Brittany’s north coast

Route description

Saint-Malo, the old corsair town, is enclosed by ramparts you can walk around; at low tide you can cross the sand to the island of Grand Bé, but check tide times first. From here the D786 heads west along the Emerald Coast.

Cap Fréhel has pink and grey cliffs covered in heather, a lighthouse and seabird colonies; a short walk away, Fort La Latte stands on a rock above the sea. The route then continues west around the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to Perros-Guirec.

At Ploumanac’h, part of Perros-Guirec, the Customs Officers’ Path winds among giant pink boulders shaped by the wind. The route finishes in Brest, a naval port at the western end of Brittany, where the Océanopolis aquarium is a highlight.

The main dual carriageways in Brittany are toll-free. The capes are windy and the car parks at Cap Fréhel are charged in summer. Early summer and September offer the best weather with fewer visitors.