e-travelguide
0871 508 8768

Search for a Hotel Anywhere

Search This Site

Brittany

Make the most of your time in Brittany, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

Brittany occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of France with the English Channel to the North and the Bay of Biscay to the south. It comprises the departments of Finistère to the west, Côtes d’Armour to the North, Ille-et-Vilaine to the north-east and Morbihan in the middle. Its capital is Rennes which sits at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Other main towns in the region are Brest, Dinan, Dinard, Lorient, Quimper, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Nazaire and St Malo.The area has a warm temperate climate. Winters are generally mild with little frost or snow and summers are warm with up to 8 hours of sunshine per day. Temperatures can reach 30 degrees celsius but remain comfortable.

Brittany is distinct from other parts of France as it became part of France late. The first dynastic link came in 1491 when the Duchess Anne married Charles Vlll of France. When he died in 1498 she married his successor Louis Xll in order to maintain the link. However it was not until 1532 that the Duchy was finally ceded to the French crown when Anne’s daughter, Claude, married François l. From the 16th to the 19th centuries the ports and shipbuilding industries flourished, and coastal Brittany grew rich during the period of colonial and commercial expansion.

In the 19th century the arrival of the railways brought competition from industrialised areas and hastened the region’s economic decline whilst at the same time encouraging emigration. Brittany had to wait until 1968 before modernising its agriculture and emerging from a state of virtual isolation. Since then the development of maritime and tourist activities along with increasing industrialisation has helped promote economic growth.

The southern départment of Brittany, Morbihan, contains historic towns such as Vannes (a splendid example of a medieval town with its narrow winding streets) and Auray, the famous megaliths of Carnac and the long Quibéron peninsula. The Golfe du Morbihan is one of the main attractions of the region. The gulf is some 20km wide and 15km in length and is crammed with islands, around 40 of which are inhabited. The largest of these is the Ile aux Moines which, as the name suggests, was once inhabited by a community of monks. The island has a particularly mild climate where palm trees and exotic flowers such as mimosa and camellias flourish. Quibéron itself is a sardine fishing port and tourist resort.

The southern part of the department of Finistère, Cornouaille, is the old heart of Brittany. The Breton language is still spoken in this area and it is here that visitors are most likely to see people wearing traditional costume. Breton coiffes, attractive lace head-dresses, are rarely seen today except at pardons (pilgrimage processions to the shrine of a local saint), at weddings in Finistère and occasionally in church and at markets. There are some picturesque resorts including Bénodet with its lighthouse and 13th century church of St Thomas, Concarneau, Pont-l’Abbé and Quimper, the capital of Cornouaille.

The Crozon Peninsula is the westernmost area in Brittany. There are many excellent viewpoints along the peninsula, but in places the combination of the rocky coastline and strong currents restricts bathing. Crozon, which gives its name to the entire peninsula, is a tourist centre which is full of visitors from Easter to October and almost empty in winter. The pretty port of Camaret-sur-Mer is France’s most important lobster port and provides lobsters for the restaurants of Paris, Nice, London and even New York.

The rugged north coast of Brittany is known as The Rose Granite Coast because of the unusual red rocks that are a feature of its shores. The main tourist resort on this coast is Perros-Guire which is situated between two delightful sandy beaches on a headland overlooking a lovely sheltered harbour. There are boat trips to the Sept Iles which is a nature reserve famous for gannets, kittiwakes and puffins although landing is forbidden in the nesting period between March and the end of July.

There are many castles and fortresses all over Brittany. Their original purpose was to defend the area against its great foe, France. As France’s conquest of the region happened as a result of marriage rather than fighting most of them survived in good condition to the present day. Some of the most impressive are at Josselin, Vitré, Fougères and Combourg.

Surrounded by the sea, Brittany offers a wide range of seafood and fish. Lobster, langoustines, crab, mussels, sea perch, sole and oysters are all in plentiful supply. There is also a local version of bouillabaisse (seafish stew) which is known as cotriade. The region is also known for its crêpes or galettes which are savoury pancakes made with buckwheat flour. Other pastries such as kouign amann (butter cake), far (a sort of sweet Yorkshire pudding) or clafoutis with prunes are all traditional dishes.
 

©e-travelguide.info 2003 - 2009