Brittany Road Trip in One Week • Read Now!
Curious how to travel Brittany like a local?
We got you! Read along for our One-Week Brittany Road Trip,
featuring seafood, water sports and beautiful landscapes.
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Brittany Road Trip: One-Week in a Nutshell
Things to Do in Brittany
Cities we visited
Things to Do
- Visiting the Quimper cathedral
- Hiking in Auray
- Surfing in Crozon
- Blow Cart in Quiberon
- Biking in Groix
- Took the ferry to Groix
- Bar-hopping in Vannes
Eat, Drink & Sleep
Our accommodations
food and drinks to try
- Crêpes & Galettes
- Oysters, shrimps – all seafood, really
- All fish, really
- Cider
- Kouign-Amann
You’ve come across some pretty sweet pictures of Locronan and Douarnenez, and decided to make Brittany your next destination? Fantastique ! The Southern Coast of Brittany is perfect for a week of exploration.
Pen-Men Lighthouse & Port-Lay, Ile-de-Groix
Pictures by Tyler Sindel – check out his website
Brittany has long been one of France’s best kept secrets, deemed too rainy by many. It is now becoming a popular touristic destination as it is packed with history, beautiful architecture, delicious food and long, sandy beaches.
Brittany Road Trip: Our Itinerary
Quimper, Vannes, Quiberon, Ile-de-Groix… Brittany has just too many jewels to choose from. To fully see all it has to offer, I would recommend going for at least 3 weeks.
Here’s the places we visited, and why they’re worth visiting!
Quickly jump to a place by clicking on its name:
Quimper
Quimper is the capital of both Finistere and Cornouaille. It has a gorgeous 2-towered cathedral, colorful quaint houses and maaany bars to get refreshed at.
You will feel the strong and deep Breton culture anchored in its architecture, cuisine and community life. Its universities make it increasingly popular among the youth.
Quimper has a central position which enables you to reach plenty of more picturesque places around, like:
- Pont l’Abbé, capital city of the Pays Bigouden, where the lace headdress Coiffe Bigoudène comes from.
- Douarnenez, an incredible pretty little town with four harbors! It is also home to the best Kouign Amann from Boulangerie des Plomarc’h. If you don’t know what Kouign Amann is, read our article on the Breton delicacies you absolutely have to try!
- Loctudy, a picturesque harbor city hosting not less than 6 beaches, organizing langoustines dinners and other parties every Saturday in June-August, and doubling its population in Summer.
- Ile Tudy, accessible by car or, as the locals do, with the ferry from Loctudy marina. I go there every Summer to grab a drink on its plaza around 4pm, and take the last ferry back home around 8pm. Incredible sunset show (almost) guaranteed. Check online for specific times; timetables change upon season.
Crozon
Quite literally at the end of the (European) world, Crozon is in the midst of incredibly green and purple nature, endless walking trails, and surrounded by rough seas.
Hence my best advice so far: carry a windbreaker!
Beautiful hikes around:
- Cap de la Chèvre
- Pointe de Pen-Hir
- Pointe de Dinan
- Cimetiere de Bateaux de Rostellec
Port-Louis
As a beautiful fortress city, it makes for a fantastic stroll. Be sure to check out:
- Citadelle de Port-Louis
- Musée National de la Marine
- Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays to grab snacks, seafood, fruits and veggies
- Grande Plage to take a swim and admire the colorful line of beach lockers
From there, you can reach Ile-de-Groix, and parking is much more manageable and affordable than the other option the ferry departs from, Lorient.
Ile-de-Groix | Groix Island
Ile-de-Groix was my ABSOLUTE favorite part of the trip.
Getting there
You need to take a ferry from Lorient or Port-Louis. There are only 2 options:
- Compagnie Océane departs from Lorient only
- Escal’Ouest departs from both Lorient and Port-Louis
Both websites are available in French only, but booking tickets is straightforward.
Getting around
The island is small so you can either get around by bike, by foot, by bus or by car.
You can rent your bike or car at the harbor upon arrival. We booked ours in advance as tourism is high during Summer. Check out the website from Groix Tourisme to find the numbers of the bike rental companies – you will need to call to book.
Sleeping
The municipal camping is the cheapest, funniest and most sustainable way to stay on the island. Showers were greatly cleaned and there are power sockets only in the bathroom, so plan accordingly! You will need to pay at the desk and in cash in the morning after your first night. We had lots of fun and highly recommend it.
On Groix Island, there are not so many accommodations available, so I recommend booking in advance instead of waiting last minute. Where to look:
- Camping Municipal de Groix – You need to book via phone. They understand (basic) English, and only welcome tents and not caravans.
- Camping des Sables Rouges
- Auberge de Jeunesse de Groix
- Hotels on Booking.com
- Houses on AirBnb
Activities on the island
A few favorites:
- Trou de l’Enfer: dramatic cliffs and rough seas make you feel like in Hell
- Phare de Pen-Men, the lighthouse
- Plage de Poulziorec, the beach
- Former First-Aid Station, or Ancien Poste de Secours SNSM, an abandoned wooden station on stilts by clear waters. You can get and hang out inside!
