Best Vacations In France: Normandy, Brittany & The Loire Valley (part 2/2)
Updated: Oct 5, 2023
If you haven't read the 1st part of this post yet, please go ahead, and do not forget to come back! In the 1st part, I covered a few picturesque places in Normandy, including Mont Saint-Michel, and Brittany (Cancale and Saint-Malo). The 2nd part, which you are reading now, will be dedicated to other places that we visited in Brittany, including the Gulf of Morbihan area (close to Vannes), and the fantastic castles of the Loire Valley.
So, let's get started with the 2nd part of the best vacations in France!
Exploring Charming Towns Of Brittany
After breakfast in our cozy guesthouse in Le Vivier-Sur-Mer, we had a small conversation with our host, and she recommended visiting a couple of places on our way to Vannes, such as Dol-de-Bretagne and Combourg. We decided it was worth checking out these places as well, before heading to the south.
In each of these places, we spent no more than 1 hour, it was more than enough for Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town with well-preserved medieval streets. As for Combourg, this place is known for its castle which dates back to the 11th century, and was the childhood home of a famous French writer Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand. If we had more time, we would check out the castle from inside as well.
Our next stop on our way to Vannes was Rennes - the capital of the Brittany region. I liked this city: we explored the charming historical center of the city and spent half an hour at the square near Basilique Saint-Aubin, where we bought 2 old books about France for 2 EUR each.
Out of the notable places to see in Rennes, apart from this square, I would suggest the Parliament of Brittany, the Rennes Cathedral, and the Thabor Botanical Gardens.
Finally, we reached our destination - a studio in a nice guest house in Séné, a town near Vannes (the distance between these 2 places is 6 km, around 10 min by car) - so that after the check-in we were able to spend the evening in the charming historical center of Vannes and enjoyed our dinner at an amazing place "Derriere".
How To Spend One Day In Gulf Morbihan
We liked Vannes: the ambiance of the city, and the lower number of tourists in the center, compared to busy Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel, and started thinking that we should have reduced our time in Normandy by one night, and spend extra time in this area. However, no one can stop us from coming back next time, right?
The program for our only full day in this area was rather packed: we decided to explore a beautiful peninsula Rhuys, which is south of Séné, by bike, and then spend the second half of the day in Vannes, to be able to see the city under the sun.
We visited the beautiful tiny island of Saint-Armel and a few other islands with just a few houses there and enjoyed fresh local oysters for lunch.
Then we explored the impressive Castle of Suscinio, the former residence of the Dukes of Brittany, built in the late Middle Ages - our cycling trip took us a bit more than 2 hours, and we covered a distance of 50 km. Brittany is perfect for cyclists, and we will come back again.
In the late afternoon, we came back to Vannes and enjoyed again its amazing port (see the photo a bit above), which I found as impressive as the one in Honfleur, that I covered earlier. We were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful ramparts of Vannes - the fortification walls built in the Middle Ages - still in perfect condition.
Then we went inside the stunning Cathedral, got a bit lost in the center, attracted by colorful well-preserved historical houses and narrow streets.
From Carnac To The Castles
In the morning we went to see Carnac, a small town around 30 km from Vannes, which is famous for its ancient megalithic sites - thousands of standing stones or menhirs, that date back to the Neolithic period. This place is considered to be one of the most significant sites in the world and the archeologists and historians are still debating about the meaning and former usage of these stones.
After exploring Carnac and checking out its beautiful sandy beach, we headed toward our next destination - Amboise. The distance between Carnac and Amboise is around 400 km, so we decided to make a one-hour stop in Angers - a former important stronghold, with an impressive castle of Angers, being a notable historical landmark.
Finally, we arrived at Amboise, and we were so lucky to observe the stunning Castle of Amboise during the golden hour and explore a bit the charming historical center of this city, that played a significant role in the history of France.
The choice for dinner was obvious - a wine bar, where we tasted amazing local wine which was perfectly paired with appetizers.
Castles Of The Loire Valley
It was super challenging to decide which castles to visit while in the Loire Valley: all of them are stunning and of huge historical significance. Initially, we were planning to visit the Chateau d'Amboise, but we found out that the Chapel where Leonardo da Vinci was buried, was currently under reconstruction, and decided to postpone the visit to this castle to our next trip, mb in 1 year when the rebuilding is finalized.
However, we found an alternative solution: to visit the Chaâteau du Clos Lucé, a beautiful place where Leonardo da Vinci, invited to live and work in France by the French king Francis I, spent the last few years of his life. The castle and the park of Leonardo are both worth visiting and spending at least a couple of hours there.
In the afternoon we decided to explore another castle, and the one that was in the top 3 of my must-see list, was the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, a stunning Renaissance-era castle built on the island in the Indre river. Look at these amazing pictures! This castle even exceeded my expectations.
During the golden hour, we decided to find a spot to see the famous Château de Chenonceau: it was a challenging task, but we managed to find a path to the best spot for photoshopping this stunning architectural wonder. Do you want to get more details and the location of this spot? Follow me on Instagram and DM me "Chenonceau", and I will share the location with you!
The next day we had to start coming back to Luxembourg but decided to stop at Blois to walk through its historical center and check out the famous Château de Blois from outside. After that, we went to see the Château de Chambord, one of the most iconic and recognizable castles of the Loire Valley. It's the biggest castle in this area and one of its most distinctive features is its double-helix staircase, believed to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
We enjoyed our 2-week trip to France, and it is really hard to say which region we preferred the most so that we could recommend it to others. I would say, it's very personal, and each of you might like a different place, depending on your preferences, expectations, and interests.
For those who are interested in the history of France before the French Revolution, the castles of the Loire Valley will be an unforgettable experience. Wine lovers will vote for this region as well.
Those who are looking for beautiful landscapes and love works of impressionists will appreciate the beauties of nature of Normandy. If you want to see a different France and looking for something authentic - Brittany might be your best choice.
I hope you liked this series of posts - follow me on Instagram in order not to miss notifications of my further posts, where I will be covering each of the regions mentioned in this (and the preceding) post in more detail.
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