Southern Brittany Base

Not sure if you want a small village or larger town. Vannes is a nice town on the gulf of Morbihan pretty much between Lorient and St Nazaire with a decent old town section, a pretty harbor, some old city walls, etc.. I've not stayed there but visited on my way to Carnac.

Thanks Nancy - either is fine if people have had good experiences there.

-Matt

I've never stayed there, but friends have a place on the Presqu'Ile (peninsula) of Quiberon. I've been on a brief visit there (on the way to Carnac, no less) and can attest that the place is gorgeous. I know that traffic can be a bit of an issue but hopefully late June should be okay. Look around and see what info you can find.

A town along the gulf of Morbihan would be a good base (Arradon, Le Bono, Locmariaquer...) or Vannes if you expect a bigger town with a minimum of night life. Quiberon is a beautiful place but more appropriate for people wishing to stay there, on the peninsula. If you want to drive all along the coast between Lorient and St Nazaire, you would lose time staying in Quiberon.

I stayed their for a few nites last summer. It was ok, no complaints, but if I was going back to the area I'd probably try somewhere else, Although this isn't to say there is something wrong with Vannes or that it wouldn't be a good base.

There is an old-town area to visit and the castle grounds are nicely maintained. At night, though, this area was pretty quiet. In fact the whole town seemed quiet at nite. I was staying on a hotel near a larger road and during the day there was a lot of traffic and I was wondering if I'd be disturbed by the road noise at night, but at 7pm or so it was as if someone flipped a switch. There were literally no cars out at all! Perhaps the norm is for people in smaller towns to be home at nite. The old town was pretty dead in the evening; a few restaurants were open, but you didn't see people walking around the area; personally it felt a little spooky to be walking down narrow empty streets alone at night. The action is down at the harbor, with a number of restaurants facing the water with outdoor seating and those were busy. Vannes is not actually on the gulf, though, from the harbor a channel leads eventually to a mini-bay (see a map online).

So if I was going again I'd look for a town that is actually on the bay, but that's just my preference Speaking of which, you should rent the movie "Monsieur Hulot's holiday" which apparently is something of a classic in France. See http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/jul/06/france-beach-holiday-short-breaks

We stayed in the Medieval town of Guerande. It has a walled in city center. We enjoyed visiting the salt flats and learning how salt was collected. The village had good shopping, a nice market and not too touristy - just a comfortable area to stay. We enjoyed going to the beach and relaxing. We stayed inside the walls at Maison d'Hôtes La Guérandière, right inside the wall. A charming older home with an exquisite breakfast area overlooking the garden and wall. It was fun to stay there for 2 nights and imagine how life used to be in the 19th century. There are beautiful pictures and comments on bookings.com

Gail,

I think your recommendation might work well for us. I like the location and the price and they also seem to have apartments for rent too.

Thanks a lot for chiming in everybody, especially since this post sat dormant for a while. I love getting first hand accounts on places that Rick does not cover.

-Matt

I love getting first hand accounts on places that Rick does not cover.

I hope you have a fun trip! I think you will, I want to go back to the area (and to Normandy) someday. I found the book "The Rough Guide to Brittany and Normandy" had decent coverage of the area. If you want to go to smaller towns then you should also get the Michelin green book for Brittany, which has a blurb on just about every place you could stop.

One thing I really like about the RS books is that he and his authors are opinionated. Many other guidebooks try to find something nice to say about everyplace/everything, or just are barebones listings of restaurants, museums, etc. without a review. But Rick doesn't cover everything worth visiting ;-)

It has been already some 30 years ago, but I liked my holiday in La Baule-Escoublac just south of Guérande. Very pleasant coastal resort with long stretches of sandbeaches and pleasant climate in summer. Don’t think it has changed much in the meanwhile.

Bill G - I agree. I trust the RS guide completely and value the opinions greatly. When we travel off the RS grid I employ 'all books' to help out. I prefer the Rough Guides to Lonely Planet, Foders, and the Green Guides. I know many people swear by the Green guides but I don't care for them. I've found many other guidebooks on niche things, like food, driving, walking, and biking in specific regions used on Amazon for under $1 that are also very helpful.

Matt - If you go to Quimper, you must stop at the Musee Departmental Breton. It is a wonderful museum featuring all about the Breton life style including clothing, pottery, furniture, art. Just the right size for a 2 hr visit next to the Cathedral.