My missus & I have decided that this year's holiday is going to be in north-west France - but I have no great knowledge of that area.
Does anyone have any clues about places to stay, good places to visit, etc? We like scenery, walking, and so on. We'll probably get there in
early September...
[Edited on 2/1/11 by David Jenkins]
We regulary go via Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in NW France on the way to Switzerland. A good base for exploring the beautiful Vosges mountains around La
Bresse. Black Forest is only 90 mins away or a trip to Mulhouse for the the Shlumpf motor museum.
- Jim
Erm... the Vosges mountain region is north-east!
I'm thinking about Saint-Malo, Brest, Saint-Nazaire, or similar.
quote:
Originally posted by jimgiblett
We regulary go via Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in NW France on the way to Switzerland. A good base for exploring the beautiful Vosges mountains around La Bresse. Black Forest is only 90 mins away or a trip to Mulhouse for the the Shlumpf motor museum.
- Jim
Le Mans track and Museum is well worth a visit!
One thing to be aware of is the weather can be a bit iffy in Northern France, last year it was especially bad, even down as far as the Loire valley. No reason not to go, but take waterproofs just in case.
I guess that it's best to treat that region like Cornwall or South Wales... glorious weather, apart from when it's raining!
Come further down for better weather.
This is a must and is near to me.
http://www.puydufou.com/en
We stayed in st malo for a week which is an excellent place to stay. We had rooms to the east of the town centre which overlooked the sea and you could step out of the backdoor onto the seafront/beach. The sea/sunset is excellent there although there is no beach at high tide. When the sea is out a big expanse of clean beach with a few rock pools etc. Town has some nice history and good returants, but with a 5 yr old in tow we spent the days on the beach mainly so didn't see to much of the surrounding countryside. We did do one trip out to an old wall town (dinan I think) about 20-30 k inland which was really good with some good views and interesting streets/history. I would really recommend it as a place to visit although prices were slightly higher than other parts of France.
What are the major airports in that region? I've just looked at the cost of the Plymouth - St Malo ferry, and it's around £450, and at that price I could fly and hire a small car (well, almost).
I go each year to Normandy and I live in Suffolk also, I go via Newhaven to Dieppe, cost with car and car trailer is about 260 pounds.
If you go August bamk holiday weekend you could take in the Etretat/Bennouville hillclimb on the way to Brittany.
From Dieppe you would have about a two to three hour drive to get to the north west of france but great roads and if it rains it does not take too
long for it to dry, go for it.
We flew out of stagnated (excellent iPad spelling correction for stansted) and into dinard and had a hire car but a taxi would actually have been
better. Obviously this is not such a good choice for you as you have to drive north first but probably a lot cheaper than 450. Didn't have time
earlier to say but the ille de re just outside la rochelle is also an excellent destination and you can again fly into it (la Rochelle) again history
in the form of old bastille style towns and decent beaches and the seafood is really good also.
Quote: the cost of the Plymouth - St Malo ferry, and it's around £450,
I think you need to cross from Portsmouth to go to St Malo and certainly Brittany Ferries are very expensive. Living in Devon we have little choice
but to use the Plymouth Roscoff route. We get across to France as often as we can and have spent many holidays in Brittany.
Living where you do David, you have a range of options. Norfolk Lines to Dunkirk are I believe the cheapest ferry but will put you a bit far to the
East but I know Jim Giblett has found some really good deals from Dover. The road west from Calais is excellent and even if you were to go as far as
Vannes in South West Brittany it will only take about 6 hours and I would have thought that pricewise, this would stack up quite well against
fly/drive. The other advantage of having your own car is that you can bring back whatever shopping takes your fancy.
The climate around the Gulf de Morbihan is very favoured and the Dolmans and Menhirs of Carnac which are amazing, make this a very good area to be
based. There are some excellent waymarked walks and if you contact La Maison de Tourisme in Vannes they should be able to send you information on
walks so that you can plan your holiday before you go.Linky It is interesting that they lay claim to King
Arthur and if you go to Josselin it is full of Arthurian memorabilia.
If you prefer to stay somewhere quiet, Rochefort en Terre is a beautiful mediaeval town about 30mins from Vannes; nice restaurants and full of
timbered houses. Malestroit on the Nantes Brest canal is worth a visit. It is a picturesque town with an interesting WW11 museum and the toepath along
the canal is great for walking.
So just a few ideas David, hope this has been of some help to you.
John
quote:
Originally posted by designer
Come further down for better weather.
This is a must and is near to me.
http://www.puydufou.com/en
quote:
Originally posted by John Bonnett
Quote: the cost of the Plymouth - St Malo ferry, and it's around £450,
I think you need to cross from Portsmouth to go to St Malo and certainly Brittany Ferries are very expensive.
John
We've done Portsmouth to Caen in the past and given Portsmouth is three hours west, then 6 hours on a boat, I wouldn't entertain that idea
ever again. Drive to Dover, take the car on the train, then blat westwards. Be halfway there befor I got to Portsmouth
I like Brittany/Loire region and wife has some friends who moved there a few years back.
ATB
Simon
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Erm... the Vosges mountain region is north-east!
I'm thinking about Saint-Malo, Brest, Saint-Nazaire, or similar.
don't use brittaney lines. They are just damn expensive because there is nearly no competition. The cheapest by far is LD lines.
You'll find that the weather south of the Loire River is better than north of it. Even the French use this as a basic guide of weather
predictions. It can be raining up north but in Vendée it can be glorious sunshine.
good link too (as previously posted):
http://www.puydufou.com/en
And if your missing home you could also get yourself some british fish n chips!!!
http://www.inthevendee.com/lavendeechippy/
Bon Vacances!!
From Suffolk I'd definitely cross at Dover and drive more in France - which beats driving in UK hands down. I usually use the boat, rather than
the tunnel. It's always been cheaper and you can walk around - for me coming from the North, it is a convenient break.
I've done that very journey and it was painless. The area is nice, the food is obviously good, and the town centre cafe culture is good all
day.
The Bayeux Tapestry is on display in Bayeux and if you are into miltary history, the invasion beaches are worth seeing - in fact even you are
aren't, the beaches and scenery are still great. The US cemetery at Point du Hoc is worth seeing - it's the one at the beginning of Saving
Private Ryan.