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Normandy & Brittany Itinerary
Maps & books needed
Michelin map # 305 (to get you from Paris to Normandy)
Michelin Map # 304 Eure, Siene-Maritime
Michelin Map # 303 Calvados, Manche
Michelin Map # 310 Mayenne, Orne, Sarthe
Michelin Map # 308 Finister, Morbihan
Michelin Map # 309 Cotes-d’Amour, Ille et Vilaine
Michelin Green Guide to Brittany I have the ’99 edition
Michelin Green Guide to Normandy I have the ’00 edition
later editions may have renamed some chapters, and re-numbered some of the driving routes

Michelin Red Guide – Hotels & Restaurants, plus maps of many towns

All the hotels are listed in the Karen Brown Guide – France Charming Inns & Itineraries.
www.KarenBrown.Com

This is an Itinerary I developed for a friend traveling in October. Opening times for sites are for October.

Remember
Almost all shops & stores are closed on Sunday, & Monday morning, so don’t plan to visit a town then. The few exceptions are Honfleur & Pont Aven (most, but not all stores are open). We use Sundays & Mondays for visiting castles & taking drives through the countryside & along the coast.

Nothing gets in the way of the French taking their 2 hour lunch, so most stores, castles, & sometimes even museums will close for lunch. Often a castle/museum will be closed one day a week. Use the Michelin Green guide “admission times & charges” section at the back of the book (blue/green pages) to find out the specific days/times/dates of openings & closings.

The stars * represent the rating in the Green Michelin Guide (referred to as GG below) If I think the site is better than the rating, I will add a +, if I think it’s not as good I will add a – (minus)

Monday
Arrive in Paris – CDG
From CDG, get on the N14 heading northwest towards Rouen. At Magny, head west towards Vernon on the D86, then the D37, and the D5.
Monet's Garden & Home at Giverny* Open 10-6 Closed Tuesday See GIVERNY in GG
If you are a fan of Monet, visit the gardens & his home. If you are not a fan, but you like gardens, there are much better gardens to be seen elsewhere. In fact, my wife thought that some of the plantings in the round-abouts on the highways were prettier.

Valee de la Seine***- see SEINE in GG
Take route # 1 in GG. Skip Vernon, and from Giverny, take the D313, then the D10 along the north bank of the Seine to Courcelles. Cross the Seine to Gaillon, and then follow the D65, D176 north & cross the Seine again to Les Andelys. As you pass through Les Andelys, check into your hotel & visit the town.
Chateau Gaillard** The chateau is pretty much a ruin, but it has a lot of history & the views are great. The town of Les Andelys**- has a great setting, but the town is just OK. The main section of town is actually a little north of the Hotel.

Continue on Route #1 in the GG on the northeast bank of the Seine. We did not visit Bonsecours**, but I remember this area being a little too industrial for me, so if it gets a little too shabby at this point as you get into the outskirts of Rouen, head back to Les Andelys

Hotel – Chaine d’Or in Les Andelys. The restaurant at the hotel is excellent.

Tuesday
Rouen*** see ROUEN in GG
Take the walking tour outlined in green in the GG, but skip the section around the Musee des Beaux-Arts (we didn’t find it charming). This is a beautiful city, but it is large & getting into the historic center can be a little hectic. Remember, shops close for lunch about noon, so get there by 9:30, so that you can pop into some shops that look interesting. This is probably my favorite large town in the Normandy & Brittany region. Lots of cross-timbered buildings & great churches.

Valle de la Seine (continued) see SEINE in GG
Take route #2 in GG
Leave Rouen & get on the D982 heading west towards Duclair. Just past Duclair, get on the D65 which runs south along the west bank of the Seine, and then loops back north.

Abbaye de Jumieges***-. The abbey is in ruin, but the setting is very nice.

Continue on route #2 towards le Havre on the north bank of the Seine, but only go as far as the bridge over the Seine near Tancarville (don’t go to Le Havre). Head towards Honfleur.

Honfleur**+ See HONFLEUR in GG
Beautiful port town. Very touristy, but there is a reason it’s full of tourists. See the Cote de Grace**, described in the excursions section about Honfleur in the GG.
Check into the Hotel, but don’t visit the town now – it’s quite crowded mid-day, so it’s best to explore the town in the late afternoon or in the morning

There are some very beautiful old resorts along the coast from Trouville to Cabourg. These “old style” resorts have lots of old Gothic/Victorian houses, so if you like to see this type of stuff, drive along the coast.. See DEAUVILLE “La Cote Fleurie**” in GG.

Hotel – L’Ecrin in Honfleur - 2 nights. See Michelin red guide for location of Hotel. Getting to the hotel can be a little difficult, but there is parking & the hotel is very helpful (I believe they speak English).

