Region
Brittany
Base in Rennes, Saint-Malo or Quimper; drive or train between coasts, don't try all four departments in one trip.
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Key facts · France
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Currency
- Euro (EUR, €)
- Language
- French
- Plugs
- C · E · 230 V
- Time zone
- CET, UTC+1
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
- Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
- Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
- France and Monaco ↗France has run temporary identity checks at its internal Schengen land borders since 2015; carry a passport or EU/EEA national ID on trains and buses from Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
- France and Monaco ↗Nights in France and Monaco draw on the same Schengen 90-in-180-day allowance as the rest of the area; Monaco does not reset or pause it.
- France ↗France is in the Schengen area. Check the entry rules for your passport on official sources; the EU's Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors' fingerprints and photo at the first Schengen border, and further pre-travel authorisation rules are being introduced.
- France ↗TGV (including the low-cost Ouigo) and Intercités night trains need a seat reservation: a rail pass alone does not let you board.
- France ↗Paris, Lyon and other large cities run low-emission zones that require a Crit'Air sticker on cars; check before you drive a hire car or your own car into a city.
- France ↗Carry your passport or national ID card: police can ask for identification, and hotels register foreign guests.
Brittany is a peninsula the size of Belgium with four departments and no single hub. The TGV puts Rennes about 1 h 30 from Paris, so most trips start there and then pick one coast: the north (Saint-Malo, Dinan, Pink Granite Coast) or the south (Quimper, Concarneau, Morbihan). Two bases in five nights beats four hotels in five nights. A car opens the interior and the small ports; trains and BreizhGo buses cover the main towns.
Where to sleep
Sleep base
- Saint-MaloCity guide
Walled port, Dinard and Cancale nearby, ferry to the UK.
Best May–Sep
JFMAMJJASOND - QuimperCity guide
South-west base for Concarneau, Pont-Aven and the Finistère coast.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Day trip
Plan the nights
How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags
Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags
Night sequences
- 3 nights
- Rennes 2 + Saint-Malo 1
- 5 nights
- Rennes 1 + Saint-Malo 2 + Quimper or Vannes 2
- 7 nights
- North coast 3 + south coast 3 + Rennes 1, with a car
- Four departments in three days is mostly motorway. Pick one coast.
- The interior has thin bus service on Sundays and in winter; check BreizhGo before relying on it.
- Swimming: rips and fast tides, especially in the Golfe du Morbihan. Never walk out to an island without a tide table.
Day-trips door to door
| To | From | Door-to-door p50 | Last return | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Malo | Rennes | 75 min | unknown | Regional trains run through the day; the walled town is a 20-minute walk from the station. |
| Dinan | Saint-Malo | 50 min | unknown | Train to Dinan station, then a steep 20-minute walk or a bus up to the old town. |
| Carnac | Vannes | 45 min | unknown | Stones are spread over 4 km (2.5 mi); a bike or car saves a lot of walking.Stones are spread over 2.5 mi (4 km); a bike or car saves a lot of walking. |
| Mont-Saint-Michel | Rennes | 90 min | unknown | In Normandy, just over the border; buses and tours run from Rennes. |
Bags between cities
No luggage forwarding habit here; travel light between bases by train.
When to go
Months and weather
Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate
Seasons at a glance
Pick a month to see where to go.
Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
| Country | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rennes | ok | ok | ok | ok | go | go | × | × | go | go | ok | ok |
| Saint-Malo | × | × | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | ok | × | × |
| Quimper | × | ok | ok | ok | go | go | ok | ok | go | go | ok | ok |
| Vannes | × | × | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | ok | ok | ok |
| France (country-wide) | ok | ok | ok | go | go | go | ok | ok | go | go | ok | ok |
Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.
Climate strip
| Zone | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal BrittanySaint-Malo, Roscoff, Quimper, Lorient | cool | cool | ok | ok | best | best | best | best | best | ok | cool | cool |
| Inland BrittanyRennes, Monts d'Arrée, Nantes-Brest Canal | cool | cool | ok | ok | best | best | best | best | best | ok | cool | cool |
- Coastal Brittany
- Mild and wet year-round; sea breezes keep summer cooler than inland. Rain can arrive any month — pack a shell.
