Brittany Travel Guide

Contents
1. Introduction 2. History 3. Cuisine 4. Places to Visit 4.1. Côtes-d'Armor 4.2. Finistère 4.3. Ille-et-Vilaine 4.4. Morbihan

Ouessant Island at dusk, Brittany.

Introduction

A peninsula jutting into the Atlantic in northwest France, Brittany (Bretagne in French) is considered as one of the six Celtic nations (along with Cornwall, Wales, Manx, Scotland and Ireland). It has been known historically as Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain).

The modern region of Brittany, smaller than cultural and historical Brittany, occupies a territory 27,208 km2 (10,505 sq mi), slightly less than Belgium or the US state of Maryland. With 3.1 million inhabitants, it is the 7th most populous French region - as well in fact as the 7th largest and 10th richest based on the GDP per capita.

A rugged land with a dramatic coastline and a deep ancestral connection to the sea, Brittany has never felt really like the rest of France, nor truly French. Its culture and history is more tied to the British Isles or the northern coast of Spain.

The Breton language, although only spoken by some 200,000 people today, still plays a major role in the region's cultural identity. Breton is a Celtic language more closely related to Cornish and Welsh than either of them are to Irish or Scottish Gaelic. The reason is that Brittany was resettled in the 5th century by Britons from what is now England, escaping the Anglo-Saxon invasions.

Famous people from the present-day region of Brittany include (chronologically): the explorer Jacques Cartier, the writer François-René de Chateaubriand, and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning climatologist Jean Jouzel.

History

Ever since the Neolithic, Brittany has had close ties with the Atlantic fringe of Europe, from Ireland to Portugal. Brittany was one of the most important centres of the Megalithic culture, and the stone alignements at Carnac are the most extensive menhir collections on Earth.

The Bronze Age witnessed the arrival of the Indo-Europeans (the Proto-Celts) from Central Europe, who brought the old Megalithic culture to an end. Brittany's rich mineral deposists, notably of gold and tin ore, were highly valued by the new Celtic elite.

The region was known to the Romans as Armorica. Only after the British migrations of the 5th and 6th centuries did the peninsula acquire its modern name. A Kingdom of Brittany arose at the onset of the 7th century. Divided in three kingdoms (Vannes, Domnonée and Broërec), then reunited, Brittany becomes a vassal duchy of the Kingdom of France in 936. It would however remained de facto independent until the marriage of Anne of Brittany to Charles VIII of France in 1492, followed by the offcial Union of Brittany and France in 1532.

Cuisine

Brittany’s cuisine is deeply influenced by its coastal geography, with seafood and shellfish taking centre stage on most menus. Dishes such as plateaux des fruits de mer, featuring a selection of fresh oysters, mussels, and crab, are widely enjoyed, while cotriade, a hearty fish stew, showcases the region’s tradition of combining different local fish with leeks, potatoes, and herbs. Mussels, often cooked as moules marinières, and scallops from the Côtes-d’Armor are local highlights, typically served fresh and simply prepared to emphasise their natural flavours.

Salted Breton butter is a distinctive ingredient found throughout the area’s cooking, from savoury galette batter to the region’s iconic pastries such as kouign-amann and gâteau breton. Crêpes and galettes are essential staples; the former made with wheat flour and sweet fillings, and galettes made using robust local buckwheat, often served with ham, cheese, and egg. The galette-saucisse, a buckwheat galette wrapped around sausage, is a much-loved street food, while cider—produced from regional apples—traditionally accompanies these dishes.

Brittany’s inland areas contribute high-quality dairy and pork, notably the famous Pâté Hénaff and a variety of buttermilk-based products. Farmers’ markets abound with artichokes, cauliflower, and strawberries, reflecting the fertile Breton soil and temperate climate. While cheese is less prominent than in other French regions, some local varieties merit attention, and for a sweet finale, the Far Breton flan is a classic dessert, combining prunes with silky custard and plenty of the region’s prized butter.

Attractions