Staying around Tours for 1 week but need ideas of where we can stop off en route back to Calais for the second week of our hol. We need a good base with lots to see and do in the nearby area and somewhere pretty. A good hotel would also be helpful if anyone could recommend one. Open to any ideas. Many thanks.
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The obvious answer is somewhere in Normandy. It%26#39;s a bit difficult to be more specific without more info. When are you going to be there? Kids? If so, what ages. What are your specific interests? I%26#39;m kind of guessing from your post that the D-day beaches are not high on your list.
There are lots of options including the Normandy Perche, the Suisse Normande, the Pays d%26#39;Auge and the coast between Cabourg and Honfleur, the Seine valley anywhere between Vernon and the estuary, and a few more. Either grab a copy of a good regional guide (possibly Michelin) or do some research on these areas online and see what grabs you. And tell us a bit more about you and when you will be there.
The one place I would suggest you avoid except as a place to visit if you have never been is Bayeux, especially if you are going to be there in the summer. Not that I have anything against Bayeux but (1) every tourist especially North Americans seems to think there is nowhere else to stay in Normandy and (2) it%26#39;s a bit far from the direct route from Tours to Calais.
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Thanks for the info.
We are travelling the end of June 2010 and there will be just the two of us. We are a couple in our early 50%26#39;s and like to enjoy the countryside, so somewhere picturesque would be perfect. Also like looking around museums and old buildings, and generally just relaxing.
Any further ideas would be helpful.
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We spent two nights in a village called Ancinnes, south of Alencon, at a very very nice B%26amp;B run by an English couple. It%26#39;s called La Basse Cour. (One of the owners posts on TripAdvisor.) I wouldn%26#39;t have thought there was much to do in that rural area, but there was. Ancinnes is near the hilly Foret de Perseigne. Beaumont sur Sarthe and Fresnay sur Sarthe are nearby and we found them well worth a visit. The Alpes Mancelles are nearby, including one of the officially most beautiful villages of France, St Ceneri le Gerei. Don%26#39;t miss that. Some of these places are recommended on the Basse Cour website. Something that isn%26#39;t on their website is the Jardin Humoriste, humorous concrete statues along the road in Fye. Oh, and the priory at Vivoin had a wonderful fabric art exhibit (Sept 2009 so probably not going to be there next June, but something else might be).
While we were at La Basse Cour, an Australian couple was using the B%26amp;B as a base and taking long day trips to Mont St Michel, Bayeux, Honfleur, and other fairly distant places. They took back roads so they could enjoy the countryside. They would alternate long driving days with a day walk in the nearby hills. I%26#39;m not recommending that you hit the coastal high spots from Ancinnes, but apparently it can be done.
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Hi -
You need to read a guide book so you can give a better idea of your specific tastes and preferences. %26quot;Lots to see and do%26quot; can describe anywhere you haven%26#39;t been before, even though nothing there interests you in the least. What type of museums: art, technical subjects, military, sculpture, vocational, performing arts? There are dozens of types in most countries, but France may have even more than most. By now you can imagine how many types of old buildings there might be, so you understand why a little research on your part will make it possible for you to have an itinerary that is tailor made just for the two of you, and for all of us to help.
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