Atlantic France for 2-3 weeks with a car

French and German schools get out after the 1st week of July. Ideal time is mid June to early July. I did a similar trip this summer starting on June 18. No crowds. Lovely weather. Swam at the beach in finistere 3 days. Even Étretat wasn’t crowded on a Sunday.

Somebody who plans trips as far ahead as I do! We have been to that area twice - June 2025 and June, 2008. This is a random list of what we enjoyed - some quite well known but others a bit off the usual tourist circuit. I will mainly list north to south.

Places: Mont Saint Michel, Saint Malo, Dinan, Beauport Abbey, Quimper, Pont Aven, Saint Cado, Carnac, Locmariaquer alignments, Gavrinis Cairn boat trip , Pont de Saint-Goustan area of Auray, Forest of Broceliande (Arthurian legends) , Rochefort-en-Terre (this village has flowers everywhere, Guerande (walled town between Vannes and La Rochelle).

Hotels and restaurants: Mont Saint Michel - Hotel Mercure, restaurant Ferme Saint Michel.....Saint Malo- Hotel Nouveau Monde which has an excellent restaurant....Lannion - Ti al Lannec and restaurant....Carnac - Hotel Tumulus and restaurant....La Rochelle I did not like the hotel we used but at a separate restaurant, Les Flots, we had one of the best meals of our entire trip.

Since you are planning far ahead, I suggest you read the Jean Luc Bannalec mysteries set in coastal Brittany. All of the villages he visits are real places, although he changes names of hotels and restaurants.

David,
I second the Bannalec books with Commisioner Dupin. Excellent! Also, the Agathe Koltes drama series on TV is good. I believe it is available on Acorn TV, plus PBS passport shows.
Working down the coast, be sure to go inland a bit to Bordeaux, well worth your time! It isn't far from Lacanau-Ocean and Arcachon on the ocean.
Sounds like a fun road trip. I love Bretagne also. Lots to see and enjoy. Bon Voyage!

On the route between the Cotentin peninsula and La Rochelle, the following places are "completely swamped with crushing crowds of international tourists" almost 365 days a year:

Mont Saint Michel (more than 2.7 million visitors in 2024, the most visited heritage site in France outside Paris)

Saint Malo (more than 1.5 million visitors in 2024)

All the seaside locations with beaches are popular with French vacationers from May to September, with the busiest periods being in July and August.

Examples of nice seaside places to stay in northern Brittany:

Cancale (for oyster lovers):

https://www.ille-et-vilaine-tourism.com/discover-ille-et-vilaine/the-loveliest-places/cancale/

Roscoff and the Isle of Batz

https://www.roscoff-tourisme.com/en/

https://www.roscoff-tourisme.com/en/discover/6-destinations/isle-of-batz/welcome-to-isle-of-batz/

Paimpol

https://choosewhere.com/paimpol-visitor-guide

In southern Brittany

Guérande, the town and its salt marshes

https://en.labaule-guerande.com/the-famous-salt-marshes-of-guerande.html

In my opinion, to avoid in this area: La Baule, a seaside resort town for wealthy retirees (with a casino).

Since the weather is always better further away from the coast, I would recommend two islands where you can swim from May.

The exceptional Belle Île-en-Mer for its natural beauty, accessible by boat from Quiberon

https://www.belleileenmer.co.uk/

Oleron Island for its many beaches, ports, and villages.
The island is accessible via a toll-free bridge.

https://www.oleron-island.com/

I will add on here. Very strong second to tour Gavrinis. Carnac gets all the hype but Gavrinis was our family’s favorite place in southern Brittany.

I also highly recommend Ploumanac'h and the amazing Rose Granite Coast path.

We also enjoyed the tranquility of le conquet. There’s an amazing museum on the history of the battle of Brest.

Driving is beyond easy in this area.

Supermarkets sell crepes so you can make at home.

And books set in Brittany that I read

The French House

On the Line

The Mystery of Henry Pick.

Oh yes, I( second Le Conquet!

i spent a week in Normandy the last half of this past May and it was very nice. It made me want to go back. Cherbourg was, for me, an unexpected pleasure, but I have worked major seaports and really enjoyed touring that one. I could easily do the trip you're planning, and wish you the best.

My thanks to everyone chiming in on this with suggestions. I'm adding them to my list.

Thank you to all who have replied so far, it's much appreciated, please keep suggestions/insights coming.

A couple short responses/questions on some of the comments above...

@JoLui - I assume your reference to places where I can expect to be "completely swamped with crushing crowds of international tourists" almost 365 days a year - I think you were referring to just Mont Saint Michel, and Saint Malo, not to the entire list that followed - correct? I'm well familiar with MSM, having been there three times already, and have experienced the crowding there (even back on my first trip to Europe in 1986 - so it's a place where "overtourism" got an early start!). I suppose we will by going right past MSM on this trip. I would not be including it as a stop, though if we time the hour correctly I might be tempted to stop to take a photo or two of le mont in the distance. No overnight stop there though, I know it's packed with tourists no matter what day you're there.

