Brittany

One of France's most rugged regions, Brittany is a fascinating mix of spectacular coastline, ancient towns, magical islands and inland woods. A Celtic duchy for more than one thousand years before its annexation to France in 1532, it is a land rich in culture, tradition and history. When your journey through this Western peninsula, you'll discover a people whose language, customs and dress remain a vivid homage to their past.

Cote D'emeraude Saint Malo

Built in granite rock in the English Channel, the bathing resort of Saint Malo is known for its castle, the cathedral of Saint Vincent, and its 14th century ramparts which overlook the sea. Saint Malo is the birthplace of famous French writer and statesman, Chateaubriand.

Pink Granite Coast

Sunset is the best time to explore the headland of Arcouest and the island of Brehat and admire the expanses of sandy beaches and the rusty rock formations in splendid hues of pink which give this coast its name.

The Parish Closes

The parish closes of St. Thegonnec, Guimiliau and Lampaul-Guimiliau, which were built as early as 1532, are symbols of Brittany's Catholic and Celtic heritage. These granite religious structures are an intricate mesh of skilled of craftsmanship and imagery. Churches, altarpieces and crosses are adorned with elves, gods and fairies carved in wood.

Quimper/Pont-Aven

Located in the heart of traditional Brittany and flanked by the Odet and Steir rivers, Quimper is famous for its faience ceramics which have been produced by skilled craftsmen since the 17th century. The Gothic Cathedral of Saint Corentin has exceptional 15th century stained glass windows. Pont-Aven, Home to artist colony known as the "School of Pont-Aven" led by the painter Paul Gauguin, is a pretty market village of white houses and sloping riverbanks.

Carnac, Gulf of Morbihan

One of the foremost prehistoric centers, the seaside resort of Carnac is famed for its megalithic remains from the Neolithic period. In addition to 2792 menhirs, massive stones erected by tribes who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Gauls, the area is studded with burial places, semicircles, and tumuli.

Located ten miles off the southern coast of Brittany, Belle Ile ("Beautiful Island") is Brittany's largest. Buffeted by storms and fringed by rocky cliffs, it is an isolated natural paradise whose inhabitants are known for their hospitality. The medieval city of Vannes, at the head of the Gulf of Morbihan, is a perfect base from which to explore this magical inland sea and its many islands.

Gastronomy

As a major supplier of France's vegetables and seafood, Brittany rewards visitors with hearty, fresh fare from the earth and the sea, and with its famous crepes filled with sweets like chocolate or fruit, or savory mushrooms, cheese or eggs. "Tables et saveurs de Bretagne" represents all the finest restaurants in Brittany. To be accepted as a member, they have to have been classified as first rate by the main French restaurant guides. It guarantees a very high level of quality and attests to Brittany being one of France's leading areas for cuisine.

Seafood

Here Brittany excels, with abundant oysters (particularly the meaty ones from Belon and Cancale), shrimps, crayfish, crab and scallops. And lobster is the mainstay of Breton menus, prepared in a cream sauce or grilled.

The seafood platter tops the bill in Brittany's best eating-places. In order to ensure freshness and variety, restaurateurs have signed a charter guaranteeing an "authentic Breton platter of fresh seafood"

Special offering

Memorable meals include slat meadow lamb and poultry, accompanied by the region's wonderful vegetables: artichokes, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, endives and lettuce. Vegetables blended with pork in a hot pot is Calfedpotfe.

Crepes and dessert

Sweet or savoury? There are many different ways to prepare the "galette de sarrasin" (buckwheat pancake) or "crepe de froment" (wheatflour pancake) and even more ways to serve this traditional dish! The perfect drink to accompany a crepe is the Breton cider: cidre brut bouche.

There's the "far Breton", a custard pie; a sweet, buttery pastry called "kouign amann"; and "galettes bretonnes", homemade crunchy butter cookies.

Brittany is the result of the fight against the elements : the sky, the sea , the rock. Its men were born of this soaking. They have had to engrave the granite to make some lace of it, like the sea which have had to grin the invading rocks into the sand. Horizons are unsteady, the skies share between them the " black mountains ". The channel coasts change themselves into emerald around Jacques Cartier's favourite corsair city : Saint Malo.. The pink granite coast is grooved by valleys that imprison the sea and free the river's water. Its big fishing harbours, such as Brest, Lorient , Concarneau, are opened to the Atlantic, its land has also received numerous artist, attracted by Quimper's faпence or Pont-Aven school's exoticism. This difficult land has generated strong men with strong traditions, and there are festivals everywhere, with Fest-Noz (Kelly's) that from the capital Rennes , to the smaller villages have the same smell of sausage and pancakes. These towns and villages protected from the big invasion rushes, unravel to the one who deserve it, its patrimony, its rich and original culture, with a strong Celtic influence.