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The Isle Has It: Venture down the untamed Quiberon Peninsula to boat across to the rugged, unspoiled beauty of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Brittany’s wildest island.

Gauguin’s Pont-Aven: A cité des artistes, its colorful folkloric ways helped ignite the painter’s interest in Tahiti.

Unidentical Twins: A ferry ride across the Rance River links two delightfully contrasting towns: ancient, once pirate-ridden St-Malo and grand, genteel, Edwardian Dinard.

Stone Me!: Muse upon the solemn majesty of row-upon-row of anciens menhirs at Carnac, the “French Stonehenge.”

GETTING ORIENTED

Bretons like to say they are Celtic, not Gallic, and other French people sometimes feel they are in a foreign land when they visit this jagged triangle perched on the northwest tip of mainland Europe. Two sides of the triangle are defined by the sea. Brittany’s northern coast faces the English Channel; its western coast defies the Atlantic Ocean. The north of Brittany tends to be wilder than the south, or Basse Bretagne, where the countryside becomes softer as it descends toward Nantes and the Loire. But wherever you go, “maritime Armor”—the Land of the Sea—is never too far away.

Northeast Brittany and the Channel Coast. The northern half of Brittany is demarcated by its 240-km (150-mi) Channel Coast, which stretches from Cancale, just west of Mont-St-Michel, to Morlaix, and can be loosely divided into two parts: the Côte d’Emeraude (Emerald Coast), with cliffs punctuated by golden, curving beaches; and the Côte de Granit Rose (Pink Granite Coast), including the stupefying area around Trébeurden, where Brittany’s granite takes amazing forms glowing an otherworldly pink. On the road heading there are the gateway city of Rennes; Vitré, a beautifully preserved historic towns;the oyster mecca that is Concale; and the great port of St-Malo, whose stone ramparts conjure up the days of the great marauding corsairs.

The Atlantic Coast. Bypassing the lobster-claw of Brittany’s Finistère (“World’s End”), this westernmost region allures with folkloric treasures like Ste-Anne-la-Palud (famed for its pardon festival); Quimper, noted for its signature ceramics; and cheerful, riverside villages like Pont-Aven, which Gauguin immortalized in many sketches and paintings. Here, the 320-km (200-mi) Atlantic coast zigzags its way southeast, with frenzied, cliff-bashing surf alternating with sprawling beaches and bustling harbors. Belle-Ile island is a jewel off the Morbihan coast, another beautiful stretch of shoreline. Enjoy its away-from-it-all atmosphere, because the bustling city of Nantes lies just to the southeast.

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Parlez-Vous Breton? | Pardons and Festivals | Making the Most of Your Time | When to Go | Finding a Place to Stay | Transportation Basics | Visitor Information

PARLEZ-VOUS BRETON?

Most place names in Brittany are Breton; the popular plou means “parish”—this is where the French got the word plouc, meaning “hick.”

Other common geographical names are coat (forest), mor (sea), aber or aven (estuary), ster (river), and enez (island). Ty and ti, like the French chez, mean “at the house of.”

While under the radar screen for the most part during the past decade, the Breton Revolutionary Army is a nationalist group committed to preserving Breton culture against French efforts to repress it. Now that everyone agrees that traditional Breton folkways are a priceless boost to tourism and cultural patrimony, this is a common goal shared by many.

PARDONS AND FESTIVALS

It has been said that there are as many Breton saints as there are stones in the ground. One of the great attractions of Brittany, therefore, remains its many festivals, pardons, and folklore events: Banners and saintly statues are borne in colorful parades, accompanied by hymns, and the entire event is often capped by a feast.

In February, the great Pardon of Terre-Neuve takes place at St-Malo, and in March, Nantes celebrates with