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