Eric and I’s first introduction to the Brittany coast is FANTASTIC! In fact, it’s our favorite part of the entire journey in France. Don’t get me wrong, we love Normandy, but there is just something extra special about Brittany.
La Richardais
We’re staying in La Richardais, a small town perched just inland between Dinard, Saint-Malo, and Dinan, and it turns out to be the perfect base. From here, we can easily explore this region of Brittany while remaining tucked away from the busier tourist corridors. There’s a peaceful rhythm in La Richardais, with the Rance River estuary just a few feet away from our door, and excellent food markets close by.
The reason we truly love La Richardais, however, are the owners of Le Berceul. Annie and René have created a hiker’s oasis, with that perfect mix of social and private space, beautiful rooms and garden, and wonderful conversation. Annie keeps us well fed with her wonderful French breakfasts and crepes and René patiently converses with us in a mixture of French and English (when we’re struggling). We especially love that guests have a kitchen, separate from the owners, so we’re able to cook for ourselves. Well, Eric cooks.
Dinard & Saint-Malo
In Dinard, I feel like I’ve stepped into a more elegant era. This seaside town, once the summer playground of British aristocrats, still exudes Belle Époque charm with its grand villas, manicured gardens, and a stylish, slightly nostalgic atmosphere. What I love most is the Promenade du Clair de Lune, a magical walking path that curves along the rocky coastline. It’s wide and easy to stroll, with sweeping views across the bay to Saint-Malo’s ramparts, sailboats bobbing in the blue, and tropical plants tucked into the stone walls.
Saint-Malo is just across the water. From Dinard’s port, we can hop on a quick ferry and be at the base of the old city walls in under ten minutes. But despite the short distance, the two towns feel entirely different. Saint-Malo is rugged and fortified, a corsair city rebuilt stone by stone after the war. It pulses with history and tourism, busy with creperies, souvenir shops, and tides that surge dramatically against its walls. Dinard is softer, quieter, with palm trees, art galleries, and a daily rhythm that feels more relaxed and residential. Dinard is definitely more our vibe.
Dinan
We head into Brittany’s interior today to visit Dinan, perched above the river with medieval ramparts and half-timbered houses. It’s a place where I want to slow down and simply exist. From La Richardais, the scenic drive is full of cyclists and lush vegetation. I feel like I’m uncovering layers of Brittany—coastal elegance in Dinard, maritime might in Saint-Malo, and storybook medieval charm in Dinan. Each town is distinct, yet all are stitched together by the tides and history of the Rance.
It’s a national holiday and sunny, which means EVERYONE is outside. When we arrive on the outskirts of Dinan, along the river, people are overflowing into the street. Eric hits a woman’s purse with our car because she is standing in the middle of the road and refuses to move, even though she has space to do so. I take sick pleasure when she glares at us after being forced to move out of the road. This is what a public holiday in a beautiful location of France does to people, it turns us into animals.
We arrive early to get parking under the bridge in Dinan, and we wander streets and the medieval fortress walls which date back to the 1200s. It’s one of those European towns where you truly step back in time, and the fact that there is a musician in traditional medieval dress playing a psaltery adds to the ambiance.
Hiking the GR®34
One of the reasons for this trip is so we can explore the long-distance coastal hiking routes of France. Having day hiked sections of the GR®223 in Normandy, I’m excited to walk the GR®34 which begins at Mont Saint-Michel and ends at Saint-Nazaire.
We squeeze in a 5-mile hike from Fort de la Latte to Cap Frehel en route to our next lodging. The fort is a 14th-century castle fortress built to defend the coast of Brittany. With its drawbridge, towers, and sea-battered ramparts, it feels more like a movie set than real life.
Perros-Guirec
Moving further along the Brittany coast to the beach town of Perros-Guirec. Our apartment is perfectly situated one block from the beach and access to the GR®34 trail. This is the Côte de Granit Rose, one of the prettiest sections of the GR®34, so it’s not surprising to see so many people on the trail on a Monday in early May.
The weather is glorious as we hike from Perros-Guirec, stopping for lunch at the beach in Saint-Guirec before retracing our steps back to the apartment.
If you’re interested in hiking the GR®34, the best way is by walking from inn to inn with luggage transport service. We’ll cover that soon on Trips to Walkabout and I’ll link that here once the guide is ready.
