Normandy & Brittany Itinerary - 7-8 nights
Nov 9th, 2011, 07:14 AM
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Normandy & Brittany Itinerary - 7-8 nights
I'm traveling to France mid-late June 2012 with my family and have about 7-8 nights to drive from Paris to our final destination - Bordeaux. After a few nights in Paris we will rent a car for our Normandy/Brittany adventure. We are a family of 5 (2 grandparents --- young & active, 2 parents, and 1 well-traveled & well-behaved 5 year old boy!).
Any suggestions on a 7-8 night itinerary? Any must-see towns, must-do drives, must-stop to eat/shop spots, must-see markets, must-stay at hotels/B&Bs?
We enjoy being outdoors, scenic drives, quaint towns, eating good food, drinking wine, seeing castles/historic buildings, going to outdoor markets, etc. We enjoy museums but would have to limit how many we visit during this trip.
We plan to spend 1 day visiting the D-day beaches/memorials and possibly 1 night at Mont St Michel. Aside from that, the itinerary is open.
I've read on this forum the following stops are a must: Deauville, Honfleur, Bayeaux, St Malo, Mont St Michel, Calvados countryside.
I'm open to any suggestions...Thanks!
Any suggestions on a 7-8 night itinerary? Any must-see towns, must-do drives, must-stop to eat/shop spots, must-see markets, must-stay at hotels/B&Bs?
We enjoy being outdoors, scenic drives, quaint towns, eating good food, drinking wine, seeing castles/historic buildings, going to outdoor markets, etc. We enjoy museums but would have to limit how many we visit during this trip.
We plan to spend 1 day visiting the D-day beaches/memorials and possibly 1 night at Mont St Michel. Aside from that, the itinerary is open.
I've read on this forum the following stops are a must: Deauville, Honfleur, Bayeaux, St Malo, Mont St Michel, Calvados countryside.
I'm open to any suggestions...Thanks!
Nov 9th, 2011, 07:30 AM
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Are you driving down to Bordeaux or going back to Paris? If driving down, going via the west part of Brittany would be a logical choice. A slight detour to Vannes and the general Golfe de Morbihan area would be appropriate.
These pictures are geo-tagged and might give you some idea of what to see on your way south:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...ith/4899351926
These pictures are geo-tagged and might give you some idea of what to see on your way south:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...ith/4899351926
Nov 9th, 2011, 07:35 AM
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Agree with Michael...then go down the coast and stop at La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré for a couple of days. Then head inland to Saintes and Angoulème and visit Oradour-sur-Glane, then back west to Bordeaux.
Nov 9th, 2011, 07:44 AM
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Michael & StCirq - Wonderful suggestion!
To answer Michael's question...we will not drive back to Paris after Bordeaux. More than likely, we will fly from Bordeaux to Madrid/Paris to US.
StCirq - BTW, thank you so much for all of your incredible suggestions during my last trip to Bordeaux (June 2011)...you are an invaluable resource! I just thanked you on one of my old posts...where I also said I will seek out your guidance soon because my parents are traveling with us this time and while my husband, son & I stay with my in-laws in Bordeaux, my parents will spend a week in Sarlat! Thanks again.
I welcome more suggestions....
To answer Michael's question...we will not drive back to Paris after Bordeaux. More than likely, we will fly from Bordeaux to Madrid/Paris to US.
StCirq - BTW, thank you so much for all of your incredible suggestions during my last trip to Bordeaux (June 2011)...you are an invaluable resource! I just thanked you on one of my old posts...where I also said I will seek out your guidance soon because my parents are traveling with us this time and while my husband, son & I stay with my in-laws in Bordeaux, my parents will spend a week in Sarlat! Thanks again.
I welcome more suggestions....
Nov 9th, 2011, 08:27 AM
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Do you have my Normandy & Brittany itinerary???. If not, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I might do some updates to it this winter - so there may be a revised version available then. I will post something on Fodors if I accomplished this.