- Port Lay, cute mini harbor where locals swim
- Hiking/biking in general: you can go about anywhere on the island to witness the incredible scenery. The apps AllTrails (free) and Komoot (paying), available on iOS and Android, can help your planning. Or just get lost!
Quiberon
Quiberon is on a peninsula whose drive to is very scenic. You will be driving in the middle of two long, thin, white sandy beaches.
It used to be a military tactical place for Brittany, making it a perfect stop for war history enthusiasts. To check out:
- Fort Penthièvre
- Pointe Beg-an-Aud
- Mur de l’Atlantique du Bégo
- Château Turpault
- Pointe du Congel
- Do some Blow Kart with Nature School Quiberon!
The Peninsula of Quiberon is widely famous for its surfing, and you can enjoy loads of activities such as walking, hiking, sailing, sand yachting (aka blow kart/land sailing), sea kayaking, sea fishing, kite surfing… Anything sea and wind-related, really.
Auray
With beautiful architecture, cobblestone tiling and religious history, Auray is a major attraction in the area and gets crowded in Summer. I would advise starting your city visit on the earlier side to arrive early for lunch in Saint-Goustan, its historical harbor.
Check out for:
- Saint-Goustan (above)
- Sainte-Anne d’Auray Sanctuary
- Church of Saint-Sauveur
- Place de la République
- Church of St-Gildas
Vannes
Vannes is medieval city with cobbled streets, and has beautiful middle-age remnants all over: castles in the city, former fortress walls, towers and bridges. You can spend hours walking all over and never get bored. I was in AWE at every corner.
With a very active student life, it is perfect to go for drinks and have some quality friends or romantic time. A few ideas:
- Walk along the Marle River detroit in the city center
- Porte Saint-Vincent
- Remparts de Vannes
- Éperon de la Garenne
- Tour du Connétable
- B.R.E.F Rive Gauche – unpretentious and artsy place to get a drink and play cards
Brittany Road Trip: Planning
Getting there and around
By Train
Brittany makes huge efforts for its visitors to come and get around by train. The public transportation network connects even smaller cities, the infrastructure is well maintained, and it is relatively cheap.
- Find and book train tickets from the SNCF website
- Click here to see the map of the whole Brittany public transport infrastructure
- Click here to calculate your itinerary on the BreizhGo website (French only!)
By Car/Van
The Bretagne region has made an enormous effort to keep its roads free on the territory. Hence, once you pass Rennes, you will never have to pay for toll again. A few resources to find a vehicle:
- Rent a Car: See rental cars from Bretagne Tourisme
- Rent a Van: With Indie Campers or Road Surfer, both from Nantes
By Plane
There are 4 airports that you can get to, all internationally connected:
- Nantes: The best served of all, and the easiest option to rent a vehicle
- Rennes: Also well connected, a tad closer to the route
- Brest: Connected to France and about 6 other European countries, international connections available during Summer only
- Quimper: Connected to Paris and London only
Stay
Campings
To see Brittany like a local, you need to stay like the locals do – in campings! They are about everywhere in the region, but most of them aren’t easy to find online.
Useful links:
- Camping Bretagne: Specializes in camping in Brittany. As for all aggregators, they may not display campings they don’t have an agreement with, so I would still advise to do your own search on the side.
- Park4Night: My best discovery of the decade! Park4Night is primarily used when traveling with a camper/van, as it is a user-generated browser for campings, parking places, utilities, farm stays and other spots. Highly recommended!
Hotels & BnB’s
There are loads of accommodations available, and although prices are starting to rise, vacationing in Brittany is still more than affordable. You can find options on the usual websites like Booking.com or AirBnb, but we are still on our way to digitalization, so not all accommodations are online.
Regional websites:
- Tourisme Bretagne – the region official tourism website.
- GreenGo – a French company, whose mission is to offer a “greener” alternative to Booking and Airbnb (looking for feedback on this one).
Interacting with Bretons
Britons are very respectful and modest people. They appreciate calm, and their surroundings to keep it at speaking level.
Very similar accent to the French, feel free to read the words below as a French:
Hello: Demat
Please: Mar Plij
A beer please: Ur bier, mar plij!
Goodbye: Kenavo
Packing for a Road Trip to Brittany
Brittany is very, very windy, and usually not very hot. The temperature can change several times during the day, so think of taking a backpack filled with different clothing combination you could need.
- Windbreaker in all seasons
- Long-sleeved top
- Sunscreen – even in bad weather, the UV doesn’t joke!
- Robust swimsuit
Budget for a Road Trip to Brittany
Over a week, you can expect to spend between €1800 and €3000 for 2 people.
Transportation:
- Traveling by bus: €80-€100 pp
- Car rental: €710 incl. gas
- Van rental: €1310-1420 incl. gas
Accommodation:
- B&Bs: €70-€120 per night
- Campings: €10-€20 per night
Food: €800 (€120 per day)
I hope this all made you want to visit my beautiful region. Feel free to share any question/feedback in the comments!
Looking for more adventures? Check out our 2-Week Van Road Trip around Portugal!
