Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / France / Brittany
 |  | Destination Guide : Brittany |
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| | | Stunning coastal scenery |  | Why go on holiday to Brittany?
Don't go for discos, wild nightlife or English breakfasts. But definitely go for stunning scenery, coastal walks and good local cafes.
Also on offer are beaches with rock pools galore beloved by children, the pink coast and ruined castles. Adults can sip cider and everyone will munch on butter-rich crepes.
How much does it cost?
Fourteen nights' camping in July (high season) including ferry crossing and tent (with cooker, fridge and beds) costs from around £800. Rent a two-bedroom gite for a week from £200 in high season; £140 a week or £50 per night, low season.
Standard ferry fares are from £180 return in low season per car, double that for high season. However there are many special deal fares, including cheaper five-day away and holiday deals - check with the ferry companies.
When should I go?
July and August have the best weather but are the busiest months, especially on the beaches. January to May has the highest rainfall, but March to June is usually the loveliest season for visits not involving the beach.
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| | | Summer festivals | | What should I do when I'm there?
Sailboarding, scuba diving and swimming are good (if chilly) along the Brittany coast. Walkers enjoy the majestic windswept scenery, and even the hilly parts of Brittany have become popular as a cycling destination.
There are also around 20 golf courses, some of which have hotels with pools and pampering for the non-golfers in the family. If that's too active cross the region by canal boat from lovely Dinan to Nantes.
Eat huge plates of seafood caught that morning and then spend the afternoon lying next to your windbreak on the beach listening to the wild Atlantic sea.
What should I visit?
On Finistere, visit Quimper which, with its preserved Breton architecture, is the cultural and artistic capital of the region. It stages a Celtic culture summer festival in July. Also see Concarneau and the Iles de Glenan.
On the Morbihan coast visit Vannes - a lovely town with a medieval heart that hosts a July jazz festival. Quiberon has excellent beaches, and you can get ferries from here to Belle Ile.
St Malo, the main port on the North, is worth visiting. It is jam-packed with places of interest and also has beaches. Also visit Dinan, a superb medieval town surrounded by good beaches.
Roscoff is possibly the loveliest Channel port, with pretty 16th-century houses clustered round a small bay.
What's off the beaten track?
Once visited, never forgotten, the Ile de Ouessant is 20km off the coast of Brittany and reached by boat from Brest or Le Conquet.
Here tradition prevails. Houses are painted blue and white for the Virgin Mary, or green and white for hope. Small black sheep roam - to later become ragout de mouton (lamb baked under a layer of roots and herbs).
Ouessant also has the world's most powerful lighthouse, good local museums, stunning walks and scenery.
Perros Guirec on the pink granite coast was a chic destination in the 1920s and is now popular with walkers who can wander along the stunning, wild, coastal paths.
What ancient sights can I see?
Near Carnac Ville see Carnac's menhirs (neolithic stones), each only a metre high but nonetheless impressive. The Geant de Manio and the Table des Marchands are two of the most famous groups of stones.
In the east, Rennes is the main town but Paimpont Forest and village is steeped in Arthurian legends. Many visitors go to the forest hoping to find the spring of eternal youth.
The Foret d'Huelgoat is where King Arthur's treasure is said to be buried, along with weird rock formations, caves, menhirs and abandoned ancient mines.
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| | | Fantastic food | | Where's good for nightlife?
In St Malo, try Le Casino just outside the Intra-Muros. In Rennes, head for Rue St Georges for buzzing, cheap restaurants. At Quiberon, go to the Quai de Belle Ile and Rue de Port Maria.
In Carnac Plage check out the Avenue des Druides and the small surrounding streets. In Vannes, head for the centre of town.
Watch out for the many festivals of Celtic culture - ask at the local tourist board. If you're lucky in some bars you may get to witness a true Breton sing-along.
What's the food like?
Fantastic, but not for those on a low-cholesterol diet. Crepes can be sweet, with chocolate and cream, or savoury - seafood is the best. Cider is the regional tipple.
Biscuits are fabulously buttery, coffee is good, pastries and bread are superb - go to artisan patisseries for the best selection. Cheeses are wonderful - including fresh and mature goats cheeses as well as the more regular cows milk varieties.
Seafood is legendary - oysters from the parcs a huitres, tuna (landed at Concarneau port that day), massive prawns and locally gleaned mussels or homard a l'americaine - lobster and sauce with bread.
What should I buy?
Aside from the local produce, Quimper is famous for its pottery tableware and textiles decorated with Breton designs.
What is there for children to do?
The Aquarium Intra-Muros at St Malo. Outside Carnac youngsters should enjoy the Archeoscope light and sound show, to take them back to neolithic times.
In Brest there's the ultra-modern Oceanopolis which has state-of-the-art exhibitions and huge aquariums. The coasts are often rocky with many interesting little rockpools and other places to explore.
Tourist office
French Government Tourist Office, 178 Piccadilly, London W1V 0AL. Tel: 09068 244123 (60p per minute).
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| | Available rental properties in Brittany |
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| |  | | Village House Near the Sea in South Brittany
Walking distance to white sand beaches and the lovely port town of Audierne which has all the amenities and a Saturday market.
|  | | Comfortable family farmhouse Gite
Originally a traditional stone and slate farmhouse, our Gite is now a relaxing family holiday home in a tranquil location that can sleep up to 6
|  | | the cottage
stone built studio cottage near to sandy beechs and harbour towns set on the atlantic coast line of brittany a joy to explore this part of france
|  | | Moullec
This beautiful start of the century cottage (60m2), is situated in the direct surrounding of a village, 250m from the sea. It has been completely reno
|  | | Le Cottage
5 minutes from the beach in the grounds of a 17th century manor, a charming, very well-equipped cottage (75 m2). The folding bed is on the landing and
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