Normandy & Brittany itinerary

Its always possible that you'd really enjoy visiting a place someone else does not, and vice versa. That said, I did a day-trip by train from Rennes to Vitre. It has a small medieval section and a castle, but I think I could have seen everything in less than an hour. In retrospect I would have skipped it.

edit: Rennes isn't on your list but it is one of my favorite medium/large cities I've visited. It has a sizeable pedestrian-only area and a great park, as well as a medieval section with half-timbered buildings. Dinan was very enjoyable. I used it as a base and didn't spend enough time actually in town to see everything (such as walking the wall). Étretat was interesting, especially if you like Impressionist paintings. The day I visited was overcast and and a bit of drizzle; if you have some flexibility in your schedule I'd recommend trying to see it on a sunny day. If you're in the area to visit St. Malo then it is easy to get to Dinan on the other side of the river. You can walk around, look at the turn-of-the-century buildings and imagine what it was like in the heyday of the Belle Époque.

Bill G, thanks. Funny, because Vitre looks real interesting and worth the stop. I'll keep your response in mind!

Under Bayeux add a visit to the famous 1066 Bayeux Tapestry. It is a long piece, almost like a cartoon strip, with audio guide that you listen to as you walk along the length of it. Quite an amazing piece illustrating William the Conqueror’s story.
D-Day Beaches- see the British and Canadian beaxhes and learn their stories in addition to the US. There is excellent signage. Have a good guide book along.

I liked Vitre. I thought it made for a pleasant 2-3 hours of strolling around. Could be a half day, allowing for lunch. With a car there won't be so much transportation overhead, and you might be able to knock off Fougeres and Vitre the same day.

I also like Dinard (near St.-Malo), but you have a long list already.

Between Mont St Michel and St Malo is Cancale which is the Oyster capital of France.
Mike

Etretat is nice, St Malo is also a cultural site if you're interested in French literature. The house/museum of Chateaubriand is there.

Etretat is next to Fecamp. I liked Fecamp a little better. Etretat has some prettier cliff features and a casino. Fecamp is more of a small port town with nice cliffs, not as dressed up for tourists. Along the top of the cliffs above both towns are walking trails with lots of intact German defenses and cliff views.

My favorite thing in Bayeux is the tapestry. It was on loan to England for awhile. I'm not sure if it's back now?

I love Mt. St. Michel. Like any very touristy sight, it's best to see it early or late.

Quimper. I skipped Quimper because it seemed to be a larger, more industrial port. I liked Locronan. It's an inland town that is used as the backdrop for various films and TV shows. Concarneau, Lorient, Pont Aven, Auray and Vannes are various size port towns on the south coast. I used Vannes for a base but loved the smaller Auray.

I like Dinan. It has a nice port area down on the river and a nice medieval center up the hill. I think it gets filled with tourists in the summer too. I was there in mid September and it was really nice.

St. Malo is nice for the wall, small sandy beach and walking out to the fortified islands at low tide. There's a museum there but I didn't visit. The town inside the walls is mostly tourist geared shops, eateries and inns. I'd try to visit at low tide and take advantage of the walk, then walk the ramparts (go to Cancale for dinner).

Cancale, not far from St. Malo is reputed to have the best oysters in the world. I was skeptical when I visited but came away thinking they really are the best.

There is a nice castle on the north that's worth a visit, Ft. La Latte. It's been used in various capacities over the years but retains its medieval charm. You can climb literally to the top and take in the views of the sea and cliffs. It's not too far from Dinan and about the same from St. Malo.

Should have mentioned, you will be at the tail end of the "Pardon" season. If you can, try to visit one. They are local festivals with traditional Breizh food, clothes, music and dancing. Brittany is Celtic, a unique part of France.

Personally I think they are all worth seeing for one reason or another. What is approximately 10 days? Could you stretch it to more? Or do you mean 10 nights with actually 9 full days? If you're flexible it's possible to see all of your potential must-sees. If you have 10-12 days I would suggest 2 or 3 bases from which to make day trips. Map your selected sites/towns and find a logical base for each area.

