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With hundreds of miles of coastline, Brittany
is blessed with stunning beaches. Some of
Brittany’s beaches are in seaside towns
such as Dinard, Carnac and Benodet. Others are
more natural – like those along the Pink
Granite Coast. Our guide to some of
Brittany’s beaches highlights what we
consider to be the top ten plus has links to
Holiday France Direct’s selection of
holiday accommodation in Brittany.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Dinard »
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Dinard is situated on the western side of
the Rance estuary across the water from
picturesque
St Malo. There is a certain
‘Cote d’Azur’ feel
about Dinard with its beaches, casino,
spacious villas and high profile social
calendar. Dinard’s status stems
from the taste and wealth of English and
American visitors in the 19th
century.
Enjoy Dinard’s pretty bay and
charming Ecluse beach. Take
a stroll along coastal footpaths dotted
with boards displaying
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reproductions of artwork painted along
the route. Head east up to the Pointe du
Moulinet for spectacular views over to St
Malo.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Perros-Guirec
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Along Brittany’s Pink Granite Coast
you will want to explore Perros-Guirec, a
haven of tree lined avenues, smart villas
and beautiful beaches. Perros-Guirec is
located at one end of the long Sentier
des Douaniers walking route, which takes
you along stunning cliff tops to the tiny
resort of Ploumanac’h.
You will pass the incredible water
sculpted rocks which the Pink Granite
Coast is famous for, whilst seabirds
glide overhead to the Sept-Iles bird
sanctuary.
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Along the Pink Granite Coast to the west,
you will come across the smaller villages
of Tregastel and Trebeurden. Tregastel
has a newly renovated aquarium located in
pink granite caves with displays of
English Channel flora and fauna. Just
south of Tregastel is the dome of the
Pleumier-Bodou Telecommunications Centre.
Opened in 1962, it was the first
receiving station to pick up signals from
the American Telstar satellite. The site
is now Cosmopolis telecommunications
museum.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Roscoff
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Roscoff’s deep-water port was
opened in 1973 to revive tourism and
trade between traditional Celtic ports in
Brittany, Ireland and south west England.
Brittany Ferries’ service from
Plymouth to Roscoff is ideal for visitors
to western Brittany.
Roscoff itself is a picturesque resort
with a good selection of shops and
restaurants. It is also famous for its
thalassotherapy sea-water treatments.
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Laber is considered to be one of
Roscoff’s best beaches whilst the
old harbour is home to both fishing
vessels and pleasure boats to the nearby
Ile-de-Batz. It almost looks as though
you could walk to the island as the
deep-water pier in Roscoff stretches
towards it before abruptly plunging into
the sea.
Long narrow Ile-de-Batz mirrors Roscoff
across the water, 1000m away at high tide
but only 200m at low tide. No cars are
permitted on the island. It has some
amazing expanses of sandy beach such as
Greve Blanche at the eastern end which
families tend to head for. Alternatively,
you may prefer Ile de Batz’s wild
and windswept north coast.
Ile-de-Batz is famous for its Jardin
Exotique. This extraordinary garden has
3,000 species of tropical plants from all
over the world, including South Africa,
Australia and Chile. The rockeries are
particularly spectacular and there are
superbs view of the bay of Morlaix,
Roscoff, Carantec and the Chateau du
Taureau.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Carnac
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Carnac comprises Carnac-Ville and the
seaside resort of Carnac-Plage and is
extremely popular with holidaymakers in
July and August. If you can, visit Carnac
in late spring or early autumn when it is
less crowded.
Carnac’s 5 beaches extend for
nearly 3km in total. The 2 most
attractive beaches, usually counted as
one of the 5, are the Plages Men Du and
Beaumer, which lie to the east towards La
Trinite beyond Pointe Churchill.
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Carnac town and seafront are well wooded,
offering shade from the hot beach, and
the tree-lined avenues and gardens are
delightful. The climate in Carnac is mild
enough for evergreen oak and
Mediterranean mimosa to grow alongside
native stone pine and cypress.
Whilst there, why visit to the
Carnac Stones, 2000 or so
stone megaliths (stone alignments). A
pleasant walk from the beach into the
town brings you alongside these
fascinating standing stones believed to
have been an observatory for the motions
of the moon.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Quiberon
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If you enjoy walking, the shores of the
Quiberon Peninsula are a must. The west
side of the Quiberon Peninsula is known
as the Cote Sauvage, ‘the wild
coast,’ where the sea collides with
the shore – excellent for surfing.
