|
Brittany, France
Departments: Cotes d'Armor,
Finistere, Ile-et-Vilaine, Morbihan.
Brittany, France
Main Towns: Audierne,
Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Brest, Cancale, Carnac, Chateaubriant,
Clisson,
Concarneau, Dinan, Dinard, Dol-de-Bretagne,
Douarnenez, Fouesnant, Fougères, Guérande, Hennebont, La
Baule, Lorient, Morlaix, Nantes, Paimpol, Perros-Guirec,
Pont-Aven, Pontivy, Port-Crouesty, Poul-Fetan, Quiberon,
Quimper, Rennes, Roscoff, Saint Pol de Leon,
Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Malo, Treguier, Vannes,
Vitre.
Brittany’s long, jagged coastline is the
region's great attraction. Magnificent beaches line its
northern shore, interspersed with seaside resorts and
fishing ports. The south coast is gentler, with wooded
river valleys and a milder climate, while the dramatic
western coastline, exposed to the Atlantic winds,
justifies the name ‘Finistère’ - the end of the earth.
The southern part of Brittany has a distinctly better
climate than the UK. The area around Vannes has as much
sunshine (in terms of number of days per year) as
Toulouse in the Midi-Pyrenees.
Inland lies the
Argoat, a patchwork of fields, woods and rolling
moorland. The Parc Régional d'Armorique occupies much of
central Finistère, and it is here, in western Brittany
that Breton culture is most apparent. Crèpes and cider,
traditional costumes and Celtic music are still a part
of the Breton lifestyle, especially in Quimper, and in
the Pays Bigouden.
The walled port of St-Malo on
the Côte d'Emeraude evokes the region's maritime
history; the remarkably intact castles at Fougères and
Vitré are remnants of the fortresses that protected
Brittany's eastern boundary before its union with France
in 1532. Vannes, Dinan and Rennes, the Breton capital,
have well preserved medieval quarters where there are
many half-timbered buildings, with markets, shops,
crèperies and restaurants.
Watersports are popular in the mainly hot summers and
warm waters of the Gulf Stream. For those who want a
change from beach or boats there are tours or walks,
riding stables, golf courses and tennis courts, and at
the end of the day there's a wide and affordable choice
of restaurants in which to enjoy the Breton specialities
of seafood and sweet or savoury crêpes washed down with
local cider.
Whether in Cotes d'Armor, Finistere, Ile-et-Vilaine
or Morbihan, you are never very far from charming
lodgings in private estates or chateaux, and always
nearby is a café or restaurant serving up traditional
Breton crepes filled with ham, mushrooms or cheese (or
served sweet with chocolate, jam or fruit) or a superb
seafood meal accompanied by a glass of crisp, cold
Muscadet or cider. There are large, fashionable French
resorts like La Baule and Dinard, and seaside resorts
like Benodet (pictured above) but the pattern is small,
friendly historic towns like Guemene-sur-Scorff, fishing
villages and traditional Breton
markets.
Search for French Property for
sale or rental in Brittany
|
