Western France: Brittany

The delights of the French way of life can be summed up in one word, Brittany. Brittany offers eight hundred miles of grand rocky coastline with scores of bays and little fishing villages. The enchanting countryside is dotted with giant granite boulders and wild meadows on the moors, thickets and forests in a gently rolling landscape.

It is the buildings that give a region its soul, and in Brittany, you can find it in the megaliths, calvaries, castles, manor houses, countless chapels and old villages. All of them bear witness to Brittany's eventful history and wealth of traditions.

Popular traditions, local musical instruments and dialects still used in many parts of this region contribute to the particular character of Brittany.

Places of interest

Belle Ile

The largest of the Breton islands, Vauban citadel

Brest

Commercial port, and important naval base, Siam Street known to sailors throughout the world

Cancale

Small fishing port famous for oysters

Carnac

Lines of almost 3,000 menhirs (gigantic stones) of which the last were erected in 2,000 B.C., Museum of prehistory, St. Michel tumulus (burial chambers)

Combourg

Birthplace of romanticism, 16th century chateau where Chateaubriand was born

Concarneau

Fishing port, old walled-town, little island with narrow streets and picturesque houses, surrounded by ramparts

Dinan

Historical walled town high above the Rance River

Dinard

Opposite St-Malo in a magnificent setting on the estuary of the Rance River

Douarnenez

Typical Breton fishing port, port museum

Josselin

Chateau with 15th century manor owned by the Rohan family

Lorient

Military and fishing port. The center of town, destroyed between 1944-45 has been rebuilt in regional style

Paimpol

Sea and Floating Museums, boat excursions to Bréhat Island from Pointe de l'Arcouest

Perros-Guirec

Leading resort on the "Pink Granite Coast"

Pont-Aven

Quaint village with typical architecture along the painter's route

Quiberon

Boat service to three quiet and restful islands: Belle Ile, Houat, Hoedic

Quimper

Gothic cathedral, Museum of Fine arts, pottery, old town

Rennes

Capital of Brittany, medieval streets, half timbered houses, Brittany Museum

St. Malo

Historical walled city, fishing port and yachting harbor

Tréguier

Former Episcopal city, 13th-15th century St. Tugdual Cathedral, Ernest Renan's House

Vannes

St. Peter Cathedral (13th-19th century) with 16th century Gothic doorways, Place Henri IV with 16th century ga

Technical tourism and sports

Thalassotherapy, river cruises, cooking classes "Crêpe Bretonne", earthenware

Sailing, hiking, cycling, golf, spas.

Cuisine

Brittany is the place for seafood such as shellfish, oysters, scallops and many tasty varieties of fish. Brittany is also famous for its farm produce such as salt meadow lamb, poultry and pork meat products. Delicious crêpes in one of the typical Breton "crêperies" along the roadside or in the centers of old towns welcome visitors with a traditional cup of cider. Other specialties of the region are wafer biscuits and butter cookies.