Review of our 2 months roadtrip in Brittany during the fall of 2021. Itinerary ideas and budget for a van trip

France: the most visited country in the world with its 89 million annual tourists. I'm not hiding it from you, I totally ignored that fact.... We know that France is a touristic country, but I was ignoring that it is the most visited country in the world!
In other words, for us who live right next to this beautiful country, it was really time to go and explore it a little more. Being Swiss is funny, because the country may be right next door, but we had to wait until 2016 to come here for the first time. Since then, I think we can say that we've made up for it! In total we spent nearly 10 months travelling in France (all this in only 3 years ,it's not too bad) ;)
A large part of this number comes from the fact that we traveled across the country for almost 7 months during the writing-process of our book "Randos bière en France" - Beer hiking in France (we will tell you more about it later on this page).
We have published a lot of articles on France. During our roadtrip in France we have travelled quite a few regions and below you will find a map where all our items can be easily found.
The budget of a trip to France will depend on many different factors such as the type of accommodation, the mode of transport, the desire for comfort, the activities etc.... But overall France is not a very cheap country, even if it is still possible to travel there on a small budget if you are careful (and like camping) ;) .
The season also has a very significant impact on the budget. During our 7-month trip we noticed a drastic change in the price of accommodation as soon as we arrived in the summer holiday period. (As a reminder, we had made our great trip to France from March to September 2018).
the average budget per person for a trip to France is 63€ per day and per person.
For our part, we were quite a bit below that figure. Over our 7 months of travel we spent an average of 36.1€ per day and per person. This figure includes our transportations (gas, parking, tolls), accommodation (airbnb, bed and breakfast, camping and stays with friends), food (shopping at the supermarket, restaurants, bars, etc.) and activities.
See our detailed budget for France
Note: In the article above we also give all our advice to reduce car costs during a long trip to France.
Staying overnight in France is extremely easy and there are really options for all budgets! Here is a list of the different options available to you:
To compare easily the different accomodation types you can take a look at the map below. Simply zoom in to your desired location and use the filters to refine your search:
France is a country with spectacular landscapes and above all a crazy variety! In Switzerland we are used to our alpine and rural landscapes, but in France we have discovered a completely different variety! The contrast between north and south, the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, Brittany, the hilly landscapes of Alsace, the superb Black Périgord, etc.... In short, in terms of hiking, we clearly had fun in France.
On the hikes we have done in France here is our small selection of our favorites:
The Crozon peninsula: 5 days along the customs path in Brittany.
Are you travelling to Brittany? Then don't miss our page about Brittany. You'll find more infos about the region as well as all the blog posts we wrote about our several trips there.
5 days in the Gorges du Verdon: an itinerary done with our tent in June
The volcanoes of Auvergne: a beautiful hike to the Banne d'Ordanche
Castellar: A day trip above Menton to enjoy a crazy panorama!
The Northern Vosges: between hills and castles
Opal Coast: a superb hike from Wissant
In France we have enjoyed discovering the more natural and wild places, but even if we are not particularly fond of cities, there are some that we liked more than others. Here is a small list of our favorite French cities.
The book is currently available in French. Thus, if you do not speak French this might not be ideal, even if for hikes it does not matter so much... You can still get the itinerary (maps and GPX trail can be downloaded when purchasing the book), and you'll, of course, be able to taste the beer in the end.
During this trip we made about a hundred hikes (70 itineraries are present in the book) and of course tasted a rather large number of French artisanal beers. After almost a year of work, our book was published on March 8, 2019 by Helvetiq and is now available throughout France.
This project was really what you might call a heart project. Going on a beer hike is really a unique opportunity to discover a region a little differently and above all to meet local craftsmen. But enough of the blah, blah, blah, blah... To learn more about the project I let you watch the video below.
Otherwise, to get more information about the book:
To buy the book: We invite you to visit all the good bookshop! Or if you prefer to order it online, here it is:
France is THE country of good gastronomy... And I think I can officially say that it is also the country where we have systematically gained weight during our visits:)
Each region has its own specialities and it is just amazing to see the diversity of the dishes. Generally speaking, there are some specificities of French cuisine that will always make me laugh (from a "foreign" point of view). Here is a short list of things that make me smile:
Well, after talking to you about these small, rather general specificities, let's move on to the serious stuff.... Which French specialities did we prefer and in which region?
You're still wondering why I said we gained weight? :)
Here is a list of sites, guides, and products that are useful to prepare your trips to France
Books:
getting around in France
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Review of our 2 months roadtrip in Brittany during the fall of 2021. Itinerary ideas and budget for a van trip
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After several trips to Brittany (almost 4 months), we share with you the towns and villages we liked the most during our visits in Brittany
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Our little guide to North Finistère; find here all our travel tips to discover the North coast of Brittany between Carantec and Brest.
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A look back on our 3 weeks experience in one of the first coliving in France which has just opened in Briançon, in the heart of the Hautes-Alpes region.
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Skiing in the Hautes-Alpes: in this article we introduce you a little more the resort of Briancon and the Valley of Serre-Chevalier. An overview of the nearby areas and good tips to buy your ski pass.
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We did 3 snowshoe hiking itineraries in the surroundings of Briançon for those who would like to do something other than skiing in the Hautes-Alpes
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Welcome to Névache in the Vallée de la Clarée, a little corner of paradise for lovers of nature and enchanting winter landscapes. The valley is extremely well preserved and is a paradise for cross-country skiing, sealskin or...
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Discover another side of Lille by walking the streets in search of street art and get refreshed with the best craft beers in France.