Wed
Pays d’Auge*++ see AUGE in GG
This is the Normandy countryside that makes this region famous. Follow the route in the Michelin guide. From Honfleur, head towards Pont l’Eveque (famous for cheese), and then get on the D48 heading south towards Lisieux. Skip Lisieux** and get on the D64 heading south from Lisieux. Follow the route described in the GG, circling back to Lisieux.

St Germain de Livet*+ may be closed in early Oct. If not - open 10-noon, 2-5 Mich says there is a guided tour, but we walked through on our own. This is a very pretty chateau

Once back at Lisieux, head west on the N13 to Crevecoeur en Auge (see CREVECOEUR in GG). This is an interesting Chateau*, although it’s more of a series of buildings where there are displays and films about Normandy Architecture.
Retrace your route east on the N13 to La Boissiere, and then head north on the D59, continuing to follow Route #1 in the GG back towards Cabourg.

Beuvron en Auge*+ Very pretty village. If you only want to spend 1 night in Honfleur, this might be a cute village to stay in. No hotels are listed in the Michelin guide, but I remember that there are a few there. We stayed close by at Chateau du Tertre outside of Falaise, and had an excellent meal at Fine Forchette in Falaise.

Suisse Normande** see SUISSE NORMANDE in GG follow the route outlined

Carrouges Chateau** See CARROUGES in GG open 10-noon, 2-4:15. Guided tour (in French). This is an extremely picturesque and interesting Chateau – don’t miss.

Return to Honfleur, or go on to Bayeux if you want to stay 1 night in Honfleur & 2 in Bayeux. We enjoyed staying in Honfleur more than staying in Bayeux

Thursday
D-Day beaches & museums see Jack’s write-up

Le Memorial** See CAEN in GG The Memorial is north of Caen (the museum is well marked on the north ring road around Caen – it is in an industrial park). It opens at 9:00 so get there as soon as it opens.
This museum explains the war and the conditions & events leading up to the war. In addition to the exhibits, there are 3 (maybe 4) films to see. Only the first two (I believe) are of any interest. The best one shows the D-Day events from both the Allied & German perspective (they are shown simultaneously on a split screen). Plan on 3 hours at this Museum (have lunch there in the cafeteria)

Pegasus Bridge+ See DEBARQUEMENT in GG. Visit the museum and try to attend an explanation of the British glider landings on June 5 and the capture of this important bridge across the Orne river.

British Landing Beaches (Sword, Juno, Gold) The British beaches are in an (over) developed area & not as haunting as the American landing beaches. You might just want to drive quickly through this area.

Arromanches See ARROMANCHES in GG
Musee du Debarquement – watch the film
360 Degree theatre
Walk along the beach & see the Mulberries up closely

Hotel – Chateau Sully or Lion d”Or in Bayeux

Fri
Bayeux**- A quick walk through town before viewing the tapestry.
Bayeux Tapestry*** open 9-6:30
Battle of Normandy museum (open 10-12:30, 2-6) – this museum was closed in ’05, but may reopen

German Batteries at Longues-sur-Mer see DEBARQUEMENT in GG

American landing beaches. See OMAHA BEACH in GG
Pointe du Hoc More German batteries

Ste Mere Eglise See STE MERE EGLISE in GG. I found this a little tacky & the museum wasn’t that great. My wife spent the summer of ’66 living with a French family while studying at a High School in St Brieuc, Brittany. While on a field trip to Ste Mere Eglise, the mayor of the town gave each American student a small piece of cloth that was clipped from the parachutes of the 82nd Airborne Division, who landed & liberated their village on June 6 – at great cost.

We did not visit Utah Beach.

Head out towards Mont St Michel, via Carentat, St Lo, & Villedieu.

Villedieu les Poeles (See VILLEDIEU) is a town that has hundreds of stores featuring copper things. We have purchased most of our cookware from stores in this town. It’s an OK town to visit, & perhaps a good place to stop before the Mont.

Hotel – Either in Villedieu les Poeles, or at any of the bland hotels just outside of Mont St Michel. The idea is to be near the Mont so you can get there early the next morning (or late today). Staying at a hotel on the Mont would be great too, but they are a little pricey.

Sat
Mont St Michel*** listed in both Michelin guides
GET THERE EARLY. It becomes a zoo after around 10:30. It is the most visited site in France. The Mont consists of a cathedral and a town below the cathedral. The cathedral opens at 9:00 and they have headsets you can rent (in English) that takes you through the interior. The best thing to do is to get to the town at 8:00 & tour the town before the hoards of tourists arrive. At 10:00, the shop keepers haul out the postcard stands & the toothbrush displays & the streets are shoulder to shoulder people. Some friends of ours got there late, saw the crowds, & left before even going in the village or visiting the cathedral. They drove hours to visit the site.

