Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [53]
One glance at the Bois d’Amour forest, set just to the north of town (from the tourist office, go left and walk along the river for five minutes), will make you realize why artists continue to come here. Past some meadows, you can find Gauguin’s inspiration for his famous painting The Yellow Christ—a wooden crucifix inside the secluded Chapelle de Trémalo (usually open, per private owners, from 9 to 7) just outside the Bois d’Amour woods. While in Brittany, Gauguin painted many of his earliest masterpieces, now given pride of place in great museums around the world.
The Musée de Beaux-Arts has a photography exhibition documenting the Pont-Aven School, and works by its participants, such as Paul Sérusier, Maurice Denis, and Émile Bernard. After Gauguin departed for Tahiti, a group of Americans came here to paint, attracted by the light, the landscape, and the reputation. | Pl. de l’Hôtel-de-Ville | 29930 | 02–98–06–14–43 | www.pontaven.com | €4.50 | July and Aug., daily 10–7; Feb.–June and Sept.–Dec., daily 10–12:30 and 2–6.
The creperies and pizzerias that surround Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville cater to the lazy visitor, just emerging from the tourist office at No. 5 (02–98–06–04–70); note the office’s helpful list of chambers d’hôte accommodations offered by the residents in town.
Head to the Moulin du Grand Poulguin (2 quai Théodore-Botrel | 29930 | 02–98–06–02–67), a delightful setting in which to eat a crêpe or pizza on a terrace directly on the flowing waters of the Aven River in view of the footbridge.
Those with a sweet tooth can just fill up on the buttery Traou Mad cookies at the Biscuiterie Traou Mad (10 pl. Gauguin | 29930 | 02–98–06–01–94); they’re baked with the local wheat of the last running windmill in Pont-Aven.After exploring the village, cool off (in summer) with a boat trip down the estuary.
WHERE TO EAT AND STAY IN PONT-AVEN
La Taupinière.
$$$$ | FRENCH | On the road from Concarneau, 3 km (2 mi) west of Pont-Aven, is this roadside inn with an attractive garden. Chef Guy Guilloux’s open kitchen (with the large hearth he uses to grill all langoustine, but also crab and fish) turns out local delicacies such as galette crêpes stuffed with spider crab and Breton ham specialties. Splurge without guilt on the light homemade rhubarb and strawberry compote. | Croissant St-André | 29930 | 02–98–06–03–12 | www.la-taupiniere.com | Reservations essential Jacket required | AE, MC, V | Closed Mon. and Tues., last 2 wks in Mar. and mid-Sept.–mid-Oct.
Fodor’s Choice | Domaine de Kerbastic.
$$$–$$$$ | Exquisite and extraordinary, this lovely gated estate—a hotel only since 2008—served as the country getaway for generations of Princesses de Polignacs and their eminent friends, including Stravinsky, Colette, and Proust. Each of the 17 rooms, decorated in flawless taste, mix family antiques with a modern aesthetic and make playful reference to some of the more prominent guests and family members, including the Cocteau room, with murals in the artist’s antic style, or the ravishing India-themed Marquise de Polignac room, with inlaid black-lacquer furnishings and sisal rugs. On chilly evenings a fire is laid in a charming salon downstairs, where one might sip an apérobefore an all-organic gourmet dinner, complete with greens from the estate’s kitchen garden. The extensive grounds are perfect for a country promenade, with splendid box-hedge-lined gardens, ancient trees, and endless fields of wildflowers. Pros: enormous marble bathrooms, with both tub and shower, all have fetching views over the grounds or gardens. Cons: somewhat off the beaten path; you can’t stay forever. | 28 km (17 mi) southeast of Pont-Aven, off major route E60, Rue de Kerbastic, Guidel | 56520 | 02–97–65–98–01 | www.domaine-de-kerbastic.com | 15 deluxe rooms | In-room: no a/c, safe, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: restaurant, pets allowed | AE, MC, V, DC.
La Chaumière Roz-Aven.
Partly built into a rock face on the bank of the