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Brittany, France tourist information

Brittany is found in the north-west of France, a large promontory jutting out into the Atlantic ocean. The English channel is to the north, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. The capital of the region is Rennes.

The departments in Brittany are: Finistere, the western part of the peninsula; Cotes d'Armor and Ille et Villaine on the northern coast, and Morbihan to the south.

(Note: The department of Loire-Atlantique, often grouped with Brittany and formerly part of Brittany, is officially part of the Pays de la Loire region of France, not Brittany. And Mont-St-Michel is officially in Normandy.)

Brittany is one of the most popular regions of France with visitors, for several reasons: the attractive coastline,  beaches and fishing villages; the islands off the Breton coast; the historical architecture of some of the towns such as Morlaix and Quimper; and the prehistoric landmarks.

Places to visit in Brittany - by region

Perros-Guirec

Visit North-East Brittany

This accessible region includes the region north of Rennes and the coastline west of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Moving west to east through the region, some of the highlights include:

The town of Dol de Bretagne, also in the Ille et Vilaine department is slightly inland, and further into the interior of Brittany, and to the east of Rennes, visit Vitré - a fine medieval town - and 20 km to the north of Vitré is pretty Fougeres and its renowned castle.

Combourg and its renowned chateau are between the historic town of Rennes and the port town of St Malo.

Rennes

Continuing eastwards, after Cancale and St Malo you find Dinan and Dinard, and inland slightly along the valley of the river Arguenon is Plancoet. See also Fort la Latte and Cap Fréhel. Slightly inland from Saint-Brieuc you will find Moncontour, once the centre of Brittany's linen production.

Further along the coast towards Perros-Guirec and Paimpol you will find the cathedral town of Tréguier.

(For Ile Brehat, the Emerald Coast and Coast of Granite Rose and Cap Fréhel see Brittany seaside, coast and islands)

see more photos of Fougeres

 

Visit North-West Brittany

Entering from the west the large port / town of Lannion is in the north of the region.

Visit Morlaix in northern Finistere, and nearby St Pol de Leon, then perhaps the lively town at Landerneau.

- the little village of Le Conquet, at the western end of Brittany

(For Ile Batz and the  islands of Molène and Ouessantand and the coast see Brittany seaside, coast and islands)

 

Visit South-West Brittany

Carnac standing stones

Continuing south-west through Brittany, see Camaret, nearby Pointe de Pen-Hir, and the classified most beautiful villages at Locronan and Ile-de-Sein.

The town of Pont-Croix merits a visit, as does the impressive boating 'museum' in the harbour at Douarnenez.

The important town of Quimper is followed by the resort of Benodet and - still in the Finistere department - the fishing port of Concarneau and the town of Quimperlé.

(For Benodet and Ile-de-Sein and the coast see Brittany seaside, coast and islands)

 

Visit South-East Brittany

Continuing into the Morbihan department visit the attractive fishing port at Lorient and venture inland to visit the split-personality town at Pontivy.

Prehistoric sites are found in many places in Brittany, and the 'centre' of these prehistoric monuments is around Carnac with numerous megaliths, coastline and medieval towns (see notes about Neolithic man in France in Prehistoric France)

See also Auray and Vannes, two attractive towns in the region

Morbihan Sunset

In inland Morbihan don't miss Josselin Castle and, to the south of Josselin, the town of Rochefort-en-Terre. If you have a taste for Arthurian legend and history you will enjoy a visit to the Paimpont Forest and town, a little to the east of Josselin.

(For the Quiberon peninsula and the Glénan archipelago; the islands Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Ile Houat and Ile Groix; and the Gulf of Morbihan (including Ile d'Arz and Ile aux Moines see  Brittany seaside, coast and islands)

Guest article - Visiting Western Brittany

An alternative view of western Brittany from an American resident of the region here: visiting western brittany

 

 

Other Brittany information

The Brittany tourism office classifies some of the nicest towns and villages in Brittany in one of three categories to aid visitors and promote tourism (excluding the further classification of 'most beautiful villages, included above). Most beautiful villages not covered in this guide include Le Faou - 25 km SE of Brest and Saint-Suliac - 7 km S of St Malo

Petites cités de Caractère

Roscoff, Pont-Croix, Locronan, Le Faou, Guerlesquin, Tréguier, Pontrieux, Chatelaudren, Quintin, Moncontour, Josselin, Lizio, Léhon, Jugon-le-Lacs, Combourg, Bécherel, Malestroit, Chateugiron, La Roche-Bernard, Rochefort

Villes Historiques

Lannion, Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Landerneau, Quimperlé, Port-Louis, Hennebont, Pontivy and Chateaubriant

Villes d'Art et d'Histoire

There is also a national classification, the Villes d'Art et d'Histoire, which includes several of the towns in Brittany (and many of the others elsewhere in France). Those in this region include: Quimper, Concarneau, Auray, Vannes, Nantes, Saint-Malo, Dinan, Rennes, Fougères and Vitré.

Visit Brittany - travel information

Map of Brittany, France