Brittany - August 2026

Gary,
Brittany is a wonderful place to visit. Glad you are interested in the megalithic sites. They are impressive and thought-provoking.
When will you be there? In May the Fete de la Bretagne celebrates all things Breton. This year it is May14-24. Quimper is the center of these festivities, I believe. In July is the Fete de Cornouaille (23rd-26th) with music and many celebrations of the patrimony of Bretagne. The cathedral in Quimper is well worth a visit.
We have stayed in Le Conquet, the westernmost town in mainland France and the walks along this far west coast truly make you feel connected to the majesty and force of the Atlantic. Brittany is unique. I am glad you are giving it more than 2-3 days. Enjoy the savory crepes, the cider, the far breton (a yummy cake) and the shellfish. If you can find some saltmeadow lamb for dinner, bon appetit!

Thank you Judy. We will be there for the week of August 21 - 28. We will research things like festivals and markets because we have attended a few of each in Normandy, and know how spectacular they can be. We look forward to some hikes along the coast as well, so your description is right up our alley. We've added Le Conquet to our Autoroute itinerary which is in keeping with our coastal route. Currently, we have booked 3 nights in Carnac, 2 in Roscoff, and are thinking of perhaps 2 nights in Quimper, however we are flexible depending on advice from members of this forum. We have a long stay booked in Bayeux for the two weeks prior to and following our week in Brittany, and are thinking we can take day trips or overnighters to take in some of the more eastern towns and places of interest, allowing us to devote the full 7 days to the west/southwest/northern coasts. we're still doing our research and are striving for a balance of megalithic sites, churches and cathedrals, historic buildings, beautiful towns, scenic coastline and hinke/walks, history. Thank you for your input. It's much appreciated.

Hi Gary,

Take a look at Locronan. The town itself is worth a visit. We were there in mid August and they had a really nice night Market.

Gary,

About two hours from Bayeux is the Route Des Abbayes (on the way to Rouen) Do take a day to see Jumieges Abbey. Drive along D982, a lovely route along the Seine River. We drove from Rouen to Bayeux along this route (no autoroutes/A roads) and it was a beautiful drive. There are five abbeys to see, but Jumieges is the best, IMO. The town of Villequier is along this road also, where Victor Hugo lived. There is a small museum there dedicated to him. With all the time you will have in Bayeux, I highly recommend this day trip.
An overnighter in Rouen would fit in with this....Bayeux to Jumieges Abbey, then on to Rouen to spend two nights (one full day to relish this beautiful medieval city.) You could take the autoroute back to Bayeux if you want.

We spent a week in Brittany June 2025. We really enjoyed the Lochmariaquer alignments and cairn which are near Carnac but allow more access, We also enjoyed the nearby Port Saint Goustan area of Auray . On the way to Pont Aven we stopped at Saint Cado, a tiny village. We had lunch there at a place called Madame Seagull. When we left Carnac (Hotel Tumulus) heading to Mont Saint Michel we stopped at Rochefort-en-Terre. This was the most flower-bedecked village we have ever seen!

dlindstrom: Thanks for the info on Locronon. A night market sounds really interesting. Will add to our 'wish list'. Judy: We had the pleasure of visiting Jumieges a number of years ago, but did not stop at any of the other Abbeys along that route. Will check them out! We found Jumieges to be very powerful and rich in history. Villequier sounds very interesting. On that same trip, we had spent a few nights in Rouen which was just spectacular, but found 2 days was not enough, so perhaps another visit is in order. 😊 Cynthia: We've read a little about a number of the locations you've touched on, and look forward to doing further research. Rochefort en Terre sounds wonderful. Thanks for the great tips everyone!

Gary Ontario,
Our recentish Brittany TR is titled L'Appel de Mer. Its a hella-long report full of fotos, tips, music and humour. We based in Quimper then Vannes. Readers would likely find some useful info.
I'd link it here but am a certified technopeasant using his wife's travel tablet snowbirding here in Antibes.

I have linked it here on RS in the past, but one can simply Google 'zebec Fodors L'Appel de Mer'. 'Zebec' is my Fodors handle.
I hope your trip goes well!

I am done. The end
Gregg le maudit Anglaise de Toronto

Got it! Lots of info and pictures, videos to check out!
Thanks Gregg. Much appreciated!

Judy is right. Brittany is a wonderful place to visit.
We really like the Abbaye de Doualas. In addition to the interesting Abbey ruins and grounds, it has an unusual medicinal garden and a museum that focuses on high-quality art and cultural exhibitions. It's only 35 miles north of Quimper, so it could be a day trip from Quimper or a stop on your way to Roscoff.
We also like Ecomuseum of the Monts d'Arrée – Kerouat Mills. It is roughly 2/3 of the way from Quimper to Roscoff as the crow flies. It's a little harder to get there if you're not a crow, but well worth the trip. You will walk through an old mill and surrounding settlement, ending at a pleasant meadow with sheep grazing. There's a bit of walking involved. Maybe that will also count as a hike.
While you're making decisions about how to spend your time, I heartily recommend that you keep Cairn of Barnenez on the "yes" list.
I hope you have a wonderful rip.

Thanks Bob. The thing that first drew our attention to Brittany and its wonders, was the megalithic sites that we uncovered in our research for a previous trip. The Cairn of Barnenez is definitely on the list, as well as the stones of Carnac, the cairn of Gavrinis, La Roche-aux-fees and the Menhirs of Monteneuf. We have our work cut out for us to put all of the great suggestions from contributors here, continue our research and put together an itinerary that is not too rushed, and that will allow us to really experience the moment instead of just rushing from place to place. Am thinking we may book 3 nights in Carnac or Vannes, 2 in Quimper, Brest or Le Conquet, 2 in Roscoff. Much will depend on how well we can whittle down our 'wish list' to a 'to do' list. Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. We're early in our research, and I'm sure that once we've looked at all of the recommendations and done all our reading, we'll be able to put together an itinerary that is doable and not too rushed. Thanks again everyone!

We are now in Bretagne, and will be here until April 2. We are staying between Quimper and the sea (near Pouldrezic). We have done:

1) Foret de Brocilende. This includes the fabulous Grail Church
2) The Chateau de la Roche Goyon - amazingly well-preserved seaside fort
3) Point de Raz - windswept place to walk
4) Vallee de Saints - hundreds of statues put up recently
5) The enclose parish tour near Morlaix - these are old churches with walls and ossuaries

Bretagne has many churches with "calvaires" - outdoor bible scenes in statue. Many small rural churches have amazing ones.

In Roscoff, we lunched at La Local - fabulous beef stew.

We have enjoyed the cidre, hard cider with about beer-strength alcohol.

Much of this is found in the Michelin Green Book. If you read French, you can get it here. If you do not, get one in the US before coming in English.