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.
Didn’t make it back then due to delays in getting the French Covid card. It’s back on for May 24.
Any updates?
Chateau Richeux seems to be recommended.
I know Rennes is too far to be a base, but is it worth 2 days after the Coast? There is a nonstop from Rennes to Lyons, where I am finishing the trip. Alternatively, I can fly from Brest to Lyons, which town is more charming?
I’ll be 3 nights Cancale, 2 nights Trebuden and will finish in either Rennes or Brest. Can anyone say which is more charming for the weekend (Friday-Monday)? I’m looking for walkable too.
On the plane home and wanted to share some notes on Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel and surrounding areas from our trip a week ago.
A 4.5 hour drive from Charles de Gaulle was too much for my taste after arriving from New York City. Driving was relatively easy but long. Note that there are no toll booths anymore in bretagne and Normandy. You have to pay via a website after you drive.
We stayed at nouveau monde hotel just outside the walled area…a beautiful 15 minute walk. Location was great as staying in the intra muros was not ideal for us. Walking to town some mornings on the beach and walking home from dinner at night on the boardwalk was a highlight.
The hotel was good but not great and I felt that it was overpriced for the quality. We sprung for a sea view and outdoor patio but felt that it would’ve been just as good without it (and half the price). Otherwise, it was super clean and comfortable.
We usually seek beach vacations and Saint malo wasn’t ideal. It was just a little too cold to have beach days. Days were ~73 degrees and mostly sunny (late August) and nights were ~62 degrees.
dinners that i would recommend are fidelis in the walled town and la docena on the beach/coast near cancale. fidelis were friendly and the food was well priced and delicious. probably the best restaurant in saint malo so make reservations. la docena was a food shack by the coast that we loved. simple food of charcuterie, seafood, oysters, beer and cider. all locals and very friendly crowd and staff.
we had a nice dinner at le benetin but the food was sorely lacking. the space and the view were great though. comptoir breizh was enjoyable for traditional buckwheat galettes.
mont saint michel is a must and relatively done well considering its popularity but was pretty mobbed down in the tight ‘streets.’ much more enjoyable was cap frehel about an hour from saint malo. beautiful hikes along the coast and a lighthouse were great fun for us and our 7 year old.
Ha! Brings me back. When our son was 7 (summer 2018), we flew from Nyc to CDG and then directly into a car to drive out to Brittany. I think it was more like 5-6 hours all told, I was tired! We stayed in Dinard. Which was much more relaxing and scenic for our purposes than St Malo. Although obviously St Malo is a special place to visit.
Regardless, lovely part of France, even if there is no local wine! (Summer before we did a similar trip to Normandy, where the apples give fermented beverages, also beautiful…)
4.5 hours was too much for us, so we stopped in Rouen, a lovely town. However, on the way out of town, we blew a tire, so had to get a tow to a service station - and it was about 12 miles away. Then Sixt arranged for a substitute rental car as it was a Sunday and no tire repair. But the only replacement car was at Beauvais airport north of Paris. 2 hours in the wrong direction. Then we had the 4.5 hour drive to Cancale. Didn’t think we could do it but we did.
Stayed at Chateau Richeaux (outside Cancale, amazing views), ate at La Coquillage which was amazing but a 4 hour meal. Doesn’t work for me, I’m hungry at the beginning, eat too much bread, full halfway into the meal. But it was astounding food, true 3*.
My favorite meal was Maison Bricourt in Cancale proprer. Amazing lobster, etc. 3 course meal, but absolute top quality.
I liked visiting St. Malo, but preferred the peacefulness of Chateau Richeaux as a base. Watching the tide go out was impressive. Didn’t make it to Mont St Michel.
We also visitied to Trebueden and stayed in Manoir Lan Kellerec. Two superb meals at the Manoir, and I liked my room, but Trebueden was a bit of a dud. Too long a drive unless you are taking more than we did (3 nights Cancale, 2 nights Trebueden, 3 nights Rennes).