- Inland Brittany
- Warmer than the coast in summer, colder in winter; the Monts d'Arrée catch cloud and wind.
July and August are the driest and busiest; May, June and September give the same coast with fewer people and cheaper beds.
Getting in and passes
Arrival times and regional passes
Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes
Get in
| From | To | How | p50 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Montparnasse | Rennes | TGV | ~1 h 30 | Roughly hourly; some trains continue to Saint-Malo, Brest, Quimper and Lannion. |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport | Rennes | TGV | ~2 h 45 | A few direct trains a day; otherwise change in Paris. |
| Portsmouth / Plymouth / Cork | Saint-Malo or Roscoff | Ferry | overnight or daytime crossing | Brittany Ferries serves Saint-Malo and Roscoff; book early for summer sailings. |
| UK and Ireland | Rennes (RNS), Brest (BES), Nantes (NTE) | Flight | 1–2 h | Rennes and Nantes have the widest route maps; Nantes is just outside the region but close. |
Regional passes
BreizhGo combined tickets
buyOne brand for regional trains, buses and some boats, with through tickets and timed connections; cheaper than TGV for the same speed inside Brittany.
TER round-trip discount
checkSome weekday and Saturday off-peak round-trips are half price — you pay one way. Ask at the counter or check BreizhGo.
Rental car
buyThe only practical way to reach the interior, the Pink Granite Coast and most small ports. No tolls inside Brittany.
Eat and move on
Regional food and where to go next
Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next
Regional food
| Dish | Where | Timing / trap |
|---|---|---|
| Galette complète (buckwheat crêpe with ham, cheese, egg) | Crêperies everywhere; Upper Brittany tradition | Lunch is the value meal; dinner crêperies fill from 19:30.Lunch is the value meal; dinner crêperies fill from 7:30 PM. |
| Galette-saucisse | Ille-et-Vilaine markets and sports events | Grilled sausage rolled in a cold galette; eat standing. |
| Oysters and mussels | Cancale, Saint-Brieuc bay | Cancale oyster stalls along the harbour; check opening days out of season. |
| Coquilles Saint-Jacques | Saint-Brieuc | Scallop season runs roughly October to May; frozen or imported outside it. |
| Kouign-amann | Douarnenez and across the region | Butter cake, best warm; heavy — share one. |
| Far breton | Bakeries region-wide | Prune custard cake; a breakfast or picnic item. |
| Kig ha farz | Finistère, especially around Morlaix | Meat and buckwheat stuffing boiled together; a winter dish, often weekends only. |
| Cider, chouchen and lait ribot | Crêperies and cider farms | Cider is always sparkling and alcoholic here; brut is the dry one for seafood. |
Go next
Normandy
plannedA84 from Rennes to Caen, ~2 h 30 by car
Mont-Saint-Michel sits on the border; combine the two.
Paris
TGV from Rennes, ~1 h 30
The default way in and out.
Hauts-de-France
plannedTGV via Lille or Paris
For Eurostar connections to London.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
plannedTrain Rennes–Nantes, then south
Nantes is the hinge between Brittany and the Atlantic coast.
Occitanie
plannedTGV via Paris or Nantes
Long haul; fly if the fare is close.
Planning aids
Built from this guide's own data
Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…
Region in numbers
- Where to sleep
- 3 bases
- Day trips
- 4, 45 min to 1 h 30
- Nights suggested
- 3–7 nights
- Ways in
- 4 listed
- Best months
- May–Sep (all zones)
Going in…
Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.
Pick a month.
Deep dive
Photos, reading and every source
Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources
Sources
- officialBrittany Tourism
- officialBreizhGo — regional trains, buses and boats
- officialBrittany Ferries
- officialSNCF Connect
- officialRégion Bretagne
- secondaryWikivoyage: Brittany, revision 5138845 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ask about Brittany
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