KGL

I have 2 nights to get up to Dinan in Brittany. Thinking of staying at La Rochelle and Rennes. Should I change it to Nantes? What are your favorite coastal towns?

cigalechanta

La Rochelle and Nantes, but did not sleep in Nantes. Went purposely to dine at La Cigale, a beautiful place.

Underhill

Nantes would be my pick as well, although you could consider Vannes--it's a lovely town.

indytravel

It's my personal preference but with 2 nights I'd rather stay in one location then have two one-night stands. It seems to eat up so much time when you check out of a hotel every morning. I love waking up that first day in a city and knowing that I have the whole day ahead of me to explore.

I've not been to Rennes, only Nantes and La Rochelle this past December.

Here's a link to my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34461207


Both cities have a lot going for them. When are you going? August is a super busy month for La Rochelle. In fact you might not be able to get reservations at this late date. A lot of French tourists inundate the town every year. I think it's the most popular seaside destination after the Mediterranean, but I could easily be mistaken.

La Rochelle is a lovely, small, seaside city. It has a half dozen or so small museums to see if the weather is bad. I loved climbing the ancient fortification towers for the views of the city. The arcaded sidewalks have tons of shopping and are pretty just for strolling. It has an unbelievable number of restaurants. Most of the ones along the water front are pretty touristy. Back in towards town you can find some better dining options.

Nantes is a larger city with more public transportation (trams) and more nightlife. For a two night stay you might not get to do as much as you would like. Several museums, cruises along the Erde river, churches, a castle, the passage Pommeray and the old town to explore come to my mind.

I'd have a hard time deciding too. I think you might decide if you want a bigger city experience then Nantes or more of a small city feel then La Rochelle.

As mentioned if you go to Nantes, eat at La Cigale. As I recall it's even open for breakfast which I think is very unusual for a restaurant of that caliber.