Fay de Bretagne is the only circuit I've had the chance to put my wheels on so far. I've also been to Le Mans as a passenger several times, which lets me compare the tracks a bit.
Le Mans is a much faster circuit. Not in top speed, where Fay's straight is hard to beat, but in cornering speed. Fay “twists around” more. It's good for probing your mechanical grip, and above all your car's front end. Both tracks feel very safe, but Fay is a less intimidating circuit for a first time.
The tarmac, on the other hand, is more abrasive, because it's practically new. Something to bear in mind for cars with expensive tyres. While the average cost of a trackday there is lower (around €150 vs 350 at Le Mans), tyres wear roughly 1.5 to 2 times faster depending on how you drive.
You also need to be careful with the organisers. Some are sticklers for the rules and the days go well (Motorsport Academy for example), others are less strict. The problem is that while overtaking in corners is easy at Le Mans, it's much trickier at Fay. So you need to know how to show some restraint with certain difficult characters…
Some niche organisers even offer excellent rates (under €130 for ES2010).
You can find gites that aren't expensive and, above all, very pleasant in the surrounding countryside (€35 / night), and everything you need nearby: restaurants / fuel etc.
Overall, for me it's an experience fully equivalent to a session at Le Mans, and the lower cost of a day on this circuit will let me practise there a bit more regularly than on a big prestigious track.
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