I'm considering a trip to Brittany in late May for several days -- Tuesday through Saturday or Sunday. I would be arriving by train from Paris and have to return home via Paris. I'd like to spend most of my time near the water, including a chance to see the Cote de Granit Rose. My main interest on this trip is nature/walking, but history and art appeal to me, too. Is it realistic to get around using public transit in this region, especially if I don't want to be in larger/more touristy towns? Thanks in advance for your help!
Posted by
Kansas, United States
1078 posts
I hope others can answer this question because I've thought about visiting Brittany and Normandy using only public transportation and find that it is difficult to get from place to place in a timely manner.
Posted by
Germany
5 posts
Dear Reiselle,
We are actually planning a similar trip for July and maybe I can help you a bit with the information I have found during my research on discovering the Cote de Granit Rose without a car.
We will be travelling from Paris to Lannion where we will stay for two nights. There are some direct trains from Paris to Lannion; otherwise you would have to change trains in Rennes. During our stay in Lannion, we are planning to take the bus to Perros-Guirec/Ploumanac'h and Tregastel. Apparently, there are no bus connections on Sundays (in summer, the situation seems to be different), so it is probably advisable to do this trip on a weekday. Here you can look up the bus lines available: http://www.tregastel.fr/Transports (the bus schedules for May 2022 might be different, though).
After our stay in Lannion, we will be spending a week in Rennes. In addition to exploring the city, we will use it as a base for day trips to Saint-Malo, Dinan and possibly to Dol-de-Bretagne and Vitre. These places can all be reached by train.
There is also an extensive bus network in Brittany - you can look up bus connections here: https://www.breizhgo.bzh/
I hope this has been helpful - we haven't tried yet how all these connections work out in the end, but I am quite optimistic it should not be a problem to explore the Cote de Granit Rose without a car.
All the best
Sylvia
Posted by
OP
Zurich
55 posts
Wow, Sylvia...thank you so much for the detailed information! It will definitely help me plan. Enjoy your trip! :)
Posted by
Germany
5 posts
You are absolutely welcome, Reiselle! I am glad I have been able to help you. Wishing you a wonderful trip, too!
Posted by
Germany
5 posts
Hi,
I just wanted to give a brief update as we have just returned from our trip to Brittany. We took the Thalys train from Cologne to Paris, where we spent two nights. Then we took a TGV to Lannion to explore the Cote de Granit Rose using public transport. We stayed at a hotel close to the train and bus station in Lannion and took the first bus (line E) in the morning which took us to Perros-Guirec/Ploumanac'h. Later we took the Macareux navette bus to Trégastel and in the late afternoon, we returned to Lannion with the bus line D, which gave us the opportunity to experience a different route. Everything went very well. You can find the current summer bus schedules here: https://www.lannion-tregor.com/fr/deplacements/le-reseau-urbain-et-peri-urbain-tilt.html
After our time in Lannion, we went to Rennes (which was also our base for various day trips). Before we left for Rennes, we bought the PASS 7 JOURS TER BREIZHGO and so we were able to use all TER regional trains in Brittany for seven days (you can find more details here: https://www.ter.sncf.com/bretagne/tarifs-cartes/pass-ter-breizhgo/pass-7-jours). From Rennes, we went on day trips to Saint-Malo, Dinan, Vitré, and Quiberon, so this special train pass was a great deal for us.
All in all, exploring Brittany and especially the Cote de Granit Rose without a car is absolutely doable but it does require some planning in advance and I guess it is easier in summer with more regular bus schedules.