Hiking Brehat Island
Brehat Island is a walker’s dream come true, which is why it’s often included in walking holiday itineraries for Brittany. We hike for 6 hours and still don’t walk everything on the island. There are toilets throughout the island and plenty of food options.
There are multiple departures each day for Brehat but it is a small boat, so we book a few days in advance. Parking gives us a headache until we realize we’re supposed to park at the lot a few feet before the port, NOT the one closest to port.
Fripperie Shopping in Brittany
Heading further west to the Crozon Peninsula, we break from hiking and to go shopping. We stop in Lannion and then move on to Morlaix, where we discover the pleasures of second-hand (fripperie) shopping at Chests of Joy. This is the mecca of circular economy in France. We have to drive around twice just to find a parking spot, it is so busy!
Crozon Peninsula
It gets more difficult to find good quality lodging the further west we go in Brittany, even in the popular surfer town of Crozon, but we luck out with an apartment tucked quietly away in the heart of Crozon. While I love the central location, if we return to this peninsula I’ll look for lodging in Camaret-sur-Mer. The beach in Camaret is gorgeous and our favorite hike is accessible from it.
Cameret-sur-Mer to Pen Hir Point
Our favorite hike near Crozon is along the GR®34 from Cameret-sur-Mer to Pen Hir Point. With stunning cliffs, old military bunkers spread throughout, and the smell of wild roses and honeysuckle, this is the most enjoyable hike of our trip!
Just before we reach Pen Hir Point, we stumble upon a large group of French gendarmes conducting maneuvers on what has to be the prettiest beach we’ve seen in France so far. It’s Victory Day, the perfect day to hike a place that has such significant military history and one that honors the enduring spirit of the Breton people. We enjoy our picnic lunch as we listen to the Gendarmes singing on the beach.
The path winds past rusting gun emplacements and overgrown bunkers from World War II, remnants of the German Atlantic Wall. At Pointe de Pen-Hir, the cliffs rise dramatically above the sea and we reach the Cross of Pen-Hir, a stark memorial to the Free French Forces. The views are vast and wild, and the silence here is heavy with memory.
Cap de la Chèvre
Weather is not ideal when we hike Cap de la Chèvre, we almost turn back because the wind is so strong and the start of this hike has some steep cliff drops. But I’m glad we don’t, because the views are fabulous.
We especially enjoy walking the beach at Plage de la Palue, with its dunes and wildflowers. It’s a popular surfing spot and I can see why, it has that untamed wild vibe that speaks to most surfers.
Sainte-Marie du Ménez-Hom
Departing Crozon, we stop at Sainte-Marie du Ménez-Hom, a somber looking granite chapel far from any major attractions. Outside, the stone is mottled with lichen and age and an iconic Calvary cross constructed in 1544. The calvary crosses are a hallmark of Breton religious art. The chapel’s interior glows with colorful gilded statues of lesser-known saints and warm wood ceilings. It’s striking and I wonder, how many people know about this place?
Locronan
From Ménez-Hom, we wind our way down to Locronan, a village that feels like a movie set for Beauty and the Beast. The church of Saint-Ronan, with its Gothic arches and sculpted façade, anchors the town. Window boxes spill with flowers and we linger here longer than expected, drawn in by the quiet beauty, the scent of buttery kouign-amann from the bakery, and the overwhelming sense that nothing here has changed in a very long time.
Auray & Saint-Goustan
Our last base town in Brittany is Auray, more specifically the old port of Saint-Goustan. What strikes me about Auray is how naturally it fits into the landscape—perched above a bend in the river, surrounded by soft green hills and ancient forests. Its location isn’t just picturesque, it’s strategic. This was once a vital port, a place where goods from the sea came inland and Breton farmers brought their wares to trade.
From here, it’s easy to explore all of Morbihan—the standing stones at Carnac, the Gulf’s island-dotted waters, the medieval heart of Vannes—yet Auray itself feels quietly central, like a place everything once passed through and never really left.
We really slow down here, people watching from our balcony overlooking the old port and wandering the cobbled streets with their timber-framed houses. We watch kayakers push ashore from the same harbor where Benjamin Franklin once landed in 1776. It’s the perfect place to sip our cider as the tide slips in, feeling wrapped in something timeless that speaks to our wayfaring souls.
Next stop: Chateaus of the Loire Valley and Paris!
