Island guide
What to do on the Île de Bréhat: the guide
The crossing from L’Arcouest, the Paon lighthouse, the Saint-Michel chapel, the tide mill and a car free island: what to do on the Île de Bréhat, the island of flowers.
6 min read
Ten minutes by boat from the coast, Bréhat is a small archipelago of pink granite where you get around on foot or by bike: cars have no place here. Its mild climate makes mimosas, hydrangeas and agapanthus bloom, hence its nickname, the island of flowers.
The crossing
Boats leave all year round from the Pointe de l’Arcouest, in Ploubazlanec, near Paimpol, and dock at Port-Clos. In summer, sailings are frequent; park early, as the car parks at L’Arcouest fill up fast.
The south island, flowery and lively
The village and its shady square, the captains’ houses, the Saint-Michel chapel perched on its hill, from where you see the whole archipelago, and the Birlot tide mill: the south island can be done in a morning.
The north island, wilder
Beyond the small Pont ar Prat, attributed to Vauban, heathland replaces the gardens. The Paon lighthouse stands at the end, among red rocks, and the Croix de Maudez looks out to sea. Bikes are not allowed on the seaside paths there: leave them at the bridge and continue on foot.
The island and its lighthouses
Natural siteBréhat IslandÎle-de-Bréhat · A day, ideally a night on the islandFrance’s first listed site, ten minutes by boat from L’Arcouest: a car-free island, flowery in the south, wild in the north, surrounded by an archipelago of pink granite. On foot or by bike.
LighthousePaon LighthouseÎle-de-Bréhat · 2 h 30 to 4 hours there and back from the landing stage, depending on pace, breaks and how you travelAt the northern tip of Bréhat, a small pink granite tower rebuilt after 1944 overlooks the Pointe du Paon and marks the dangerous Horaine area.
LighthouseRosédo LighthouseÎle-de-Bréhat · 20 to 40 min on site, usually part of a loop to the Paon lighthouseIn the north-west of Bréhat, a 13-metre white tower rebuilt after 1944, with a white flash every five seconds and a range of 20 miles.
Around L’Arcouest
Paimpol, its harbour and the Abbaye de Beauport are a few minutes from the boat departure point. A day on Bréhat ends nicely with a stroll along the quays of Paimpol.
Nearby
VillagePaimpol, port and historic centrePaimpol · At least half a day, a full day with Beauport or BréhatPaimpol mixes a marina, cobbled lanes, shipowners’ houses and the memory of the Iceland fishermen, with Beauport Abbey and Bréhat a few kilometres away.
Heritage siteAbbaye de BeauportPaimpol · 1 h 30 to 2 hours, half a day with the estateFounded around 1202 on the bay of Paimpol, the only Premonstratensian abbey in Brittany: a roofless church, cloister, chapter house, orchards and a free 120-hectare natural estate.
LighthouseHéaux de Bréhat LighthousePleubian / large de Bréhat · 30 minutes to 1 hour of watching, longer as part of an outingA 56.60 m tower on the Épées de Tréguier reefs, built from 1837, partly blown up in 1944 and then raised higher after the war.
Where to stay around Bréhat and Paimpol
Stay in autour de Bréhat et de Paimpol
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
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