Brittany beaches - we recommend the best Brittany beaches

Best Beaches in Brittany:

Port Briac beach in Brittany

(Port Briac, Brittany)

Brittany is blessed with some beautiful beaches. In our opinion the beaches listed here are the best and we rank them in order of attractiveness. Of course it depends on what you are looking for. Our primary beach goals are a pleasant outlook, fine sand suitable for digging sand castles, good safe bathing, decent access and facilities.

1. Audierne

Still an active fishing port with good local seafood. The beaches are excellent with long stretches of fine sand and there are boat trips across to the Ile-de-Sein.

2. La Baule

La Baule beach is in the far south east of Brittany, almost adjoining the Vendée. There is a stretch of beautiful fine sandy beach about 4 miles long, fronted by a very pleasant promenade. The bay is made even more attractive with the numerous, small offshore islands. Furthermore, the weather in this region tends to be more reliable and comparable with the favourable micro-climate of the Vendée.

3. Benodet Beach

Another excellent beach is at Benodet. This is often voted as one of the best family resorts in Brittany. The large Plage du Trez in the centre of the bay is the one to hunt out. The beach is supervised in the summer season and you can hire pedaloes and beach kayaks. Nearby is the Plage du Letty and the Plage Saint Gilles, ideal for rock pools.

4. Carnac

In southern Brittany between Vannes and Lorient not far from the Golfe du Morbihan lies Carnac with La Grande Plage and 4 other smaller beaches nearby stretching for over a couple of miles. These south facing beaches are all sheltered, benefiting from the areas micro-climate. They are rightly recognized as some of the best beaches in France. Two of them – La Grande Plage and St. Colomban have supervised bathing in the summer season. If you can drag the kids away from the beach then the famous Standing Stones nearby can be visited.

5. Dinard

Situated in a fantastic setting opposite St. Malo. There is a choice of beaches, the main beach being Plage de l’Ecluse where the Casino is. You can follow the attractive Promenade du Claire de Lune around the headland and down to the Plage du Prieuré. In the other direction is the Plage de St Egonat.

6. Perros Guirec

Located on the picturesque Pink Granite Coast, Perros Guirec can become very busy in the main seasons. The Pink Granite Coast has fascinating rock and sand formations and offers a choice of attractive beaches (try Trestraou or Trestingel).

7. Quiberon Peninsula

Just to the south of Carnac is the Quiberon Peninsula, so if you are looking for something a bit wilder then the beaches here on the aptly named Cote Sauvage fit the bill. Quiberon itself is worth visiting and it has a lovely little beach of its own, very sheltered and suitable for families.

8. St. Cast

This small resort has seven beaches all of its own!! At the end of the main beach is a small hill with excellent views from the summit over the Emerald Coast and Cap Fréhel. Coastal walks along the jagged cliffs are particularly impressive.

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The Crozon Peninsula

The Crozon Peninsula is part of the Parc Naturel regional D'Armorique. It stretches from the picturesque Arree Mountains in the east to the wonderful beaches and coastal scenery of the 'Presqu'ile de Crozon to the west. The whole magnificent National Park is in the' Department of Finistere which in turn is part of the area of Brittany.

Presqu'ile de Crozon has in general been undiscovered by tourists as they tend to by-pass it on their way south. The French come in summer but it never gets that busy. The Presqu'ile extents about 30 kms by 10 kms. and in that area the scenery changes from towering cliffs at Point Espangnois with its bracing walks to long beautiful sandy beaches which stretch for miles (there are in fact over 12 sandy beaches to choose from and none of them get very busy). There are numerous delightful walks in forests & moors and we have 145kms. of coastal footpath around the Presqu'ile to explore.

Many thanks to Brittany Sailing for this input.