In addition, regardless of how many days you have, I would do a lot of research (if not done already) on each location and prioritize your list according to your interests. Some places you may want to spend a whole day or more, particularly the D-Day beaches, others can be seen in a few hours or 1/2 day. So, you may not get to all of your places. I happened to hit Fougeres on a market day and spent the better part of the day there, loved it (I had only planned on a couple of hours). I also spent more time at Etretat than I had expected, if you like to hike and take fantastic photos you can spend some time there. While on the Pink Granite Coast I took the ferry to Ile de Brehat and that was a wonderful day spent hiking around the island - they also have bike rentals so you can bike around the island. There is just so much to see and do so you have to parse your time well.

Brad & Nancy -- thank you!

I've already mapped out a lot and yes, Nancy, we have a fixed time schedule.

We went to both Vitre and Dinan, and I will say that I found Dinan a bit Disneyfied. Vitre was more of a historic place that real people live in, and we liked it. We did not have time (car is perfect for this) for Mme. Sevigny's mansion near the edge of town.

I will observe that every sight like you have listed seems to be 15-20 minutes, each way, off the highway. Then you have to find a parking space. It is not trivial to do five a day (... apocryphal Rick Steves book pace!) of these. I think Quimper has a steam train with limited departures. Note that St. Malo (and perhaps other coastal sights) is on a peninsula, so it's a project to get there and out. There is a huge pleasure boat marina that can fill up the huge outside-the-walls parking lot.

There is no need to book a big-deal tour of the D-Day Beaches, but you cannot do even a 2-hour visit without research. Rick's book did very well for us. Of course there are many research options. Do not go to the beaches without research material and museum and sight lists. Parking lots can be busy.

I'd cross off Fougeres first, but someone else who posted here liked it. I just thought it didn't deliver enough for the driving time.

Make sure the Bayeux Tapestry isn't on loan when you're going. September 2018 is Okay.

I'll just add altho I don't have the driving experience others have, I spent 4 nights in Quimper (one on my own, 3 on a Road Scholar tour) and I really enjoyed it. The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin is interesting as the nave is not straight - curves off to the left. The Museum next to the cathedral presents a good look at Breton history and life. The old city center is quite interesting with half timbered buildings and narrow streets.

I also spend 3 nights in Saint-Malo and really liked it. I loved watching the tide change and being able to get out to the islets that are isolated when the tide is in. Great views from the walls. If the tide is in it's astonishing to see the diving board of the pool (which is in the tidal range) sticking up in the ocean. Very weird. I did not get to everything on my list here. There's also a WWII bunker - Memorial 39-45 just outside the walls.

I've done the tour of Chateau de Josselin. I was interesting but if you've been to a number of chateaux/castles by this time you could skip it. The family still lives there so only a few rooms are open for tours.

I did enjoy Pointe du Raz but it's a pretty quick stop altho clearly very far out on the peninsula.

I'm a huge fan of the D-Day invasion area and Bayeaux. The tapestry isn't going to visit UK until 2020 or after.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42713552

Not a fan of MSM but I know many love it. To me it's better to see from a distance but...I've also been a couple of times and I might not think that if I hadn't been at all.

I know your time is limited and there is so much to see.

Let me second Pam's recommendation for Quimper. We used it as a base and became very fond of the Old Town. Not too far away is Concarneau, with an old walled port. At both Quimper and Concarneau we happened upon local festivals, which were really charming. Not as historical as the Pardons but a nice glimpse into contemporary Breton life. I really enjoyed seeing people of all ages joining together in folk dances, for instance.
You didn't include Carnac. It pulls you down to the very south of Brittany, but the expansive fields of standing stones are something to behold - if you appreciate that sort of thing. There's a passage grave there that you can walk into and there is another excellent example at Barnenez, near Morlaix.
Your list is good but it strikes me as a lot for 10 days. Traffic, parking, walking around each place, meals, deviations from plan, and interesting things you didn't anticipate can all soak up a lot of time. You may find that you don't have time to devote to every place on your list so be sure to prioritize. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Oh Bob, I so agree about Carnac. So very interesting with the nearby Locmariaquer Neolithic sites as well.

There is talk of the Bayeaux Tapestry being loaned to England but not till 2020 and personally I will believe that when I see it. The end say will be with the Textile Conservator (if it is not to fragile to travel) then the Major of Bayeaux. I would very surprised if the Major gives the go ahead as I think the tourist economy of Bayeaux would pretty much collapse if the Tapestry was away for a few years.