answer in French. It seems to work fine and I get amore positive response than people who don't try - even with a bon jour!

We have traveled in Normandy and Brittany and in the Loire (separate trips) in May. The weather was lovely. Windy on the coast, a little rain but mostly sweaater weather. Always take a raincoat.

You do not need to know French for these areas but it is always nice to know a few phrases of greeting. The French, in out experience, appreciate the effort and are very cordial and helpful.

Be sure to visit Bayeux which is a charming town and a good base for visiting both the WWII sites and other parts of Normandy. The Bayeux tapestry is very worthwhile to visit. You might want to search on this forum for Bayeux hotels and for hotels in Brittany. We stayed in Amboise while visiting the Loire.