Brittany

In June ‘01, we spent 2 weeks in a Gite near Plancoet in Northern Brittany, and 1 week in a Gite near Pont Aven in Southern Brittany. We thought Northern Brittany was prettier and more interesting than Southern Brittany.

Dinan** See DINAN in GG
Follow the itinerary marked in green in the GG
This is perhaps our favorite “smaller” town in Brittany/Normandy
Market day is Thursday

Valle de la Rance** See RANCE in GG
If you need to see some countryside instead of “City” today, then follow the itinerary in the guide (skipping St Malo , Dinan, & Dinard)

Hotel, 4 nights – we stayed in a Gite for 2 weeks in this area, so we don’t have any hotel recommendations. The best location would be near Dinan (near St Malo or Dinard is too crowded & too much sprawl). Dinan has more quaint countryside around it and some nice restaurants and Crepe places. Some hotel options are:
Manoir de la Rance on the Rance estuary in la Jouvente between Dinard & Dinan
L’Hotel D’Avaugor in Dinan
Manoir de Vaumadeuc near Plancoet – this estate is only about 3 miles from the 250 year old Gite where we stayed. It is out in the country, very serene, & is centrally located although not really near any major site. http://www.karenbrown.com/franceinns...vaumadeuc.html

Sun, Mon, & Tues
Take the Rance drive if you didn’t do it yesterday

Cote d’Emeraude See COTE D’EMERAUDE in GG
Bypass St Malo & Dinard, which isn’t easy but should be less hectic on a Sunday
Cancale*
Pointe du Grouin**
St Lunaire (villas) See LUNAIRE in GG
Pointe du Decolle**
Forte la Latte** See LATTE in GG
Cap Frehel*** See FREHEL in GG

If it’s rainy or overcast & not good coast viewing weather, here are some interesting chateaux:
Vitre** See VITRE Must See
Fougeres ** See FOUGERES in GG Must See
Bourbansais* see BOURBANSAIS

If you want to get some exercise, there is a beautiful walk along the shore in Dinard. See DINARD in GG. The walk starts to the left of the beach. There are cliffs above the shore with Gothic/Victorian houses. The Jardin du Port Riou on top of the cliffs (access from below on the shore walk) is quite nice with a good view.

St Malo ***- See ST MALO in GG. Get there at 9:00 & walk along the ramparts first so that you will be finished with them by the time the shops open.
The museum is only OK

Three-Quarter Day trip from Dinan to the Pink Granite Coast.
Take the fast N176 west to the E50 freeway, and take the E50 past St Brieuc and then to Guigamp. After Guigamp, take the D767 to Lannion

Visit Lannion* See LANNION in GG

Ploumanach** See PLOUMANACH in GG. This is the heart of the Pink Granite Coast. Park in the lot marked “P” (in the GG) close to the tourist office. Pick up a map at the tourist office (we did not do this) and walk to the beach. Follow the walking trails through the rocks – it is very interesting. We got a little lost here, but hopefully if you have a map, you won’t.

After Ploumanach, head west & follow the CORNICHE BRETONNE** Visit a menhir if you like

Return to Dinan. If there is time left in the day, stop in Lamballe (see LAMBALLE) for a visit. It’s east of St Brieuc just off the E50 If you still have time available, head southwest from Lamballe on the D768 to MONCONTOUR for a visit.

Our Favorite restaurants in the Dinan region
Maison Tirel-Guerin Michelin 1 star in La Gouesniere
La Voile d’Or Michelin 1 star in Sables d’Or Les Pins
Les Chalut Michelin 1 star in St Malo
Mere Pourcel in Dinan – very warm/comfortable interior
De La Gare in Ploubalay
Aux Pesked in St Brieuc Michelin 1 star, but it was not a 1 star when we dined there.

Wed
From Dinan, get on the D766 heading south towards Vannes. This road number changes (to D116) when it passes from one department to another, and back again – so pay attention or you may think you are on the wrong road.

At Ploermel, circle the town clockwise and get on the N24 to Josselin

Josselin Chateau** See JOSSELIN in GG. Opening times are in the Admissions section of the GG This is a very picturesque Chateau. Don’t forget to see it from the bridge that’s described in the GG

Return to Ploermel & take the N166 freeway to Vannes

Vannes**+ See VANNES
Follow the walking itinerary in the guide. Saturday is market day. They also have a very nice “les Halles” covered market. This is a very interesting town. Have lunch here.

Take the N165 west to Quimperle and then get on the D783 to Pont Aven

Pont Aven*+ See PONT AVEN in GG
Wander in town. It is very touristy & the art is a little ragged, but the setting is lovely.

