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Regions à la carte
Western France - Brittany
Brittany region at a glance |
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 Major city:
Rennes,
Brest
800 miles of
rocky, rugged coastline
Small fishing villages
Celtic influence and history
Distinct Breton language and traditions
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.
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Places of
interest |
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Belle
Ile |
The largest of the Breton islands,
Vauban citadel |
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Brest
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Commercial port, and important naval
base, Siam Street known to sailors throughout the
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Cancale |
Small fishing port famous for
oysters |
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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) |
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Combourg |
Birthplace of romanticism, 16th
century chateau where Chateaubriand was born |
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Concarneau |
Fishing port, old walled-town,
little island with narrow streets and picturesque
houses, surrounded by ramparts |
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Dinan |
Historical walled town high above
the Rance River |
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Dinard |
Opposite St-Malo in a magnificent
setting on the estuary of the Rance River |
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Douarnenez |
Typical Breton fishing port, port
museum |
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Josselin |
Chateau with 15th century manor
owned by the Rohan family |
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Lorient
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Military and fishing port. The
center of town, destroyed between 1944-45 has
been rebuilt in regional style |
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Paimpol
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Sea and Floating Museums, boat
excursions to Bréhat Island from Pointe de
l'Arcouest |
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Perros-Guirec |
Leading resort on the "Pink
Granite Coast" |
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Pont-Aven |
Quaint village with typical
architecture along the painter's route |
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Quiberon
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Boat service to three quiet and
restful islands: Belle Ile, Houat, Hoedic |
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Quimper |
Gothic cathedral, Museum of Fine
arts, pottery, old town |
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Rennes |
Capital of Brittany, medieval
streets, half timbered houses, Brittany Museum |
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St.
Malo |
Historical walled city, fishing port
and yachting harbor |
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Tréguier
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Former Episcopal city, 13th-15th
century St. Tugdual Cathedral, Ernest Renan's
House |
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Vannes
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St. Peter Cathedral (13th-19th
century) with 16th century Gothic doorways, Place
Henri IV with 16th century ga |
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Technical
tourism and sports |
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Thalassotherapy, river cruises,
cooking classes "Crêpe Bretonne",
earthenware
Sailing, hiking, cycling, golf, spas.
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Cuisine |
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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.
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