TravelRibbon

Hi all:

Apologies in advance for a long post. So, I've been reading past posts for both of these regions and have gleaned a ton of helpful information. So, based on my readings, I've come up with a tentative itinerary.

Here are the details: traveling solo from May 17 to May 30 (returning to US on May 31). I'm almost 85% certain I'm going to rent a car for this trip. So, I've based my itinerary on renting a car.

Here goes:
5/17 - Land at CDG
Take Train to Vannes
Spend night at Villa Kerasy (as recommended by other Fodorites)

5/18 - See Vannes, travel to Carnac to see the megaliths, travel to Pont-Aven (hang out in Gaugin's old stomping ground), and then go from Pont-Aven to Quimper. Spend night in Quimper. Need to make reservation at Hotel Gradlon (another Fodorite recommendation). Yes, I know this day is really ambitious. I may stay in Quimper for 2 nights and split the above over 2 days.

5/19 - This will depend on whether or not I stay in Quimper for 2 nights. See Quimper; drive to Brest; see Brest. Then drive 2 1/2 hours to Dinan. Spend night in Dinan.

5/20 - See Dinan; drive to St. Malo. See St. Malo; Drive to Le Mont Saint-Michel and stay at Auberge Saint-Pierre (another recommendation from Fodorites).

5/21 - Get up at crack of dawn to go to Mont St. Michel. Then drive to Caen. See Memorial Museum. Then drive to Bayeux. Spend 4 nights in Bayeux - either at Hotel d'Argouges or Logis Des Ramparts (again, more Fodorite suggestions).

5/22-5/25 - while in Bayeux, I plan to visit the tapestries, D-Day beaches, etc.

5/26-5/27 - Bayueux to Honfleur. Spend 2, possibly 3 nights in Honfleur at Gigalis (probably misspelled this place). While in Honfleur, visit Etreat, Trouville and Deauville.

5/28 - Drive to Rouen. Spend night in Rouen. Return car.

5/29 - find way from Rouen to Giverny (any suggestions??). Re-visit Monet's garden.
Take Train from Vernon to Paris. Spend night in Paris.

5/30 - Hang out in Paris for the full day.

5/31 - get up at crack of dawn to fly back to US.

Whew! That's it. Again, this is tentative. I'm open to recommendations. I've never been to this region before. I do have a guide book (RG) that I've been reading as well. Please be gentle!

TR

grandmere

Auberge St. Pierre is on the Mont, isn't it? So you'll be there the evening before and can see it then. Guess I'm just trying to find a way to save you from getting up at crack of dawn, but it probably is beautiful at that time!

Your trip sounds wonderful; make sure you go to Etretat--we didn't last May and regret it. And how nice that you can stay 2-3 nights in Honfleur (at Giaglis', bien entendu); we did just one night, and it wasn't enough.

I'll be eager to read your report when you return to read how you enjoy your time in Normandy and to learn about Brittany; I've never been to Brittany except for a day trip to Cancale and St. Malo.

Bon voyage!

RonZ

Here is a very pleasant drive starting from Honfleur and looping back around.
On the day we took it we stopped for lunch in Deauville.

Leave town on the D580, following the signs to the A13 and the Pont de Normandie. Continue past the bridge, turning left on to the D312 along the Siene estuary and through the village of Berville-sur-Mer.

Keep on the D312 and then left in Toutainville on the N175 to Pont-Audener.
Then return on the N175, past Toutainville and then Beuzeville to Pont-l-Eveque.

The next destination is Lisieux, but do not take the D579. Wait and turn left onto the D48, opposite the police station. This is a pretty counry lane following the River Touque.

Head west out of Lisieux on the N13 [direction Caen]. After passing the Chateau de Crevecouer-en-Ague, keep your eyes peeled for Carrefour-St-Jean, and turn right on to the D16 and then left on the D49 to Beuvron-en-Auge. Get the camera ready, because this town is so picturesque it looks like a movie set.

Follow the D49 to the N175, turn left and then immediately right on the D400 to Dives-sur-Mer. From here it’s east along the coast on the D513 past Houlgate, Deauville and Trouville on the way back to Honfleur.

Before you reach town, there will be a sign and a right turn to the Manoir du Butin. We stopped to check it out, and enamored with the lovely dining room, we returned that evening for one of the best dinners of our trip.

klondike

TravelRibbon, what/why do you plan on visiting in Brest? I lived in/nearby for 3 years, and given your limited time, there are so many other cities/towns I would personally find more interesting. It also seems a little out of the way for continuing towards Dinan/St. Malo from Quimper.

I would definitely opt to spend that extra day in Quimper or visiting the north or south coast or visitng the Parish Closes in the interior. As you probably know, Brest was all but totally destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in ugly concrete. Besides the rebuilt Tour Tanguy and the new Aquarium, I find little of interest for a tourist. Now, if you had the time to continue further west from Brest and visit Le Conquet, Pointe St. Matthieu and Les Abers then it would make more sense IMO.

Quimper on the other hand has the departmental Breton Museum, with fne examples of Breton costumes (male and female) from days gone by, the beautiful Cathedral and cloister wall/garden, pretty quais along the Odet river to walk along, the famous hand painted pottery factory and musueum - Henriot Quimper- that can be visited, the train tour, the cobbled piéton/ pedestrian-only cobbled streets with the fantastic food market reminiscent of Les Halles in Paris...It just oozes charm.

One of my favorites near Pont Aven is Concarneau--an hour spent in La Ville Close walking along the ramparts, looking out at the boats in the harbor, walking throught the cobbled streets is very pittoresque (if you do stop-buy a freshly baked, warm, buttery Kouign Amann from the vendor in the Place. The BEST I've ever had!! Yumm!

Other point--regarding that getting up at the crack of dawn at Mont St. Michel...You might want to check out the posted time for first tour of the Abbey. We had that same idea and ended up waiting around almost an hour (this was in the fall) I think it was 9:00 before they came to unlock the door-- Though it was impressive watching them use the really old, BIG skeleton key to open the really big Abbey door. Not that it isn't fun to wander the mont in the early morning--very magical, great photo ops. I just didn't want you to make the same mistake we did wasting time waiting when you could be exploring.

For the drive from Rouen to Giverny if you check out the green routes on the Michelin map there are several along the Seine near
Giverny--don't know if you have time to detour to Les Andelys, but its a possibility.

Sounds wonderful; have a great trip. Wish it were me!

TravelRibbon

Thanks for the responses!

RonZ: thanks for the driving tip from Honfleur!

Grandmere: Yeah, I don't want to get up at the crack of dawn to see the Mont, but after reading about how the tour buses start arriving around 10 a.m., I wanted to avoid that, if possible. And yes, Auberge St. Pierre is on the Mont (got it from Marcy_'s report). So, maybe I won't have to get up soo early.

Klondike: I don't have any specific reason to go to Brest. I just thought that since I would be in that area, I would stop by. I'll take your thoughts into consideration and possibly scratch that portion and instead stay in Quimper an extra night and visit the Parish closes. Thanks for the suggestion! And thanks for the heads up about the opening time for Le Mont.

TR

flygirl

personally, I'd stay two nights Vannes and one Quimper. And I think I'd try to include Pointe du Raz into the trip. If I recall, Brest will be more out of the way. You could see Pointe du Raz which was beautiful. Don't discount further north in Brittany either - the Cote Emeraude was beautiful too.