Always wanted to visit but the drive distance from Paris was daunting. Now I see the TGV goes to Rennes directly from CDG. Perfect for covering distance without driving after a long red eye.
I can base myself in Rennes or continue and take a local to St Malo or other small towns.
I’d prefer to stay in one place for 4-5 days and see the cool towns and Mt St Michel.
Should I base myself in Rennes? Or one of the cute but likely crowded with tourists small towns.
(Hotel recs would also be helpful)
Trip is first week of September . Thanks!
We drove from CDG to Normandy to Brittany, then back to Paris meandering through the Loire. It was one of our favorite driving trips in France. To answer Barry’s question, Rennes is too inland if one wishes to explore the small coastal towns of Brittany and I’d stay on or nearer the coast. We stayed in near Cancale at Château Richeux and used it as a base before driving on to Trébeurden for a few nights before driving to Saint-Anne-la-Palud and staying at Pavillon de la Plage. Both hotels mentioned have excellent restaurants that are worth a journey if you don’t stay there, although Le Coquillage at Chateau Richeux is difficult to book if you don’t stay there or in one of the other Maisons Bricourt group of small hotels. Among other special delights, Le Coquillage offers a magnificent seafood tray that must be ordered a couple of days in advance. Great food in the area, of course, including Brittany blue lobster, oysters, and other delicacies from the sea. One of the fun things to do in the area is to drive/walk onto the oyster beds when the tide permits. I’m talking myself into a return visit as I type this and remember how much fun we had walking on the pink granite beaches and cliff trails.
Edit: left out our stop in Trébeurden, where we stayed or two nights at Manoir de Lan-Kerellec.
While the drive sounds good, I’ll have to train at the beginning, my days of a TATL redeye followed by a 3 hour plus drive is behind me.
But I can take the TGV and just stay in Rennes a couple of nights to regain my land legs and rent a car in Rennes. Or continue by train to one of the small towns, but I’ve heard it’s much easier to rent a car in Rennes.
Were you in Rouen by any chance in Normandy? It sounds like a cool town, and there’s a hotel (hotel-de-bourgtheroulde) that is an Autograph Collection by Marriott hotel where I can use some free night certs that will expire. Looks like a nice place. If you were in Rouen, is it something that 2 nights is sufficient (assuming I just want to see the town, and not the countryside or wwII stuff)?
Barry,
We didn’t stay in Rouen; rather in Normandy we stayed a few days each in Honfleur and then Port-en-Bessin (we spent two full days exploring the Battle of Normandy area from there) before heading to Brittany. Wish I could be more helpful.
Many years ago (1997!) we stayed at Chateau Richeux and dined at Le Coquillage. The seafood tray with a nice Doisy Daene sec brings back great memories. The amazing thing was watching the tides come in and out from our room and the dining room - and then walking out among the tide pools. It’s very dramatic. It’s a lovely property. Clafoutis for breakfast, which is something I do to this day.
We drove from there over to Mont St Michel and then to the village of Cancale. For lunch, stopping at an oyster shack with the oysters so fresh and some Muscadet. For dinner another night, at a Olivier Roellimger’s restaurant Bricourt in Cancale. Olivier was still in the kitchen. I ordered the lobster and they brought it in two courses with rum and lemon sauce. They showed the lobster and I agreed. And then the maitre d’ said 730. I said oui. He said grams. I said d’accord. I ate every bit. Delightful. Another day spent driving around stopping at La Pointe de Grouin and at St. Malo.
Watching le Tour in Brittany has me wanting to return.
We also stayed at Chateau Richeux and had two great meals. A visit to Cancale, St Malo, and Mont St Michel are both within an easy drive. We also stayed in Dinan and drove round inland to Fougeres, Vitre, Rochefort en Terre and a few other plus beaux villages. Lovely memories.