{"id":8708,"date":"2024-12-10T14:48:20","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T14:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/perfect-weekend-itinerary-visiting-brittany-frances-beautiful-celtic-region\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:55:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:55:47","slug":"perfect-weekend-itinerary-visiting-brittany-frances-beautiful-celtic-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/perfect-weekend-itinerary-visiting-brittany-frances-beautiful-celtic-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Things To Do In Brittany, France: A Weekend Travel Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brittany is one part of France that has always fascinated me; and for very good reason.<\/p>\n

For starters, there\u2019s that name \u2013 Brittany<\/a>, which to the uninitiated would sound like it was linked in some way to Great Britain. And they wouldn\u2019t be wrong either.<\/p>\n

In addition to Scotland, Wales<\/a>, Ireland, Cornwall<\/a> and the Isle of Man<\/a>; Brittany is one of the six Celtic nations and still has a language (called \u2018Breton\u2019) that\u2019s closer to Welsh than it is to French (Yup \u2013 this part of France has two Language; Breton and French).<\/p>\n

Brittany wasn\u2019t even part of France (it was an independent Duchy) until like 500 years ago. Believe it or not, the name long ago used to be Armorica (which translated back then to something like \u201cOn the sea\u201d or \u201cat the sea\u201d\u2026).<\/p>\n

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Then there are all those pretty little cottages, which to me kinda look like what it would look like if old British cottages had babies with old French cottages \u2013 as you can imagine, they\u2019re adorable!<\/p>\n

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Also, Brittany always seemed so close to the UK (you can take a ferry from the UK here) so I\u2019d always been intrigued by what it would be like!<\/p>\n

Well, we finally got to visit and although so much of what I\u2019d hoped for and expected was true. there were many delightful surprises to be found along the way in our time in Brittany<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To that end, and to help you along your merry way if you\u2019re planning on visiting Brittany<\/a>, I\u2019ve put together this long weekend guide to exploring and experiencing a slice of beautiful Brittany.<\/p>\n

HOW TO GET TO BRITTANY<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got several options here. You could fly into one of several airports such as Nantes or Brest. You could also drive here from almost anywhere in Europe (*you\u2019d probably need to catch a ferry from Portsmouth or Poole if you\u2019re coming from the UK or Ireland) \u2013 almost everywhere else is connected by land.<\/p>\n

3rd<\/sup> option and probably one of the best is to travel via train from Paris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, most people never need too many reasons to visit Paris and this is just over 2 hours away from Paris by train so tag-teaming this with a pit stop in Paris (even if just for lunch) makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

WHERE TO STAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux<\/a> is one of the most French places you can think of staying. I\u2019d known about them since dining at one of the old French Castles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By the way, it was this one here<\/a> back when we were in the Dordogne Valley<\/a>. Since then, I promised myself to stay in one of their amazing hotels when we returned to France.<\/p>\n

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Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux isn\u2019t a chain of hotels, by the way. Each place is individually owned and individually operated so apart from the high standards required from each of the members, every hotel on their list is entirely different from the next.<\/p>\n

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They’re now in more countries than just France but they’re very French so it seemed very appropriate to get the full French experience.<\/p>\n

Anyhoo, long story short \u2013 we went for a Relais Chateaux by the sea. I swear, I always thought Relais was French for relax<\/em> and I publicly bragged about this amazing French translation to my friends\u2026 it does not, by the way.<\/p>\n

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The Relais Chateaux<\/a> we stayed in was called Manoir de Lan Kerellec<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s a property run by a father and daughter team whose family have owned the place for several generations. (Always nice to see places like this that have held on to parts of their history).<\/p>\n

WHAT TO DO IN <\/strong>BRITTANY FOR A WEEKEND<\/strong><\/p>\n

We took the train from London to Paris and after a very quick tour of the city (by \u201ctour\u201d, I mean lazy wandering through the main parts of the city, eating as many crepes as I could find \u2013 which was not as many as I\u2019d like given our limited time here) before hopping aboard the train to Guingamp, where we had a car rental pre-booked.<\/p>\n

Having a car here is handy, by the way. Not sure what the public transport situation is like here (didn\u2019t get the chance to find out) but having a car means you can make the most of your limited time here.<\/p>\n

Anyway, enough rambling from my end \u2013 here\u2019s your weekend itinerary once you arrive in Brittany.<\/p>\n

DAY 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mid-afternoon or early evening:<\/strong> Arrival at Guingamp and pick up your car (like we did). Drive to Manoir de Lan Kerellec<\/a> in Tr\u00e9beurden (it\u2019s a 30 to 40-minute ride but took us longer as we kept stopping).<\/p>\n

If you have time, pop into Lannion, it\u2019s pretty here.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have time to pop into Lannion on your way in, don\u2019t worry, you can do this later on this weekend (or perhaps even on your way back to Guingamp).<\/p>\n

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Evening:<\/strong> Take it easy.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re here on holiday after all. Pop into the restaurant at Manoir de Lan Kerellec (it\u2019s one of the best around here and also means you can drink all the wine and just pop upstairs to bed without worrying about driving).<\/p>\n

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Dinner here is course after course of deliciousness (they even have their homemade butter and bread here).<\/p>\n

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For me, the cream of the crop (how do you say that in French?) was the lobster.<\/p>\n

It was perfect; there\u2019s just something about having lobster in places by the sea (shoutout to Boston and Scotland). I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s just because they get it fresher but they certainly seem to know how to cook it better. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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DAY 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Early Morning:<\/strong> Go for a drive in the morning! Even in the rain, it\u2019s beautiful around here. But have breakfast first at your hotel. Always start with breakfast\u2026 but you already know that.<\/p>\n