Hotel – Les Auberge des Grandes Roches in Tregunc. Three nights This hotel is close to the 2nd Gite where we stayed for another week. We ate dinner at the Auberge one night & the hotel/setting was nice.

Thurs
Crozon Penninsula *** See CROZON
We just drove route # 1 in the GG & it was very picturesque.

Locranon** - a little touristy but worth a visit

You can do the above two sites in reverse order, except if it is sunny, the sun will be in your face on the Crozen peninsula in the PM.

Try to work this into your schedule: It can be split into two short drives.
The coast south of Pont Aven reminds me of the coast of Maine – lots of Estuaries (Avens). Here is a drive we took to explore this area. It would be hard to do this using the 300 series maps (1/150,000 scale) so if you can get IGN map 0620ET scale 1/25,000, navigating would be much easier.
From Pont Aven, head to Riec Sur Belon. Then get on the D24 southeast towards Moellan. Just prior to Moellan, take a smaller road and then the D116 west to Kerfany les Pins, which is the last village on the south side of the Aven (estuary). There is a nice beach there. Drive all the way to the beach. We spent the better part of an afternoon sitting on lounge chairs at a lookout above and just north of this beach. This a beautiful spot where two avens converge. To get to the lookout, head back from the beach and take left turns everywhere you can (don’t get back on the D116) till you reach the lookout. After spending time at the lookout, head back to Moelan on the D116, but prior to Moelan, take a sharp right onto the D216 southwest to Brigneau. This is a cute/small port on an aven. You might not want to try to get to the next port unless you have the IGN map. If you do, take the smaller roads to Merrien – on the next aven east of Brigneau. You can explore another port east of there at Doelan.
Directly south of Pont Aven there are some cute thatched-roofed villages close to the coast. From Pont Aven, head south on the west bank of the Aven Fleuve to Kerdruc. This is a pretty port with some thatched roof houses and a nice view across the aven to another port – Rosbraz. Continue on the west side of the aven to Port Manech. Work your way west to Kerascoet, another village with thatched roofs. This next drive is described in the excursion section of CONCARNEAU in the GG. Follow the coast as closely as possible as far as you can. As the GG says, there is a good view of Concarneau

Fri
Quimper** See QUIMPER Follow the itinerary in the GG
HB Henriot factory tour 9-11:15, 1:30-5:15. There is a seconds store & other faience stores in the area. The museum is also close to the factory (which is not in the “central” Quimper area)

Pointe du Raz*** This is a very beautiful pointe, but it takes a bit of walking to get there. I think there is a shuttle that takes you to/from the pointe if your legs are tired.

On returning from Pointe du Raz, head east from Auderne on the D784 & D2 to Pont l’Abbe. From Pont l’Abbe, you can visit Manoir de KERAZAN*, just south of Pont l’Abbe on the D2. Return to Pont l’Abbe. Then get on the D44 east through Benodet and past Fouesnant. After Fouesnant, head southeast on the D783 and back to Tregunc. You might get lost a few times, & the route is not very scenic at some places. However, there are some picturesque areas & if the Hydrangea are blooming, there are some pretty patches of them along the way – you will be amazed by the colors – especially the blue.

Favorite restaurants close to Tregunc/Pont Aven
L’Agape in Ste Marine – a Michelin 1 star
Chez Jacky is an oyster & “other” shellfish house in Riec sur Belon. Go for lunch. The do not have any cooked food
Moulin de Rosmadec is a Michelin 1 star in Pont Aven, but we though it was only OK and too “American” (lots of English)
The restaurant at Grande Roches was better than we expected.
Chateau de Locguenole is a Michelin 1 star in Hennebont. This is a Chateau hotel where we celebrated my wife’s birthday.

Sat
Concarneau** See CONCARNEAU The Ville Close is the part you want. Actually, you can visit this village on any day if you have time – it is close to the hotel.

We’ve visited Auray* twice – 20 years apart, and have never been impressed with it.

Get on the N165-E60 heading east, & after Lorient take the N24 toward Rennes.

At Josselin, get off the E60 & tour the castle if you missed it a few days ago

Rennes**+ See RENNES
Follow the itinerary in the guide. Rennes is one of our favorite towns

Hotel – choose a hotel near the train station. Use the red guide to choose the hotel. The car rental agencies have desks at the train station (at least Europecar does) where you can return the car.

Sun
Take the TGV from Rennes to the Paris CDG Airport terminal 2. If you take United, you will have to take the shuttle from terminal 2 to terminal 1. Most other airlines depart from terminal 2 & it’s only a short walk from the TGV train station to the airline gates, or take the shuttle. It’s a small TGV station – you won’t have any trouble making the connection.

Stu Dudley