Bretagne without a car
You are wondering if it is possible to explore Bretagne without a car? Here, we are going to explain you how to visit our region Brittany by train and bus. You are lucky our region is quite well connected with the regional train. You will just need to plan it a bit but you you can get to lot of places without a car.
First, the TGV (speed train) go to lot of big towns of Brittany but stop also in small town that can be a good option for your trip.
In this article we suggest you three perfect base camp to explore Bretagne without a car : Dol de Bretagne, Lannion and Auray. Once you are in this town, it will be easy to say for few days and explore around.
Our local train is called TER, you will find timetable and discount on their official website. Our region is really focus on promoting the use of train for tourism. They have offers on week-ends and summer, do not hesitate to check it.
Now, we are quite use to travel around the world. We noticed that when we want to see lot of things in a country or state, the best is to choose a base camp and to make day trip from it. If you change places too often you loose too much time in transport and with your luggage so you won’t be abble to visit.
We analyze for you the best spot to stay and explore from without a car.
1 Dol de Bretagne
Medieval small town of 6000 inhabitants but with a great railway station. Dol de Bretagne is a TGV stop so you can come directly from Paris 4 times a day. Once you are in Dol de Bretagne you can go to :
Saint-Malo : 16 min From there you can go to Cancale with bus 5 et Dinard by boat. Boat to Jersey Island (UK).
Mont Saint-Michel 40min by bus,
Dinan 25 min by train
Combourg 10 min by train
Rennes in 35min by train
You can also read this article for deeper info about what to explore from Dol de Bretagne
Dol de Bretagne is a great hub to explore Bretagne without a car but it is also a cute town. The city center has houses from the 12th century and a cathedral. There is also a big menhir to see. If you liked Obelix (cartoon) and has always wanted to see its big stone, you can walk 20 minutes from downtown to see the Menhir du Champ Dolent.
By bike or walking you can also go to the village of Mont-Dol from where you will have a view on all the bay of Mont Saint-Michel. There is also lot of nice hikes to do.
What I recommend also is to go to mont Saint-Michel by bike early in the morning (2h cycling paths all the way) and come back with the train at 13H41 Pontorson-Dol de Bretagne (check timetable for train before)
2- Auray
Auray is a charming neighbor of the city of Vannes. With a TGV station at the crossroads of several destinations, this town will allow you to explore a good part of the south of Brittany by train.
Vannes is only 10 minutes from the TER, Carnac and its hundreds of menhirs are 25 minutes away and Quiberon is 1h10 min away.
If you have more days, you can also take the train to Vannes and spend the day on Belle-Ile, there are regular ferries.
Lots of options for day trips from Auray and discovering the territory without a car. For the bravest, do not hesitate to take a little more train and spend a day exploring Quimper which is 1 hour away by train.
3 – Lannion
The town of Lannion does not have the charm of yesteryear but its historic center deserves a short stroll. Lannion is the “city” of the Côte de Granit Rose, so it is from here that you will find buses to go to Perros-Guirec, Ile Grande and Trébeurden.
The bus network is well developed but you need patience because there are not every 5 minutes. You will find the lines and timetables here.
The coast is beautiful and you should walk parts of the GR34 to see wild and amaizing landscapes. Make your hiking circuits in relation to the bus, this will allow you not to have to go back and forth.
Several boat trips are also possible, such as the famous “tour of the 7 islands” which leaves from Trestaou beach in Perros-Guirec.
Pour garder cet article pour plus tard, n’oubliez pas de l’épingler :
Tags: Bretagne
In: Full day trip