Crozon Peninsula
The peninsula forms a cross that spreads its branches out to the sea. Panoramas of rare, savage beauty from the Points.
Crozon (polychrome reredos dating back to 1602 in the modern church)
Camaret-sur-Mer (Notre-Dame-de-Rocamaour Chapel, Vauban Castle, the Lagatjar Alignments with their 143 menhirs).
Penhir Point (a 70 m drop to the sea and panorama of the Tas de Pois, Dinan Point, Saint-Mathieu Point and Toulinguet Point.) Espagnols Point (panoramic view of the Brest narrows and the entire natural harbor).
Dinan Point (panoramic view of Chèvre cape to the south, the Cornouaille coast, Penhir and Raz Points…)
La Cornouaille
Quimper
Former capital of Cornouaille, on the banks of the Odet River. Narrow lanes are home to delightful half-timbered houses with names that bring medieval craftsmen to mind. The town owes its celebrity in part to the dynasty of earthenware potters dating back to 1690. Things to see: St. Corentin Cathedral (13th and 15th centuries), the old part of Quimper (Kéréon street), the Fine Arts Museum, the Museum of Earthenware and the Quimper earthenware factories. Locronan
Picturesque 15th and 16th century town with delightful granite houses from the Renaissance.
Things to see: the town square, St. Ronan Church and Pénity Chapel, Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle Chapel.
'Les Troménies' (processions to the summit of the mountain).
Places to walk: Locronan mountain (2 km to the east; elevation 289 m). Douarnenez
The town with three ports.
Places to visit: Rosmeur Port, Musée Port, Boat museum, Floating museum.
Places to walk: Plomarc'h path (picturesque views of Douarnenez), Roches-Blanches trail
Raz Point
At the western extremity of Cornouaille, a rocky crag juts out from the impressive Raz de Sein.Classified 'grand site national', this wild, protected place offers a spectacular view of the ocean and currents between Sein island and the numerous shoals and rocks that dot the Brittany coast.
Things to see: the panoramic view of the ocean near the statue of Notre-Dame-des-Naufragés, Trépassés Bay, Van Point…
Out at sea, a strip of land just visible above the level of the ocean: Sein island…
Penmarch Peninsula
In the land of Bigouden, immortalized by Pierre-Jakez Hélias in 'The Horse of Pride'.
Things to see: Notre-Dame-de-Tronoën Calvary cross and Chapel, Torche Pointe (meeting place for surfers), St. Guénolé (Museum of prehistoric Finistère), Eckmühl lighthouse (1897), Penmarch (St. Nonna Church), Loctudy and Kerazan Manor…
Concarneau
A major fishing port, Concarneau is famous for the 14th century granite ramparts entirely encircling the town.
Places to visit: the Ville Close (walled town) and the Musée de la Pêche (fishing museum). Pont Aven, home to painters
This little town on the banks of the Aven was a favorite of mid-19th century painters like Paul Gauguin, Emile Bernard and Maurice Denis, who created the 'Ecole de Pont Aven' there in 1886. Places to walk: the Bois d'Amour (hilly coastal path following the Aven River), the port.
Things to see: Pont Aven Museum, Trémalo Chapel (early 16th century).
Nearby: Kerdruc (15th century tide-powered mill), Hénant (lovely port on the Aven), Névez (18th century houses built of 'standing stone' and the 16th century Sainte Barbe Chapel), Manech Port (a double estuary formed by the mouths of the Aven and Belon rivers), the 16th century village of Kerascouet. Quimperlé
Located to the north of Carnoët forest, which lies along the Laïta River. The quays of Quimperlé bear witness to the importance of its former port.
Places to visit: Sainte Croix Church (built in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1862) with its Romanesque apse and stone reredos from the Renaissance period. Dom-Morice street (narrow lane flanked by 16th century dwellings).
Le Faouët
Town located in the center of Brittany, whose 16th century covered marketplace is still home to a thriving market.
Nearby: St. Fiacre Chapel (beautiful 15th century structure with a rood screen made in 1480 and lovely 16th century stained glass windows), Sainte Barbe Chapel with its flamboyant style, built into a hillside overlooking the Ellé valley. Lorient
A 'new' 18th century town founded by Colbert during the period of development of the 2nd French East India Company. Lorient had to be rebuilt after it suffered from intensive bombing in World War II. The Stosskopf submarine base bears witness to this tragic period.
The Interceltic Festival has become a major event that brings together Celts from around the world (beginning of August). Groix Island
Just off the coast from Lorient, the island of Groix has the same geological characteristics as its larger cousin Belle-Île. Its wild gorse- and heather-covered coastline is splintered into rugged cliffs and sandy inlets.
Places to see: Port-Tudy (France's leading fishing port for tuna from 1870-1940), Locmaria, Chats Point, Trou de l'Enfer, Pen-Men, Biléric Point, Melin Port and Lay Port, etc. Hennebont
Relais & Châteaux: Château de Locguénolé (in Kervignac).
The ancient fortified town of Hennebont is located on the steep banks of the Blavet, where the river flows into the salty water of the estuary.
Things to see: the 16th century Notre-Dame-de-Paradis Basilica with its enormous bell tower and flamboyant porch, Broërec'h gate and the 13th century ramparts, the stud farms and the Abbaye de la Joie.
Port-Louis
Port-Louis was the port of call for the first French East India Company under Richelieu, but was later replaced by the newer port of Lorient.
The city revived in the time of Louis Philippe thanks to sardine fishing.
Things to see: the French East India Company Museum, which tells the fascinating story of the prestigious company that flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Arsenal, ramparts and ancient houses in the city center.
Nearby: St-Cado Island on the Etel River. Etel River
Vast estuary forming a wide gulf in the north and narrowing to a bottleneck further south at its mouth.
