As our European adventure continues during this Pandemic, we drove from England to France via the Eurotunnel (Folkstone to Calais). It is quick and quite an interesting experience since your car goes inside a train that crosses the tunnel.
1st stop - Normandy coast (3 nights)
While Normandy is not a sexy destination in France like the Cote D’Azur or Provence, it has a feeling of nostalgia, deeply rooted history, and idyllic landscapes with rolling hills and timbered farmhouses. It’s full of bucolic charm.
HOME BASE: Honfleur – a former fortress town and fishing village, it still maintains much of its old-world charm, even though it is quite popular with tourists. Take a stroll around the Old Harbor (I did early in the morning with nobody around and it was magical) or lose yourself among the labyrinth of tiny streets lined with colorful timber-framed houses, so typical of Normandy.
STAY: La Chaumiere - set in an authentic half-timbered house, in the outskirts of Honfleur
EAT: l'Endroit and Sa Qua Na
TO DO:
1. Monet Foundation in Giverny - this quaint village is quite famous for being the location of Monet’s house and garden. It’s now a museum that maintains the artist’s home and studio as if he were alive. Walk around the gardens and water lily pond with a Japanese footbridge and you will feel part of his famous paintings.
2. D-Day Tour – we met our wonderful guide Ezzedine Hosni at the Memoriel of Caen and with him visited:
Omaha beach in the American sector - the site of the defining events of the Second World War;
la Pointe du Hoc where the American Rangers hiked up steep cliffs while the German battery above shot at them. You can still see where all the bombs were dropped but now covered with grasses;
American cemetery where more than 9000 American soldiers are buried. Extremely sad and beautiful at the same time;
German cemetery – so different and also moving when you realize that most of the soldiers buried there were just kids of 18 or 19 years of age;
Bayeux – the first town to be liberated by the Allies - see the cathedral and visit the Tapestry;
Pegasus Bridge where British gliders landed and captured this strategic bridge from the Germans. It’s unbelievable that gliders with no lights or engines were able to land next to this bridge in the dark of night with German soldiers all around it.
3. Beuvron-en-Auge - medieval and inviting town comprised of all timber-framed houses and small cobbled lanes. It’s often cited as being one of the most beautiful villages in France, and you can easily see why. The town is also well known for its cider scene.
2nd Stop – Le Perche – Normandy inland (3 nights)
Parisians love Le Perche, a nature reserve in lower Normandy that’s a two-hour journey from Paris winding through rolling green fields and forests, small medieval villages and a huge concentration of antique dealers. It is famous for its apple orchards, not its vineyards.
HOME BASE: Maison Ceronne – this contemporary & sophisticated eight-room guesthouse built on the site of an old barn, is a fantastic base to visit the area. Just skip dinner there since the food was not good.
D’Une Ile – another very good option for lodging. A lot more rustic and country-like style hotel than Maison Ceronne. But the food is fantastic. You can have lunch or dinner there even if you are not a hotel guest.
TO DO:
1. Go for a bike ride along the country roads and visit some cider producers.
2. Visit Villeray, a pretty village with mill stream, steeply stacked stone cottages and a spa hotel.
3. Visit Mortagne-au-Perche, the market-town capital of the region; charming and not very touristy.
3rd stop Loire Valley (3 nights)
The Loire Valley has long captured many travelers’ attention. The image of a verdant flat landscape dotted with castles, charming villages and vineyards is what I had in mind. And it was all that! Cycling is a great way to explore the area with a well thought out trail system along the Loire River.
HOME BASE: Loire Valley Lodges – a modern retreat hidden in a private forest. A historic farmhouse is the hub of this hotel, with dining spaces, a lounge and pool, while the rooms are individual treehouses in the forest, all styled by a different artist or designer. Breakfast is delivered in a basket, which you hoist up to your terrace with a rope pulley. So lovely!
TO SEE:
Villandry Castle - even if gardens aren't your thing, those belonging to the château in this tiny village are well worth a visit. Go right when it opens so you beat the crowds and can walk around in peace. I would recommend this strategy for all the castles. Either first thing or right before closing.
Chenonceau Castle - indisputably the most beautiful and the most photographed of all the castles and also one of the most popular. We had tickets and drove to the castle but gave up when we saw the chaos. I don’t go on vacation to stand in line and fight the crowds!
Tours - the capital town of Loire Valley. Not the most charming town you will see in France, since the bar is set very high, but worth a walk around its cobbled streets of the Middle Ages with half-timbered houses.
