Bretagne

Introduction

Bretagne (Brittany) is the far west region of France and borders Pays-de-la-Loire to the east and a very small pert of Basse-Normande to the north-east. The old Breton language is Celtic and in the same group as Welsh and Cornish. Its provinces are Finistère, Côtes d'Armor, Ille et Vilaine and Morbihan.

Geography

Bretagne is a peninsula most of which is washed by the Atlantic. It has no high mountains and most visitors keep to the coast, although the charms of inland Huelgoat are increasingly being recognised.

Cities, towns and villages

• Brest
• Concarnot
• Dinan - quaint town up river from Saint Malo.
• Dol de Bretagne - a wonderful photogenic village with stone houses and oversized church.
• Guilvinec - fishing port - almost messy but enormously atmospheric with great food from the sea.
• Huelgoat - delightful inland village with fine woodland walks.
• Lannion - a very nice city close to the Pink Granite Coast.
• Morlaix - charmful city with a roman viaduct.
• Perros-Guirec - a very atttractive little town on the 'Pink Granite Coast.
• Quimper - beautiful Gothic and semi-timbered houses in cobbled lanes, and a cathedral as well
• Rennes - the capital, inland to the east.
• Roscoff - small but attractive port to the west side of the north coast.
• Saint-Brieuc - a nice coastal town with a beautiful bay and a superb surroundings
• Saint-Malo - walled and picturesque town on the north coast.
• Vannes

Sights and Activities

• Carnac - a wealth of stone rows and other prehistoric remains.
• Forest of Huelgoat - great walks including a rock chaos and an earthwork claiming to be a camp of King Arthur!
• Quimper Cathedral
• Nantes-Brest Canal

Events and Festivals

Weather

The weather in Bretagne can be better compared to that of England than that of France. It has a typical maritime climate with relatively cool summers and mild wet winters. Temperatures during winter are mostly above zero, even at night. Summers are mostly around 20 °C or a little more. Inland is warmer though, and somewhat colder during winter.

Getting There

By Plane

There are international airports in Rennes, Brest and St Malo with flights to and from the UK. There are national aiports in Lorient and Quimper whose main destinations are Paris and Lyon (for Lorient).

By Train

There are two main railways, one north and one south of the peninsula, both connected to Rennes. From Rennes, there are regular links to Paris by TGV (about every 2 hours). The journey takes 2 hours. The northern branch goes through St Brieuc, Morlaix and onwards to Brest. The southern branch goes through Redon, Vannes, Lorient and Quimper. A map of the TER (regional railway) can be found here on the SNCF website.

By Car

There is an extensive road network, with main motorways and national roads connecting the peninsula to the rest of the country. Routes can be checked on the viamichelin.com website.

By Bus

By Boat

Ireland

• Irish Ferries between Rosslare and Roscoff.
• Brittany Ferries between Cork and Roscoff.

United Kingdom

• Condor Ferries between St Malo and Poole and Weymouth.
• Brittany Ferries between St Malo and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between Roscoff and Plymouth.

Jersey and Guernsey

• Condor Ferries from St Malo to both Guernsey and Jersey.

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Eat

Bretagne is known in France for several culinary specialties, mostly cakes and bakery, such as crêpes (pancakes), kouign amann (a famous cake, made with a lot of butter and sugar), far breton (a pastry with prunes) or palet breton (dry cake), but also other traditional dishes, such as Kig Ha Farz (meat dish) or, of course, sea food.

Drink

Sleep