Hello!
We're looking to spend three weeks exploring Brittany next May and would love to have recommendations on which town/village might be a good base. We will have a car, and will focus our explorations on the Emerald Coast and Finistère. Depending on what type of accommodation we find, we could split our time between two bases. Ideally, we're hoping to find a small town that has a few restaurants and basic shopping, or close to one that does. Thank you in advance!
Marvox
Hey Marvox,
Since you are planning to explore Brittany for 3 weeks, then i would recommend Dinan as a base for 1 week and then a western place, for example around Trebeurden or Roscoff for the 2nd week. The option for the third week in the center of Brittany or on the south coast is also really appealing, for example near Auray, Vannes or Le Croisic if you don't want to drive too much to the West. You can find a few ideas for an itinerary and places to visit here.
http://visite.bretagne.free.fr/index.php/en/itineraries.html
I have only traveled through Brittany by bus and train. I know a car is more efficient for reaching smaller towns, but Brittany's rather large and I don't think I'd be happy with just two bases. There would be too much driving back and forth for me. I'd start by digging into a comprehensive guidebook and figuring out what towns I wanted to visit. Then I'd use ViaMichelin to get estimated driving times from potential bases.
Hi from Wisconsin,
As you might know Brittany is big, as in long. You might decide to rent in three locations. Brest is at one end, duh. Staying there means all touring is in one direction. Better to be more centrally located. so 15-20 miles in two, three or four direction is possible. Also, no matter what you choose, if you get too far off the main roads it can gobble up driving time to get onto the 'big' road. Then again, prices and beauty often increases as you get off the main road.
Have you tried gites de france. It is a real clunky French website that rents cottages. To request English go to the slashes in the upper right of the opening page. But you type in Bretagne or some other city in Brittany and start scrolling through the dozens of places for rent. A bit like Vacation Rental By Owners (VRBO). Both of these can find you really interesting places to stay at around $200-600/per week. Select cottages with bed sheets. It is long story why many cottages come sheetless. Rentals are set up to be Saturday to Saturday. Out of main season you can get fewer days at a time or to arrive on a day other than Saturday.
Really, you have plenty of time to select cottages from either of these websites. We had one of our best times in a Gite in Normandy. Owned by an English woman who had inherited the farm. Be patient with the website. Bretagne is a word used for more than Brittany.
wayne iNWI
I have done several trips to Brittany - a weekend, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc and always choose Cancale as a home base. WE've been able to visit Saint-Malo, Dinan, Dinard, Fougeres, Fort La Latte, and Cap Frehel, the Granite Coast and even Mt St Michel and Ile de Brehat and lots of spots in between by staying here. It is a food destination as well if you are a foodie (I am!) . Here is more info on Cancale in case you are unfamiliar: https://misadventureswithandi.com/cancale-france/
Hello everyone!
Sincere apologies for the delay in thanking you all for your wonderful suggestions. I had to step away from planning this trip for a little while, but am now back to my research!
I will look carefully at what has been recommended by all of you, and if anyone has anything new, please do let me know!
Very much appreciated!
Marvox
