Ranking
The most beautiful villages in Brittany
Locronan, Rochefort-en-Terre, Ploumanac’h, Saint-Suliac, Sauzon, Pont-Aven: our selection of the most beautiful villages in Brittany, department by department.
7 min read
Granite towns left intact, fishing ports with colourful houses, painters’ villages: Brittany has dozens of villages worth the detour. Here are the ones you never regret, then our selection in each department.
The must sees
Locronan, Rochefort-en-Terre and Saint-Suliac are listed among the most beautiful villages in France. Ploumanac’h was voted the French’s favourite village in 2015, and Rochefort-en-Terre the following year. Pont-Aven, the painters’ town of Gauguin, and Sauzon, on Belle-Île, complete this first tour.
Our selection
VillageLocronanLocronan · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with a hike or DouarnenezLocronan lines up granite mansions, cobbles, a Gothic church and art workshops around an almost untouched square, the legacy of a town made rich by sailcloth and the Troménie.
VillageRochefort-en-TerreRochefort-en-Terre · 2 hours to half a day, more during the Christmas eventsRochefort-en-Terre creates an almost theatrical setting of granite houses, half-timbering, flowers, craftspeople and a castle perched on a rocky spur.
VillagePloumanac’hPerros-Guirec · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with a walk to TrégastelPloumanac’h brings together a natural harbour, Saint-Guirec beach, an oratory, the Mean Ruz lighthouse and huge jumbles of pink granite along one of the finest stretches of the GR34.
VillageSaint-SuliacSaint-Suliac · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with the Mont Garrot and the peninsula trailSaint-Suliac gathers its granite houses and flowery lanes around a small harbour on the Rance, overlooked by the Grainfollet oratory and the Mont Garrot.
VillageSauzonSauzon · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with the Pointe des Poulains or DonnantSauzon is Belle-Île’s picture-postcard little harbour, with pastel facades, boats, terraces and easy access to the Pointe des Poulains, Donnant and the wild coast.
VillagePont-AvenPont-Aven · Half a day minimum, a full day with the museum, the Bois d’Amour and the galleriesPont-Aven brings together a river, mills, flowery footbridges, galleries and the memory of Gauguin, in a small town that has become one of Brittany’s great places for art.
VillageDinan, historic centreDinan · A full day recommended, half a day minimumDinan unfolds more than two kilometres of ramparts, half-timbered houses, a castle, a basilica, the Rue du Jerzual and a port on the Rance, in one of the most spectacular medieval ensembles in Brittany.
VillageCancaleCancale · 2 hours minimum, ideally half a day. A full day with the Pointe du GrouinFacing the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, Cancale brings together the Port de la Houle, an oyster market open all year round, fishermen’s houses, oyster beds and a coastal path to the Pointe du Grouin.
Department by department
Each list is ranked by how interesting the village is, with no more than one place per municipality.
The most beautiful villages in Finistère
- VillageLocronanLocronan · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with a hike or DouarnenezLocronan lines up granite mansions, cobbles, a Gothic church and art workshops around an almost untouched square, the legacy of a town made rich by sailcloth and the Troménie.
VillageRoscoffFinistère · Half a day minimum, a full day with the exotic garden or the Île de BatzRoscoff combines an old harbour, granite shipowners’ houses, a Flamboyant church, an exotic garden and boats to the Île de Batz, in the unique maritime light of north Finistère.- VillagePont-AvenPont-Aven · Half a day minimum, a full day with the museum, the Bois d’Amour and the galleriesPont-Aven brings together a river, mills, flowery footbridges, galleries and the memory of Gauguin, in a small town that has become one of Brittany’s great places for art.
VillageCamaret-sur-MerCamaret-sur-Mer · Half a day minimum, ideally a full day with Lagatjar and the Pointe de Pen-HirAt the tip of the Crozon peninsula, Camaret-sur-Mer combines a characterful harbour, the UNESCO-listed Tour Vauban, the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Rocamadour, the Lagatjar standing stones and cliffs open to the Iroise Sea.
VillagePont-CroixPont-Croix · 1 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with the banks of the GoyenPont-Croix stacks its stone lanes above the Goyen, around the imposing collegiate church of Notre-Dame de Roscudon and a remarkably well-preserved group of old houses.
The most beautiful villages in Morbihan
- VillageRochefort-en-TerreRochefort-en-Terre · 2 hours to half a day, more during the Christmas eventsRochefort-en-Terre creates an almost theatrical setting of granite houses, half-timbering, flowers, craftspeople and a castle perched on a rocky spur.
- VillageSauzonSauzon · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with the Pointe des Poulains or DonnantSauzon is Belle-Île’s picture-postcard little harbour, with pastel facades, boats, terraces and easy access to the Pointe des Poulains, Donnant and the wild coast.
VillageSaint-CadoBelz · 1 to 2 hours on site, half a day with Belz, Port Niscop or ÉtelLinked to Belz by a little stone bridge, Saint-Cado brings together fishermen’s houses, a Romanesque chapel, a calvary and one of the most famous postcards in Morbihan: the Nichtarguer house with its blue shutters.