For Saint Malo I had hoped to catch the place when it's not overwhelmed, in the early morning and/or late evening hours if needed, perhaps an overnight or two there. My standard approach to places that are being loved-to-death by tourists is to avoid being there from 10 am to 4 pm (day-tripper and tour bus hours), spend the night and get up early, enjoy the place in the early mornings and late afternoons/evenings. I'm guessing that Saint Malo gets plenty crowded during peak season (July-August) but a bit before/after those months it can be more manageable. True? Saint Malo has been on my list for a long time so I'll put up with a bit more crowding than I like. I'm hoping it's not in the same class of over-the-top crowding as MSM.

I've taken a furtive look (via the internet, not in person) at a lot of the French islands scattered along the Channel and Atlantic coasts - there are dozens, many look pretty appealing to me (and I bet some of them get downright crowded during August). Some of them are small and appear quiet, others obviously get a good bit of tourist attention. I can easily see how one could spend months wandering these coastal places, so I would have to be at least a bit selective. Places that are resorts for the wealthy, with casinos, are not my preference, so appreciate being steered away from such places.

It does look like a beautiful region to explore (along the seaside and inland)!

David,

Yes, regarding the crowds, I was only talking about the MSM and Saint-Malo. I could have mentioned La Rochelle as well, which also attracts several million tourists a year.

Still about the crowds, you should also take into account some major events that take place in this region. Here's some information to help you choose the right dates:

La Rochelle is a world-renowned city for anyone who enjoys sailing. In September, there's a major boat show, "Le Grand Pavois," which welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year. This year, it's from September 23rd to 28th.

https://grand-pavois.com/en/homepage/

Some information to know about Saint-Malo:

Saint-Malo also hosts the famous solo transatlantic sailing race, "Route du Rhum." Next year, it will take place in late October or early November. It happens every four years. The last time, in 2022 (I was there), there were almost two million visitors from all over the world over a few days. Obviously, if you're big on sailboats and racing catamarans, this is the place to be. Otherwise, it's the place to absolutely avoid at that time!

https://youtu.be/-JPyQtRJkJU

Anyway, Saint-Malo is overrun with visitors even when there are no events going on. It's mainly in the old town inside the ramparts. The main problem is finding a parking space.I watched a report on French TV a few days ago about Saint-Malo and the crowds. The mayor of Saint-Malo had to create a very remote parking lot with a shuttle bus system, as finding a parking space is a real hassle in the city.

That said, Saint-Malo is worth a visit. Definitely. So go there very early. Before 10 a.m. is highly recommended.

Speaking of islands, I forgot to mention "Bréhat Island," which wasn't overcrowded before social media and Instagram.
Now, in the summer, there's a maximum quota for visitors per day, as it's become such a nuisance for residents.

https://www.theisland-list.com/en/the-islands/brehat/

https://brehat-infos.fr/

Bréhat Island is accessible by boat from Paimpol, which I've already mentioned and which I recommend for its charming hotels and typical restaurants.

As an island regular, I forgot to mention the Île de Ré. There's also a bridge to access it (with a toll).

https://www.holidays-iledere.co.uk/

It's the neighboring island of Oléron, but in a much more chic version, what in France we call the "Bobo" style (Bourgeois Bohemian) .

So note that once on the island, the style is defined. You must abandon your usual clothing habits and wear, for example, a gypsy cotton voile dress for the lady, a flowing printed outfit, a pair of gladiator sandals, an oversized wicker basket, and a straw hat.
All of this must be worn with a carefully considered nonchalance while cycling. :)

http://www.lapetitepauline.com/2016/07/mermaid-time-ile-de-re.html

I spent couple of nights in Saint-Malo the first weekend in June lat year. I stayed at Hôtel Quic-en-Groigne. They had parking (bonus), and I certainly didn't feel overwhelmed by tourists that time of year. Mont-Saint-Michel can be crowded with tourist anytime though. But you are correct to try to go late or early in the day. Most tourists arrive by bus mid-day. Still worth it, but better of you an spend the night on the island and walk out on the ramparts at will, and when the tourists are gone.

I went to San Malo for dinner (7ish) in late June. It was our 3rd time visiting there in late June. I’ve never had trouble finding parking. The lots are pretty big. Each time we just drove in.

For me, San Malo is a pretty place with lots of restaurants. It’s busy, but I’ve not found it to be in the same league as MSM. When we have visited, we stay in Dinan and drive over (35 minutes) for an evening.

La Rochelle and Biarritz were two great day trips for us this summer. Both are gorgeous places, and neither was so packed with tourists as to ruin our enjoyment. Very different cities, though. I could easily see spending 4-5 days in each.

Enjoyed the ile de Noirmoutier in mid-June 2022. The weather was comfortable as there’s often a breeze on the islands.
We went to Belle Ile in July-August 2023, and yes there were plenty of people, French for the vast majority, but it didn’t feel swamped. Really beautiful and again, the ocean breeze keeps temperatures more moderate (except probably not this week with the heat wave).

I want to thank OP and other contributors for this thread. I'm in the early stages of planning a visit to Brittany and between all of you and the guidebooks I'm starting to greatly scale back my ambitions for how much territory to attempt to cover in a relatively short time, as well as collecting interesting tips for places to put on our itinerary. So often we see itineraries online that cover the whole darned continent in two weeks, it's good to be reminded of slower approaches to travel that go far beyond simply "doing" the highlights.

https://museememoires39-45.fr/

Here’s the museum I was referring to.