Farm-to-Table Gastronomy in Brittany, France

Experience the food and wine of France - April 2024

Gastronomy Tour of Brittany – April 15-22, 2024

Your Guide: Simon Renault

Join us on this trip through Brittany, France, where you will experience the richness of the Breton “terroir.” The tour is an exploration of the food of this region of France, from the farm to the table.

Brittany's culinary wealth comes from generations of humble peasant cooking. Whether ingredients come from the farm, the field and orchard, or from the seacoast, they are all valued for their quality. Each meal is served with pride.

You will witness how people's passion for their food heritage translates into culinary delights and how centuries of this relationship with farm-fresh food has created local styles and specialties. We will learn which apple varieties make the best hard cider, how salt became a trademark of Breton baking, and how an innkeeper on Mont Saint Michel earned a reputation for wood-fired omelets and salt lamb in the late 1800s.

You will also meet with oyster farmers, visit age-old farmers markets and tour one of the oldest operating flour mills in France. And of course, we will taste the famous buckwheat galette in a "creperie," along with a cup of world-renowned Breton hard cider.

Brittany, known as the Celtic part of France, has a rich and deep culture. This tour will be a delight for the senses while teaching you much about a culture that’s proud of its rich food history.

Inquire About This Trip

What we’ll do:

Here are some of the activities waiting for you in Brittany on this trip:

Learn how the best crepes are made at the “Atelier de la Crepe”
Visit the oyster farms of Cancalle
Visit Mont Saint Michel
Attend the Marche de la Cohue (farmers’ market) in fortified city of Dinan
Visit Brittany’s oldest operating flour mill
Visit the Salt Caramel factory of La Maison Guela
Tour the walled city of Saint Malo and learn about its remarkable history of state-sponsored piracy
Visit Rennes and experience one of France’s oldest farmers markets.

And naturally, we’ll dine at excellent restaurants throughout the tour.

Dates: April 15-22, 2024 in Saint Malo, France
Cost: $3750 (see below for details)
Maximum group size: 12

More:

Meet Simon Renault, your guide to the food and culture of Brittany, France

Simon Renault grew up in Brittany and comes from generations of small Breton farmers. He has worked as a heritage tour guide in France and Ireland before meeting his wife in the United Stated and moving to Vermont. He started his own small organic farm in 2008.

Simon is now general manager at Scott Farm, a Vermont orchard that grows more than 130 varieties of heirloom apples. At Scott Farm, Simon loves sharing his Breton heritage by hosting Crêpe Nights and serving an excellent hard cider. Simon loves hiking, gardening, cooking, and eating well. For Simon, there is no better way to share good conversation and joie de vivre than around a table.

Where we’re based: Saint Malo

Saint Malo is the most visited location in Brittany given its lovely location along the beach and its harbor that serves both small craft and major ferries serving locations along the southern British coast.

The walled old part of the city, known as Intra-Muros, is where our hotel is located. This will give you easy access to St Vincent Cathedral and the many shops, cafes and creperies that line the narrow, cobblestone streets, and of course the ocean is all around.

During World War II, Saint Malo was heavily bombed, destroying much of the center of the city. But it has been painstakingly restored. Some of you may already be familiar with this chapter of French history in Saint Malo from the book All the Light We Cannot See by Antony Doerr.

Saint Malo is also a convenient, central location for access to the rest of Brittany and such unique places as Mont Saint Michel, which we’ll visit.

Certainly we’ll head out into the countryside to see where the Breton cuisine has its roots in the area’s many farms and orchards. We’ll also visit farmers’ markets and see fishing boats unload their catch.

And beyond all this, we will eat and we will eat well. This trip, however, is not only about the food. It is also about the culture behind the cuisine.

Where we’ll stay:

Hotel des Abers is a small and charming hotel, directly in the fortified center (Intra-Muros) of Saint Malo. We will occupy nearly all of the 14 rooms of the hotel that combines traditional French hospitality with modern amenities.

The Hotel des Abers’ website is at: www.hoteldesabers.com

Trip Details

(Click + to expand)

April 15-22, 2024 (7 nights - 8 days)
Total cost of the tour: $3750

Supplement for single occupancy: $525

Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $350

(Places in the tour are limited to 12 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!)
Payment schedule
$350 deposit. The deposit is refundable through January 1, 2024
$1700 initial payment (Due January 15, 2024)
$1700 final payment (Due February 15, 2024.
All payments are refundable if we need to cancel the trip due to government restrictions or unsafe travel conditions.
** Earn a $300 discount when you bring or refer a friend.
- Excursions and special activities throughout the week
- Pickup and drop-off at designated airport
- 7 nights lodging
- 7 dinners and breakfasts, with appropriate amounts of cider, beer or local wine
- Local transportation by van and driver
- Visits to local food producers
What’s not included:
- Airfare & Travel Insurance
- Lunches
- Misc. entry fees
We will stay at the Hotel des Abers, a small and charming hotel, directly in the fortified center (Intra-Muros) of Saint Malo. We will occupy nearly all of the 14 rooms of the hotel that combines traditional French hospitality with modern amenities.
The Hotel des Abers’ website is at: www.hoteldesabers.com
Dinners will be taken at fine local restaurants throughout the week. Breakfasts are at our hotel.
To extend your trip, and take some time to catch up on your sleep before the tour begins, you may wish to arrive early. A few days in Paris are a definite option.
You can create your own itinerary, of course, before and after the workshop. You can fly into Paris or visit elsewhere in Europe and fly home from there.
Your deposit is non-refundable after January 15, 2024, unless of course the trip is canceled for any reason by Travel Fever Tours. Natural disasters, political instability or low enrollment would form the basis for canceling a trip. After that date, payments you make are nonrefundable.

You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements. In all cases, review of enrollment numbers will not take place any later than the date of the First Installment payment.