Craggy bays pummelled by the Atlantic, medieval half-timbered towns and fresh seafood are what holidays in Brittany are all about. Book a Brittany hotel to roam forests of myth, contemplate mysterious neolithic megaliths and join the revelry at Celtic music festivals.Situated in north-western France, Brittany feels like a land unto itself with a rugged coastline, lighthouses and thatched cottages reminiscent of Cornwall, just across the English Channel. On the south-west Atlantic coast lies fishing port Lorient, celebrated for its Celtic music festival. Edging west brings you to medieval Quimper’s half-timbered streets. At Brittany’s northern tip, the wild Crozon peninsula is studded with cliffs and isolated coves. The northern coast is famous for St-Malo’s fine sand beaches and belle-époque Dinard’s genteel seaside flair. Step inland to the primeval Brocéliande forest and buzzing capital Rennes.
For bucket and spade fun, make for Dinard’s sandy beach, dotted with blue-and-white bathing tents and framed by stately belle-époque villas. Picasso immortalised this elegant seaside resort on the Emerald Coast in his 1920s paintings. St-Malo’s swathe of golden sand and the Quiberon peninsula’s wind-lashed western coast draw active types who come to kayak, surf and sail. Find weird rock formations and secluded coves on the Pink Granite Coast in northern Brittany. Kids can play and paddle freely in the sheltered white-sand bays of Audierne and Bénodet.
Outdoor enthusiasts stay in hotels in Brittany’s green interior, fabled home of korrigans (goblin folk). The primeval Brocéliande forest attracts hikers to its oak woods and heather-streaked moors. There’s an enchanted feel about the cave-riddled Huelgoat forest, one of the many reputed resting places of King Arthur and best discovered on foot or horseback. Trails weave through golden gorse and over Monts d’Arrée’s craggy heights to the ragged coast of the Crozon peninsula in Armorique Nature Park. The 360km Nantes-Brest canal flows past centuries-old abbeys and grey-stone villages.
Firmly rooted to its Celtic heritage, Brittany is a land steeped in myth. Stand in wonder of Carnac’s 3,000 menhirs, neolithic standing stones older than Stonehenge. Walk in the footsteps of bishops exploring Quimper’s medieval cobbled lanes lined with flower-strewn, half-timbered façades. Castle fans head to the formidable ruins of 13th-century fortress Château de la Hunaudaye and Josselin’s silver-turreted chateau. Trace St-Malo’s ramparts for fine views across the town and Rance estuary. If you hear the strain of Breton bagpipes and the rhythmic stamping of feet on holidays in Brittany, you’ve stumbled across a traditional fest noz (night festival).
The lure of the ocean reels foodies to Brittany in search of fresh seafood. Eat France’s best oysters with a squirt of lemon in Cancale from September to April. On the rugged Côtes d’Armor coast, order plates of garlicky mussels, plump scallops and flaky cod. When the Bretons aren’t fishing the Atlantic, they’re thrashing wheat to make the region’s beloved galettes (buckwheat pancakes); try them in crêperies in Rennes and St-Malo. Throughout Brittany, sample andouille de guéméné, a flavoursome chitterling sausage, far breton prune flan and honey-laced chouchen cider.