We were in Normandy for 2 weeks this past June. We didn't visit the D-Day beaches then because we've visited them several times in the past. We stayed in a Gite for 1 week around Beauvon en Auge - which is a cute village but you can see everything there is to see in the village in less than 1 hr. We also stayed in a gite for 1 week near La Ferriere aux Estangs - but that is a little too far out of the way for a first-timer.
In the past, we've stayed for 2 weeks near Dinan in Brittany, 2 weeks near Penvenan (near the pink rocks), and a week near Pont Aven(southern coast).
We think Brittany is prettier/more interesting than Normandy, and the northern coast of Brittany is more scenic than the southern coast. We did not find Deauville to be very interesting (visited it twice over 2 different trips). Rennes is one of our "top 5" large cities in France, and Rouen is close behind. Vannes is in our "top 5" smaller cities.
I would suggest the following:
- leave Paris & visit Rouen for the morning/day. Stay for 2 nights in Honfleur
- Visit inland Normandy (Pays d' Auge, castles) and a bit of the coast from Honfleur.
- leave Honfleur & drive to Caen and visit the museum of Peace there (get there when it opens at 9).
- after Caen, visit the Pegasus Bridge area and its museum. Then continue your visit to the WWII stuff. The British landing beaches are overdeveloped and not scenic at all. Stay in Bayeux for 1 night.
- Visit the Normandy tapistry in Bayeux & more WWII museums/sites. Late in the day, head to Mont St Michel & stay there 1 night.
- Visit MSM first thing in the AM or late the prior day. It will be a mob scene by 11AM in June.
- Drive to Dinan & stay close to there for 3-4 nights. Explore the many sites in that region.
- Drive to Josselin & visit the Chateau, and then on to Vannes & stay in Vannes for 1 night.
- Head to La Rochelle & stay there for 1-2 nights.
Stu Dudley
We were in Normandy for 2 weeks this past June. We didn't visit the D-Day beaches then because we've visited them several times in the past. We stayed in a Gite for 1 week around Beauvon en Auge - which is a cute village but you can see everything there is to see in the village in less than 1 hr. We also stayed in a gite for 1 week near La Ferriere aux Estangs - but that is a little too far out of the way for a first-timer.
In the past, we've stayed for 2 weeks near Dinan in Brittany, 2 weeks near Penvenan (near the pink rocks), and a week near Pont Aven(southern coast).
We think Brittany is prettier/more interesting than Normandy, and the northern coast of Brittany is more scenic than the southern coast. We did not find Deauville to be very interesting (visited it twice over 2 different trips). Rennes is one of our "top 5" large cities in France, and Rouen is close behind. Vannes is in our "top 5" smaller cities.
I would suggest the following:
- leave Paris & visit Rouen for the morning/day. Stay for 2 nights in Honfleur
- Visit inland Normandy (Pays d' Auge, castles) and a bit of the coast from Honfleur.
- leave Honfleur & drive to Caen and visit the museum of Peace there (get there when it opens at 9).
- after Caen, visit the Pegasus Bridge area and its museum. Then continue your visit to the WWII stuff. The British landing beaches are overdeveloped and not scenic at all. Stay in Bayeux for 1 night.
- Visit the Normandy tapistry in Bayeux & more WWII museums/sites. Late in the day, head to Mont St Michel & stay there 1 night.
- Visit MSM first thing in the AM or late the prior day. It will be a mob scene by 11AM in June.
- Drive to Dinan & stay close to there for 3-4 nights. Explore the many sites in that region.
- Drive to Josselin & visit the Chateau, and then on to Vannes & stay in Vannes for 1 night.
- Head to La Rochelle & stay there for 1-2 nights.
Stu Dudley
Nov 9th, 2011, 08:37 AM
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Here's how we organized our Normandy/Brittany stay: Honfleur, Dinan & Moelan-sur-Mer near Pont Aven. We had a bit more time, staying 4/4/2 nights. From here, we went to Sarlat.
Have fun planning your trip! You will be visiting a beautiful part of France!
Have fun planning your trip! You will be visiting a beautiful part of France!