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Morning – Around 10 am:<\/strong> Head over to Plage de Trestraou (which in English is Trestraou beach), to try your hands at Longe c\u00f4te \u2013 an old French sport of sea-hiking. The sport originated not too far from here (I think it was in Dunkirk actually) and is exactly what you think it is.<\/p>\n

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You put on a wetsuit and go hiking in the sea.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a whole technique to it which you\u2019ll have explained to you prior but it\u2019s all in fun and is something the locals get involved in too (on the day we visited, everyone else booked in with us was from the local area).<\/p>\n

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To do this, the Manoir<\/a> can sort it out for you (probably easiest this way) or you can make a booking in person at the aquatic centre\/boat club area on the left side of the peer (if you\u2019re looking at the beach).<\/p>\n

Late morning\/Early Afternoon:<\/strong> Explore nearby Perros-Guirec \u2013 home to some rather charming houses and an even more charming chapel.<\/p>\n

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This is the perfect place for lazy ambling. The locals are very friendly here and will happily invite you in or stop to help if you look lost \u2013 the perfect excuse for snooping around.<\/p>\n

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Try to drive around the local area to see more of it and perhaps even go down one of the many beaches here. Plage Saint-Guirec is one worth checking out when you\u2019re here though really, anyone here will do.<\/p>\n

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Afternoon:<\/strong> Head over to Les Triagoz for lunch. It\u2019s not gourmet or anything but hits the spot for lunch.<\/p>\n

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Later afternoon:<\/strong> Forage for your seaweed by the beach. Sounds random, I know, but you\u2019re by the beach and seaweed has crept into many-a-culinary delight so you might as well throw yourself into the whole seaside experience properly.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s run by a seaweed expert called Regine Queva (though don\u2019t be surprised if they refer to seaweed as algae \u2013 which sounds considerably less delicious, it\u2019s just a French thing apparently and is referring to seaweed).<\/p>\n

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You get to taste the seaweed too (remember how when we did this in Scotland<\/a> I said how there\u2019s no poisonous seaweed? Well Regine reconfirms this \u2013 with one rule though, the seaweed still need to be planted\/alive when you get it \u2013 you can\u2019t just go picking random floating pieces of seaweed).<\/p>\n

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All of this is not done without purpose mind you. You get to go back to the kitchen and make your seaweed meal that afternoon before embarking on a special seaweed menu made specially by the chef.<\/p>\n

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Early evening:<\/strong> Run yourself a nice bath and just chill. Get out a good book or just have a nice long nap. You\u2019ve had an early start to the day and deserve a chill.<\/p>\n

I chose the bath option (which was kinda silly considering I\u2019d just had a shower to warm me up prior \u2013 I didn\u2019t bring the right clothes or shoes for the beach).<\/p>\n

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I just saw the bath again as I left the shower and decided to grab a glass of wine and hop in! Best decision ever. I\u2019ve been a long-standing fan of great baths \u2013 as you probably already know so this was just what I needed!<\/p>\n

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Mid-Evening:<\/strong> Seaweed gourmet dinner at the Manoir restaurant. Seaweed doesn\u2019t sound like the most interesting ingredient but in the hands of amazing French chefs, it\u2019s something else!<\/p>\n

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As with the night before, it\u2019s course after course of deliciousness. Some of which leave you wondering where the seaweed is<\/p>\n

For example,  thrown into a mini salad or made into what I can only describe as a \u201cparmesan-biscuit\u201d-esque side served with fish \u2013 except of course, it\u2019s seaweed, not parmesan cheese.<\/p>\n

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Each item was delicious but the one that surprised me was the freshly made souffl\u00e9 for dessert (with \u2013 you guessed it, seaweed). Fantastic.<\/p>\n

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*Also, random sidebar \u2013 when the cheese cart came around, you know how most people would probably ask for a couple of cheeses? Well, Lloyd couldn\u2019t decide and went for ALL the cheeses. ALL! Every single one.<\/p>\n

Who does that? \ud83d\ude06<\/p>\n

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DAY 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morning:<\/strong> Breakfast time. Have it slow and leisurely. If you\u2019re in the mood for a bit of sand yachting on the beach, ask the Manoir de Lan Kerellec<\/a> to help organise this for you. We decided to go check out something else instead.<\/p>\n

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Late Morning:<\/strong> Head over to Ploumanac’h Lighthouse where you can see, one of the most iconic sights in the area, and I\u2019m not even talking about the impressive lighthouse here.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m referring to the distinct red rocks that define this part of France.<\/p>\n

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You can see rocks like this all along the coast, some of which aren\u2019t red at all \u2013 but down here, you get to see some of the largest (and indeed, largest concentrations) of red rocks dotted along this amazing coastline.<\/p>\n

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Seriously, some of them are the sizes of several houses put together!<\/p>\n

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^ That’s Lloyd in front of the lighthouse above – just to give you a sense of how huge those rocks and the light are.<\/em><\/p>\n

Those fiery red rocks against the blue of the sea create such a brilliant contrast and are worth popping by the sea when you\u2019re in the area.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019d heard about them from several people here, ergo the decision to visit but if you\u2019ve got time, you should pop into Lannion (especially if you missed it on your way in on Day 1).<\/p>\n

Alternatively, perhaps stay an extra night and spend the extra 24 hours here in Lannion and some other smaller but equally charming towns?<\/p>\n

In retrospect, I would have loved to have done this and wish I\u2019d booked an extra day just to pop into other charming little French villages and towns. All the more reason to return soon I guess.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, after this, you\u2019re free to head back to Guingamp (or indeed an airport or hop into your car) to head back home thoroughly invigorated by a taste of a different and unique part of France. We certainly were.<\/p>\n

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11 Very Best Things To Do In Brittany, France<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n