Brittany Tour

Everthing went very well and our Tour Guide Steve Hartnell was fantastic,superb under pressure.The hotel was spotlessly clean,towels were changed every day and the bedding was changed on day 3.The breakfast was copious and plentifull.The visits to the magnicient sites were splendid , giving us enough free time to explore on our own.Once again , Bravo to Steve and all the team at Travel Editions.A definite 5 Star Tour.Thanks to you all.

Terry was a most helpful, interesting and knowledgeable tour manager

Stonehenge on Steroids is one way of describing the extraordinary array of megaliths at Carnac, the destination of the first excursion from Rennes. I found the extent and scale of the site almost overwhelming. My little Guide Book names it as the best place to see in Brittany and I can see why. If you look at a map of Brittany, find Rennes almost in the centre and then imagine a spider - Itsy Bitsy, Charlotte, call it what you will. Its body is Rennes and the legs are the roads to the coast, north, south, east and west we travelled daily to see the fabulous sights of Brittany. South east to Vannes for the morning before travelling to Carnac. I cheated and jumped on Le Petit Train which went through the medieval old town past the carvings of Vannes et sa femme adorning a corner of a Maison de Vannes and the cathedral and still got back in time for a delicious lunch at L’Atlantique. The stormy weather did not spoil the visit to Le Mont-Saint-Michel on the north coast, the abbey, with its statue of St Michel crowning the spire, last seen by me on TV at the Grand Depart of Le Tour de France in 2016! The sun had come out for the brief visit to Fougères, which, with its round towers and conical roofs reminded me more than a little of Carcassonne. Rennes is a good base to see Brittany. The Mercure Hotel was very good, its air conditioning keeping us cool in ever increasing heat. Plenty of restaurants close by and I enjoyed my visit to le Musee de Beaux-Arts, especially when I found a beautiful White Iris painting by the American artist Georgia O’Keefe on loan from Madrid. The legs of our spider might not be too interesting, mainly fringed by small fields of maize and the occasional black and white cow, conifer and deciduous trees and purple-pink heather but the destinations are perfect. Terry Regan, our experienced Tour Manager, ensured we were familiar with the history, sometimes very gory, of the places we visited and Valerie, our driver, delivered us safely and smoothly to all our destinations. I loved Dinan with its medieval centre and again jumped on le Petit Train which went down to the river and back. At Dinard, right on the sandy beach with its rows of little blue and white striped tents, I enjoyed my lunch, Moules & Frites and a glass of Muscadet which set me up nicely for the visit to the imposing granite walled citadel of St Malo. Paimpol is a very pretty fishing port and we visited on market day where I bought delicious local cherries and apricots. Sitting out of the sun in a cafe on the quayside, I enjoyed a coffee and a chat with some locals who were very impressed with the TV quality on my iPhone. Fortunately, I had been able to keep up with le Tour de France as it headed towards the Pyrenees and its first high altitude stage. Did you see Julian Alaphillippe in his race leader’s yellow skin suit, win Stage 13, the Time Trial at Pau? Beating our Geraint Thomas by 14 seconds it was one of the most exciting stages of the race. The second rest day seemed a long time coming. In 2011, I travelled with Travel Editions to Brittany, staying on the west coast and visiting many coastal places. This present Tour is an excellent way to see Brittany and another very successful Tour. Thanks again, Travel Editions.

Despite extreme heat and crowds at border checks, the tour went smoothly, largely due to the efforts of the tour manager, Hélène, who dealt with any difficulties expertly and with a smile. Rennes, where the hotel is located, is an attractive and friendly city and all of the places we visited were fantastic. Our local driver was also friendly and excellent.

Enjoyed my trip, no problems with trains. Rennes was an excellent base, hotel handy for evening walks and varied eating options, so much to enjoy in Rennes. All trips were good but not enough time in each place, last trip to the coast very long and because of the large coach not particularly scenic, excellent driving by our French driver and careful guiding by Helene Gaujac. A great holiday Thank you.

I'd be interested to know why this tour was operated over the Bastille weekend? The coach transfer between Gare du Nord & Gare Montparnasse was too tight for comfort. Rennes was a good base if not a particularly exciting city and the Hotel Mercure very comfortable. Mont St Michel was easily the best excursion but trying to locate the pink granite cliffs was a tedious and unsuccessful quest. Steve the tour manager was excellent and the coach driver was polite and efficient.

This was an excellent tour. The only disappointment was on Day 6: Full day tour to Cote de Granit Rose and Paimpol. Paimpol was the least interesting town that we visited. We saw very little of the Cote de Granit Rose. We drove to Ploumanac'h and saw a little of the coast there and then down to Tregastel, passing large areas of mudbank on the way. I had rather expected a coastal drive with views of the pink granite rocks and the sea. It was a long journey to see so little.

Free day in Rennes would have been better on a weekday as shops would have been open.

Overall a very enjoyable holiday. Rennes was a good base, with plenty to see and do, and the free day there was much appreciated. The hotel was well located for access to the old town, with plenty of good quality restaurants within easy walking distance. All of the excursions were worthwhile, with the exception of the trip to the pink granite coast where the few glimpses of the coast that we saw did not justify the long hours spent on the coach. The earlier start to the day for the trip to Mont St Michel was well worth it as we avoided the worst of the crowds, making for a much pleasanter experience.