What town in Normandy would make a good base to tour the area? Same question for Brittany?

If the 'invasion' (World War II) is one of your interests, then Bayeaux is a very good base for Normandy. Plus it offers the tapestry, which predates WWII by several hundred years.

Bayeaux is a very nice place to visit.

Brittany is too large for a single base, but Vannes would be considered a good base for the SE, Quimper for the western area, and Dinan for the area around St. Malo, Cancale and Mont Saint Michel.

I agree with Michael about Brittany. We stayed in a Gite for 2 weeks near Dinan, & 1 week near Pt Aven (Quimper area). We were not able to see enough of Brittany without driving too much. This Sept, we'll be in Nantes for 2 days, Vannes for 1 day, then near the "Pink Rock" area of northern Brittany (west of St Brieuc) for 2 weeks.

Of the areas we've already visited, we much prefer the area in Northern Brittany around Dinan, over Southern Brittany in the Quimper region. There's more to do & see around Dinan, and the countryside is prettier, IMO.

When we visited Normandy, we based in Honfleur for a few days, and Bayeaux for a few because of the access to the WWII beaches & museums.

Stu Dudley

From Paris, we drove to Honfleur. It's a pretty town with no shortage of restaurants, galleries & shops. From there, we took daytrips to Bayeux, the D-Day beaches and into the countryside. Next we went into Brittany where we broke up our stay: Dinan & at a place near Pont Aven. Like other posters have indicated, Brittany is simply too large an area for a single base. It's an amazingly diverse area of France geographically. Loved it!!!

In Normandy, consider staying in Arromanches-les-Bain. Its quiet, well positioned, and there is something special to watching the ocean from your hotel room.

Keith

Another vote for Dinan if you want to see Northern Brittany.

We actually stayed in Dinan for our whole Brittany stay, and yes we drove alot. We alternated long drive days with short ones!