Things to see: Saint-Cado (Romanesque chapel), Nestadio Peninsula, Mané-Hellec Point, Merlevenez (Romanesque church) and the immense (25 km long) unspoiled Gâvres beach at Penthièvre. Quiberon Peninsula
Once an island, Quiberon is now attached to the continent by a narrow isthmus built up by alluvial deposits. It has a string of natural, unspoiled beaches followed by impressive rocky areas on its wild coast.
Things to see: the Côte Sauvage (wild coast), Percho Point, etc.
Belle-Île
The largest of the Brittany islands. Valleys cut into its high rock cliffs and lead to the sea, where they end in beaches and ports. A perfect place for those who love long walks…
Route along the Côte Sauvage: Taillefer Point, Sauzon, Poulains Point, Stêr-Vraz and Stêr-Ouen, Donnant Port, Goulphar Port, Port Coton rock 'needles', Kerdonis Point, Les Grands Sables…
Boats from Quiberon and Lorient (summer only). Houat and Hoedic islands
Small islands in the Ponant archipelago, located a few miles from the mouth of Morbihan Gulf. Houat is ringed with cliffs, while Hoedic is splintered with rocky points. Both have numerous beaches. We recommend walking or cycling around both islands.
Boats from Quiberon
Carnac
A renowned sea resort, Carnac is above all known for its mysterious alignments of megaliths dating back to 3000 B.C.
Things to see: The Ménec Alignments (1099 menhirs in 11 lines spanning one kilometer), the Kermario Alignments (1029 menhirs in 10 parallel lines spanning 1.1 km) and the Kerlescan Alignments (555 menhirs in 13 converging lines), as well as the St. Michel Tumulus dating back to the ancient Neolithic period (4500 B.C.), the J.-Miln–Z.-Le-Rouzic Prehistoric Museum and the 17th century church.
Nearby: Trinité-sur-Mer (port of call for seafaring sailors).
Auray
The ancient town of Auray, tucked way in the back of the superb Gulf of Morbihan, has earned the title of 'City of Art and History'. Its charming Saint Goustan port is a lively place on summer evenings. Georges Cadoudal, one of the principal actors in the chouannerie peasant uprising, was born in Auray.
Things to see: St. Gildas church (stone and marble reredos made in 1664), promenade du Loc'h, St. Goustan district (beautiful 15th century houses on St. Sauveur square) and the port. Vannes
Built in the form of an ampitheater in the heart of Morbihan Gulf, Vannes has conserved the ramparts that protected the medieval city built around its cathedral.
Things to see: the old town, Henri IV square, 'La Cohue' museum, St. Pierre Cathedral, the ramparts and the Morbihan archaeological museum. Nearby: Conleau Peninsula, Séné Peninsula, Plessis-Josso Castle, etc. Locmariaquer
This village overlooks the entrance to Morbihan Gulf and has conserved a number of imposing megalithic monuments.
Things to see: Locmariaquer megaliths, Kerpenhir Point
Grand Menhir Brisé (20 meters in height, 48 tons), La Table des Marchards, Er-Grah tumulus, Mané-Lud dolmen, Mané-Rethual dolmen, Pierre-Plates dolmen, Mané-er-Hroech dolmen. Morbihan Gulf
Small inland sea with 60 islands and islets, remarkable landscapes and unforgettable sunsets.
Things to see and do: boat tour of the Gulf (departures from Locmariaquer, Auray, Le Bono, Larmor Baden, Vannes and Port-Navalo).
Arz island, Moines island, Arradon Point, Gavrinis cairn, Bono Port, St. Goustan Port in Auray, Navalo Port, etc.
Not far away: Suscinio castle, the favorite residence of the Dukes of Brittany from the 13th century onwards.
Rochefort-en-Terre
Charming little town built on a promontory overlooking the Gueuzon valley. Location: between Redon and Vannes.
Places to visit: the center of the town with its 16th and 17th century dwellings (Porche street, Halles square and Puits square). The medieval castle (ramparts, underground chambers and outbuildings). The Museum of Popular Art and Notre-Dame-de-la-Tronchaye Church. La Roche-Bernard
Former stop on the salt route, this little town is beautifully terraced on Garenne Butte overlooking the Vilaine River.
Things to see and do: the Ruicard promenade, which takes you through the old part of town (16th and 17th century houses, interesting porches and turret), Bouffay square.
Boat trips on the Vilaine. La Grande Brière
Second largest marshland in France (after Camargue), Brière regional park covers 40,000 hectares. A world of canals and botanical riches…
Guérande Peninsula
The Guérande area played a major role in the history of the region, but is now primarily known for the salt produced in its 2000 ha of salt marshes.
Guérande
Entirely circled by ramparts and partially by moats, the little town of Guérande overlooks the salt marshes and, further out, the ocean.
Things to see and do: St. Michel Port or 'Castle-Museum', St. Aubin Collegiate Church (12th to 16th centuries), strolls around the 14th-15th century ramparts.
Le Croisic
Fishing port located on a peninsula facing the Grand Traict inland gulf, which feeds into the Guérande salt marshes. Many lovely beaches alternating with boulders on the wild coastline.
Things to see: the Côte Sauvage ('wild coast'), St. Guénolé church in Batz-sur-Mer, the Salt Marshes museum, etc. La Baule
Considered one of the most beautiful beach in Europe, La Baule forms an arc stretching from Pouliguen to Pornichet. It is a lively tourist resort offering a wide variety of sport and leisure activities (sailing, kite surfing, tennis, golf, horseback riding, etc.) and a casino.
Things to see: the seafront (7 km long), La Baule-les-Pins (Dryades park), Pornichet, Le Pouliguen, Iffs Church (7 km southeast on D27 road), Montmuran Castle (800 meters north of Iffs). |
