Plan a Road Trip in France with TravelerCar

Few things get us more excited than talking with readers about the endless possibilities there are for your road trip in France – doesn’t the mention of it just make your feet tingle? You may not know where to begin, however – and we don’t blame you! That’s where we come in.

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So what’s our vision? As a car sharing company, we  give visitors a local view into French life. Starting, most fundamentally, by building solidarity with locals through renting their unused cars. Both of you rest easy knowing you’re doing your part to help the environment, and you get to save locals money by giving them free parking.  Our car sharing services are offered to travelers at all three Paris airports – so whether you’re flying into Orly, Roissy CDG, or Beauvais, we’ve got you covered.

We take you free of charge a local’s car, and the exact one you reserved. You and the car you choose have total insurance coverage – so all that limits you is your imagination (and maybe your vacation time). Our coverage reaches to every part of France, and all bordering countries (plus Portugal). Read about some of your foreign opportunities.

Based on the type of trip you are planning – whether you want to get to know one region in detail, or discover wide swaths of the country – you can select a car based on your needs.

We’ll bring you different types of inspiration for your road trip in France – to suit each taste and curiosity. At TravelerCar our vision is to help visitors experience France in as local a way as possible – you are renting a local’s car, after all.

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So today, we bring you some  ideas for a regional road trip in France – allowing you to get to know the country’s cultural diversity in greater detail.

The Normandie and Bretagne Voyage
Normandy and Brittany, as they are known in English, contain some of France’s most beautiful natural wonders. They’re popular destinations for their quaint towns, stunning nature, friendly inhabitants, and wonderful foods native to the area – including crêpes! The two regions are also located right next to each other, and a short drive from Paris, making this a great place to start if you’re scratching your head about your first car sharing road trip in France.

Bretagne is especially interesting for its rich Celtic heritage, and many inhabitants still speak the Bréton dialect, particularly in the south. Locals are proud of their heritage, and this makes for an ideal window into French regional traditions.

Traditional costume

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We kick off your regional trip with Normandie.

Normandie

Mont Saint-Michel – UNESCO world heritage site, in lower Normanide

The region of Normandie provides a ton of options on your way to Bretagne – in fact, you could easily plan your trip around this region. We recommend the historic town Caen, followed by Mont Saint-Michel – a religious pilgrimage site, originally a haven for monks – as pictured above.

Total kilometers:
Paris to Caen – About 240 kms, ~2hrs, 20 mins
Caen to Mont Saint-Michel – About 120 kms, ~1hr, 20 mins

Bretagne
Dinan

Medieval sites and delicious eating – oh my!

Dinan is on your way between recommended destinations, and it is a great way to get started in Bretagne. The medieval town is full of hills and divided by a gorgeous river.

Total kilometers from last destination:
Mont Saint-Michel to Dinan – About 58 kms, ~45 mins

Cap Fréhel

Beautiful castle Fort la Latte in Fréhel

The Fréhel peninsula includes castle Fort-la-Latte – dating back to the 1300s – and beautiful, rocky outcroppings.

Total kilometers from last destination:
Dinan to Fréhel –  About 37 kms, ~40 mins

Côte de Granit Rose

Pink colored rocky coasts in Bretagne – Côte de Granit Rose

Located in Northern Bretagne and stretching about 10km between small towns Perros-Guirec, Trégastel, Pleumeur-Bodou, and Trébeurden. We could personally spend a lot of time here – getting around to writing that novel, painting, befriending locals…

Total kilometers from last destination:
Cap Fréhel to Perros-Guirec – About 115kms, ~1 hr, 25 mins

Second Leg of Trip
At this point in your trip, you have reached pretty deep into Bretagne – you can continue westward and southward, onto more coastal towns, or, depending on your time constraints – head back to Paris. If you have the time, we recommend going a bit further in to southwest Bretagne for this gem.

Quimper

Do you really want to experience France like a local? Quimper is an absolutely gorgeous small town located on lower Bretagne, where a large proportion of the locals still speak the Bréton dialect, and even learn it in school at equal level with French. The town draws in French far and wide for its unique artisan pottery. For a truly Bréton experience – we recommend Quimper.

Total kilometers from last destination:
Perros-Guirec to Quimper – About 140kms, ~1 hr, 50 mins

Quimper is known for having some of the best crêpes and cider in Bretagne.

Your trip back to Paris from Quimper is about 5 hours, so we recommend stopping along the way at the Bretagne capital.

Rennes

Rennes, Brittany Capital

The capital of Brittany, Rennes is charming and welcoming. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in France, but still retains the slow lifestyle and good eating that Bretagne is known for. It contains medieval ramparts and landmarks, despite damage in World War II.

Total kilometers from last destination:
Quimper to Rennes – about 215 kms, ~2hrs 12 mins

Back to Paris
Refreshed from your road trip in France – you’ve seen sites more beautiful than you have ever imagined, met some amazing people, and sampled some fantastic regional cuisine – you head back to Paris to catch your flight and drop off your car (or maybe check out Paris if you haven’t already!). Your mileage from Rennes to Paris is about 350kms and 3hrs 20mins, so stop on your way and check out the scenery.

So in total, how many kilometers did it take you to visit these breathtaking sites in Normandie and Bretagne?

• Caen (Normandie)
• Mt. Saint Michel (Normandie)
• Dinan (Bretagne)
• Cap Fréhel (Bretagne)
• Côte de Granit Rose (Bretagne)
• Quimper (Bretagne)
• Rennes (Bretagne)

If you made all of our seven recommended stops along the way (and gotten a look at everything in between) – you’ve discovered plenty of great regional traditions in northwestern France at just under 1300 kms. Not bad, huh! 🙂

Hope you liked our Bretagne and Normandie recommendations. We hope you feel inspired! Keep checking back as we deliver road trips tailored to other regions and tastes.

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Let us know in the comments section what you think of our picks for this regional road trip in France – are there any other places we should include along this route?

If you have more time on your hands for your road trip in France, check out our southern suggestions.

As always, Happy Travels!