The sheltered eastern side of the
Quiberon Peninsula has safe, calm sandy
beaches perfect for sunbathing or
families.
Quiberon itself is a lively port, and you
can get boats out to the islands of
Belle-Ile, Houat and Hoedic. Quiberon has
a mini golf course, bars, restaurants and
good clothes and antiques shops.
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Enjoy the cafes dotted along
Quiberon’s long bathing beach and a
visit to the old-fashioned Café du
Marche is to be recommended.
Port-Maria - Quiberon’s fishing
harbour and the departure point for the
islands of Belle-Ile, Houat and Hoedic -
tends to be the busiest part of town and
has a good selection of restaurants.
Port-Maria was once famous for its
locally canned sardines.
Belle-Ile is a 45 minute ferry journey
from Quiberon. You can hire bikes at the
arrival port or the town of Le Palais and
explore the island at your leisure. Visit
the citadelle of Le Palais and the Grotte
de l’Apothicairerie, where the
cormorant nests are arranged like jars on
a chemists shelf.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Concarneau
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Situated east of Benodet is the coastal
town of Concarneau, one of France’s
largest fishing ports and a holiday
resort full of charm and character.
The must-see sight in Concarneau is the
Ville Close, a small, highly fortified
13th century citadelle on a rocky island
in the bay. Ville Close is extremely
popular with visitors due not only to its
picturesque setting but also the fishing
museum and many Breton shops.
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Concarneau has a good aquarium, sailing
schools and a pleasant seafront and
promenade. There is also an excellent
selection of shops and restaurants.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Benodet »
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The resort of Benodet lies at the mouth
of the Odet, a sea inlet extending all
the way to Quimper. Benodet has a pretty
sandy beach with a palm-tree lined
promenade and nice selection of shops and
restaurants.
The walk from the beach round to the
marina is particularly pleasant, or head
east to Le Letty with its spectacular
sands at low tide.
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Further east again is the holiday resort
of Begmeil with its Pyramide lighthouse
which
has simply breathtaking panoramic views
over the Cornouaille coast and the Glenan
islands.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near the
Crozon Peninsula
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The Crozon Peninsula has lots of
picturesque promontories, bays and
beaches. If driving, the coast road is
particularly spectacular. En route, visit
the town of Plougastel-Daoulas and make a
detour to the hill of Menez-Hom which has
fantastic views over both land and sea.
The nearby town of Morgat is a treat,
with its long crescent beach and
sheltered harbour full of pleasure boats.
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Why not enjoy a boat trip around the
headlands, such as the Cap de la Chevre.
Or enjoy a 45 minute tour of the Grottes,
multi-coloured caves in the cliffs only
accessible by sea, and take in the
spectacular steep ‘chimneys’
which reach up to the cliff tops.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near Le
Val Andre »
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Le-Val-Andre features a huge beach with
fine sand and a long pedestrian promenade
that stretches along the Victorian-style
seafront. Head to rue A-Charner, which
runs parallel to the sea, for a good
selection of shops and restaurants. Like
so many other coastal towns Le-Val-Andre
also features a casino right on the
waterfront for an evening out.
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To the east of Le-Val-Andre is the
delightful town of Erquy with its
spectacular stretch of beach which curves
through more than 180 degrees. A great
feature of Erquy is that, at low tide,
the sea disappears beyond the harbour
entrance, leaving just tiny pools of
water. Equip yourself with stout shoes
and take a walk right across the mouth of
the harbour from the grassy wooded
headland to the lighthouse at the end of
the jetty. Enjoy some shopping in Erquy
or tuck into a fresh fish dinner in one
of the many restaurants.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Paimpol
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Paimpol’s naval shipyards obscure
the view to the open sea; however, a
series of waterways lead to
Paimpol’s 2 separate harbours which
are usually filled with the masts of
pleasure yachts. Fishing boats still use
Paimpol’s harbour and keep the fish
market busy. The harbour area is
definitely the place to be for a lively
atmosphere in the summer.
The Ile de Brehat lies 2km from the coast
at Pointe de l’Arcouest
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6km north west of Paimpol. The Ile de
Brehat is in reality 2 islands that are
joined by a small bridge. The north side
of the islands has windswept meadows that
slope down to rock erosions. On the south
side of the Ile de Brehat, you can enjoy
walking amongst palm trees, mimosa and
eucalyptus. The Ile de Brehat, well known
as a bird and flower sanctuary, is
perfect for nature lovers and ramblers.
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Copyright: Holiday France Direct 2008
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