txchick

We still can't decide....please help ! We fly into Paris (CDG) the second week of Aug at the tail end of our honeymoon in Greece and have 4 nights before we fly back home. We have been to Paris and want to spend our last night there before flying out, but would like to see a little bit more of France. We are open to either driving out of Paris, taking the train, or train and then renting a car to see the region we end up in.
Am considering champagne, loire valley, normandy or brittany. Please suggest one of these areas, or another area, and also the town in the region to base ourselves in.

Any advice welcome as the more we research, the more confused we get.

Underhill

In August the Loire Valley is hot and filled with tourists. In three days, however, you could see quite a bit of cooler Brittany if you take the TGV from Paris to Rennes and then rent a car for a circuit of some of the major sights, returning to Paris by the TGV.

You could begin with Josselin Castle, not far from Rennes, then visit the town of Vannes, see the megaliths at Carnac, and spend the night near there at Les Moulin des Ducs in Moelan. The next day, see the Impressionist town of Pont-Aven, the walled city of Concarneau, and then head north to Mur de Bretagne and stay at the Auberge there (1 Michelin star and a very romantic inn). On the final day, visit the lovely town of Dinan, with its medieval buildings, and perhaps the seaside resors of Dinard and St-Malo, across the bay, before returning the car in Rennes and taking the TGV back to Paris.

This itinerary will give you a taste of some of the prettiest parts of Brittany, with beautiful old buildings and masses of flowers in bloom.

Driving in Brittany is easier than in many other parts of France. The roads are very good, and traffic is usually not heavy.