VillageJosselinJosselin · Half a day minimum, a full day with the castle and the canalJosselin brings together a three-towered castle overlooking the Oust, a basilica, half-timbered houses and the Nantes-Brest canal, in one of Morbihan’s most iconic silhouettes.
VillageLa GacillyLa Gacilly · Half a day minimum outside the festival, a full day during the Festival PhotoLa Gacilly turns its lanes, gardens and meadows into a huge open-air photo gallery, while keeping its craft workshops, stone houses and valley landscape around the Aff.
The most beautiful villages in Côtes-d’Armor
- VillagePloumanac’hPerros-Guirec · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with a walk to TrégastelPloumanac’h brings together a natural harbour, Saint-Guirec beach, an oratory, the Mean Ruz lighthouse and huge jumbles of pink granite along one of the finest stretches of the GR34.
- VillageDinan, historic centreDinan · A full day recommended, half a day minimumDinan unfolds more than two kilometres of ramparts, half-timbered houses, a castle, a basilica, the Rue du Jerzual and a port on the Rance, in one of the most spectacular medieval ensembles in Brittany.
VillagePontrieuxPontrieux · 2 hours to half a day, longer with the boat tripPontrieux unfolds old houses, bridges, flowery quays and nearly fifty wash houses along the Trieux, best discovered from a small boat.
VillageSaint-Jacut-de-la-MerSaint-Jacut-de-la-Mer · Half a day minimum, a full day with the Ébihens or the walk around the two baysSaint-Jacut-de-la-Mer stretches its old fishing village between eleven beaches, two bays and the Ébihens archipelago, reachable on foot only at low tide.
VillageMoncontour-de-BretagneMoncontour · 2 hours to half a dayPerched on a height in the Côtes-d’Armor, Moncontour keeps ramparts, cobbled lanes, old houses and the church of Saint-Mathurin with its remarkable 16th-century stained glass.
The most beautiful villages in Ille-et-Vilaine
- VillageCancaleCancale · 2 hours minimum, ideally half a day. A full day with the Pointe du GrouinFacing the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, Cancale brings together the Port de la Houle, an oyster market open all year round, fishermen’s houses, oyster beds and a coastal path to the Pointe du Grouin.
VillagePaimpontPaimpont · Half a day minimum, ideally a full day with a storytelling walk or the forestPaimpont brings together an abbey, a lake, schist and sandstone houses, the Porte des Secrets and the starting points of storytelling walks into the Arthurian legends of Brocéliande.
VillageCombourgCombourg · Half a day minimum, a full day with a castle visit and a walk around the lakeWith its medieval castle, the Lac Tranquille and old houses, Combourg remains deeply linked to Chateaubriand and to Brittany’s Romantic imagination.- VillageSaint-SuliacSaint-Suliac · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with the Mont Garrot and the peninsula trailSaint-Suliac gathers its granite houses and flowery lanes around a small harbour on the Rance, overlooked by the Grainfollet oratory and the Mont Garrot.
VillageDol-de-BretagneDol-de-Bretagne · 2 h 30 to half a day, a full day with Mont-DolDol-de-Bretagne brings together a Gothic cathedral, ramparts, medieval houses and one of the oldest civil buildings in Brittany, a few kilometres from Mont-Dol and the bay.
The most beautiful villages in Loire-Atlantique
VillageTrentemoultRezé · 1 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with lunch or combined with NantesFacing Nantes, Trentemoult unfolds a maze of colourful houses, narrow lanes, little gardens and terraces on the banks of the Loire, a few minutes away by Navibus.
VillagePornicPornic · Half a day minimum, a full day with the coastal path and the beachPornic curls around an old harbour overlooked by its castle, among villas, coves, the customs officers’ path, fishing huts and famous treats such as La Fraiseraie.
VillageClissonClisson · Half a day minimum, ideally a full day with La Garenne LemotWhere the Sèvre and the Moine meet, Clisson combines a medieval castle, old market halls, stone bridges, Italian-style facades and the Romantic park of La Garenne Lemot.
VillageLe CroisicLe Croisic · Half a day minimum, ideally a full day with the Côte Sauvage or the OcéariumLe Croisic combines an old harbour, shipowners’ houses, old lanes, the Océarium and a wild coast, on a peninsula where maritime heritage runs right out to the Atlantic rocks.
VillagePiriac-sur-MerPiriac-sur-Mer · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with the beach or the coastal pathAmong granite, hydrangeas and colourful shutters, Piriac-sur-Mer unfolds its alleys around a small sheltered harbour before reaching the rocky coast and the Pointe du Castelli.
Our other rankings
- The most beautiful viewpoints in Brittany
- The best campsites in Brittany
- The most beautiful unusual stays in Brittany
- The most beautiful markets in Brittany, day by day
- The most beautiful museums in Brittany
- Michelin starred restaurants in Brittany
- The megalithic sites of Brittany
- Good food at low prices in Brittany: the Bib Gourmand restaurants
- The best campsites in Finistère
- The best campsites in Morbihan
- The most beautiful hikes in Brittany
- Where to see seals, dolphins and seabirds in Brittany