Nov 9th, 2011, 08:39 AM
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PS
Do not visit Rouen, Rennes, or Vannes in a Sunday when all the shops will be closed & the cities will seem quite dead. Avoid Monday mornings also. Vannes has an excellent Saturday morning farmer's market. La Rochelle, Honfleur, and perhaps Bayeux will be OK on Sun/Mon.
We visited MSM on an early morning day-trip in June from Dinan, with my 82 YO FIL. That could save you a one-night stay in MSM.
Stu Dudley
Do not visit Rouen, Rennes, or Vannes in a Sunday when all the shops will be closed & the cities will seem quite dead. Avoid Monday mornings also. Vannes has an excellent Saturday morning farmer's market. La Rochelle, Honfleur, and perhaps Bayeux will be OK on Sun/Mon.
We visited MSM on an early morning day-trip in June from Dinan, with my 82 YO FIL. That could save you a one-night stay in MSM.
Stu Dudley
Nov 9th, 2011, 08:51 AM
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You may want to look at my trip report where we drove through western Brittany:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ummer-2009.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ummer-2009.cfm
Nov 9th, 2011, 10:58 AM
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Spent a week in Brittany this past July with 3 children. We loved it. Highlights for us:
Castle at Fougeres - You can walk the ramparts and the audio guide was great.
Mont St Michel - It rained that day but we still enjoyed the views after you climb all the stairs!
Dinan - A highlight for us. The old houses, the walk to the port, the castle! We spent 2 days just wandering around, taking pictures and enjoying it.
St Malo - You can walk the wall around the port area. The beach looked nice but again it was rainy. We found a local park where the kids could play for a bit. One of our favorite meals was at Timothy. You will drool when you see the dessert case.
Whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy that part of France.
Castle at Fougeres - You can walk the ramparts and the audio guide was great.
Mont St Michel - It rained that day but we still enjoyed the views after you climb all the stairs!
Dinan - A highlight for us. The old houses, the walk to the port, the castle! We spent 2 days just wandering around, taking pictures and enjoying it.
St Malo - You can walk the wall around the port area. The beach looked nice but again it was rainy. We found a local park where the kids could play for a bit. One of our favorite meals was at Timothy. You will drool when you see the dessert case.
Whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy that part of France.
Nov 9th, 2011, 11:55 AM
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Michael - Thanks for attaching the link to your trip report...I will definitely read through it.
trvlgirlmq - Thanks for the info, especially on Castle at Fougeres & Dinan. Also, I'll check out Timothy when we are in St Malo. I do appreciate the food recommendation --- we've been in France 3 times and even though the food is amazing, I always like to have some recommended spots to fall back on.
trvlgirlmq - Thanks for the info, especially on Castle at Fougeres & Dinan. Also, I'll check out Timothy when we are in St Malo. I do appreciate the food recommendation --- we've been in France 3 times and even though the food is amazing, I always like to have some recommended spots to fall back on.
Nov 9th, 2011, 01:35 PM
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If your child is adventerous with food there were mussels on most of the menu enfant's we encountered. I think my youngest and my neice ate their weight in them!
St Malo also had a very cool carousel just outside the walls near the port. We had to try every carousel we came across.
St Malo also had a very cool carousel just outside the walls near the port. We had to try every carousel we came across.
Nov 9th, 2011, 02:25 PM
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In my recent coach tour of France, the trip also took us from Paris to Bordeaux stopping at the DDay beaches, Mont St.Michel, the Loire Valley and many other towns in between. My trip report below may suggest some possibilities along the way but a lot depends on what appeals most to your group. And oh yes, I loved the mussels! You will enjoy France.
Ronald,
http://my-tourdefrance.blogspot.com/
Ronald,
http://my-tourdefrance.blogspot.com/
Nov 9th, 2011, 02:46 PM
#15
If you decide to go to La Rochelle, you will be crossing a magnificent bridge to Ile de Rea. If you stop in Trouville,
there's a wonderful Brasserie Les Vapeurs, and in Nantes the beautiful La Cigale.
there's a wonderful Brasserie Les Vapeurs, and in Nantes the beautiful La Cigale.
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