Amboise - smaller and more charming than Tours, but quite touristy. There is also a castle here worth visiting.
On the drive to the next stop, a visit to Rochefort-en-Terre is highly recommended. It is a fairytale-perfect French hamlet. on a hilltop overlooking the Valley of Arz. Of course it’s a bit touristy but still worth a 1-2hrs of time walking around it.
Carnac is another stop famed for its Neolithic stones, the Carnac Stones. This is the world's largest and densest collection of Neolithic monuments, with almost 3000 stones that may date to as early as 4500 BC. They consist of single standing stones called menhirs and multi-cluster stones called dolmens. Their actual purpose still remains mysterious. The town of Carnac itself is divided into Carnac-Ville and Carnac-Plages (beaches), and charming if you have some extra time to check it out.
4th stop - southern Brittany (3 nights)
Brittany has a spectacular scenery of marshes, a jagged coastline, stunning sand beaches, and azure waves. It is filled with medieval villages where the Breton language is still proudly spoken, which is actually closer to Welsh than to French. Bretons are unusually warm (for France), maybe because Brittany has had to receive more than its share of sea travelers, going back to the Vikings. It is a walkers' paradise with more marked trails than any other region in France. The GR34 is a 2000 km trail that hugs Brittany's coastline from Mont St Michel to the Gulf du Morbihan, and offers magnificent coastal walking.
And sampling crepes is a must. Crepes are to Bretons what pasta is to Italians.
HOME BASE: Villa Tri Men - located in a mansion by the sea in the tiny village of Sainte Marine. Incredibly charming!
TO DO:
Take a walk on the beach from Sainte Marine to Ile-Tudy - a tiny fishing village of low houses generally built facing away from the sea or protected by walls and narrow lanes.
If you are in town during the Farmer’s Market day, that’s worth checking out.
Have dinner at Bistrot du Brac right by the hotel in the village’s tiny port. It’s a simple bistrot serving very fresh seafood. And if the little food-trailer is still located by the parking area on the beach, have the crepe. It’s all I wanted to eat since it is to date the best I have ever had. Beats any restaurant!
But if you are looking for a more refined dinner, the restaurant at Villa Tri Men is a good option.
5th Stop – Northern Brittany: 3 nights
HOME BASE: Ferme du Vent - facing the Mont Saint Michel bay, this Celtic farm was lovingly restored by the Roellinger family, at walking distance from its famous Château Richeux. It is rustic and luxurious at the same, with a spa with Celtic baths, sauna and hammam.
WHAT WE LOVED:
The bay view facing Mont Saint-Michel with vistas of the highest tides in Europe.
Spending an evening at Château Richeux for a drink at its terrace and then dinner at Le Coquillage, its 2 Michelin-starred restaurant.
Stay in for the night and enjoy dinner that will be brought to your room.
Take a hike along the trail that follows the coast - go as far as you want and turn around or go all the way to Cancale and take a taxi back.
VISIT NEARBY:
Mont Saint-Michel [Mont Saint-Michel is one of France's most visited landmarks, dedicated to the Mont St. Michel Archangel St. Michael. It's a breathtaking Gothic fortress-style island rising dramatically from the bay. The town down below is underwhelming and overly touristy, however the abbey and monastery are breathtaking. Book a timed visit in advance]
Dinan [Hanging on the side of a cliff, Dinan is one of the most famous and magical villages in Brittany. It's an impeccably preserved ancient city that escaped the bombing of WWII. Dinan is a walled village with a historic port, cobbled lanes, and a wealth of timber-framed houses everywhere]
Saint-Suliac [It's a charming tiny fishing village, located between Saint-Malo and Dinan. Its pretty granite houses, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, are adorned with flowers, painted shutters, and fishing nets. There's not much to do besides enjoy the scenery]
Saint Malo [Saint-Malo is a beautiful walled town, thrust out into the sea and straight out of the history books. Though seriously damaged in WWII, Saint Malo was restored to perfection. Don’t miss a walk along the Atlantic beach under the towers of the city walls EAT: LE COMPTOIR BREIZH CAFÉ (creperie) or Otonali - Breton-style Japanese pub]
Cancale [Cancale is a coastal fishing village and the oyster capital of Brittany EAT: La Table Breizh - Chef Raphaël Fumio-Kudaka’s offshoot, located on the incredible Breizh Café’s first floor]
