Itineraries
What to do in Brittany in 3 days
Three days is enough for one coast, not for the whole of Brittany. Three itineraries that make sense, with real distances.
7 min read
Three days in Brittany means one coast. Not two, and certainly not the whole region. From Saint-Malo to the Pointe du Raz it is 280 km and nearly four hours’ drive, on country roads that go through the villages. The first decision for a short stay is therefore geographical, and it is better made before you leave than in the car.
Here are three itineraries that fit into three days without spending half the time behind the wheel. Each starts from a station served by the TGV, so you can stick to the train if you wish, and hire a car on arrival if needed.
The Emerald Coast, from Saint-Malo
This is the shortest itinerary in distance and the densest in places: about fifty kilometres take you from Saint-Malo to Cap Fréhel, and everything can be visited from the same base. It is also the busiest in July and August, which you pay for in the car parks more than on the beaches.
What to see on the Emerald Coast
Heritage siteSaint-Malo Intra-MurosSaint-Malo · A dayA walled city entirely encircled by 1,754 metres of granite ramparts, facing the Channel, to the rhythm of the highest tides in Europe.
ViewpointCap FréhelPlévenon · 1 to 2 hours, more if you walk to the fort or along the GR34.One of Brittany’s great panoramas, with cliffs, heathland, an emerald sea and sweeping views over the north coast of 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.
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.- RestaurantPourquoi PasDinard · 2 h 15 to 3 h 30In the Castelbrac hotel in Dinard, Pourquoi Pas serves Julien Hennote’s Michelin-starred cuisine facing the bay of Saint-Malo. The former Dinard natural history museum setting, art deco spaces and the belvedere view accompany gastronomy devoted to the seafood of the Emerald Coast.
BeachLongchamp BeachSaint-Lunaire · 3 hours to a full dayIn Saint-Lunaire, Longchamp is the town’s largest beach, facing north-west, known for surfing, lined with managed dunes and a stepped sea wall, with lifeguards in season, a first aid post and a Hippocampe beach wheelchair.
BeachGrande Plage de Saint-Cast-le-GuildoSaint-Cast-le-Guildo · 3 hours to a full dayIn Saint-Cast-le-Guildo, nearly 2 km of fine sand line the Les Mielles quarter, with lifeguarded swimming in summer, water sports, beach clubs, showers, wheelchair access and a promenade to the harbour.
Natural siteCap d’ErquyErquy · 1 hour to half a dayPink sandstone cliffs, gorse and heather heathland, the Lacs Bleus and four wild beaches: 170 protected hectares on the bay of Saint-Brieuc, crossed by the GR34.
One place per municipality: our guide has more, but a three day stay cannot fit six addresses in the same street.
The Gulf of Morbihan, from Vannes
The Gulf is seen from the water as much as from land: water buses link Vannes, the Île aux Moines and the Île d’Arz in half an hour, and a day on an island is better than three hours driving around the Gulf. Carnac and its alignments are twenty five minutes away, Quiberon forty.
What to see around the Gulf
Heritage siteCarnac StonesCarnac · 1 h 30 to half a dayNearly 3,000 standing stones over four kilometres, raised more than six thousand years ago, at Le Ménec, Kermario, Le Manio and Kerlescan. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 12 July 2025.
Natural siteQuiberon Côte SauvageQuiberon · 1 hour to half a dayNearly ten kilometres of granite cliffs facing the Atlantic, from Portivy to the Château Turpault: the Port-Blanc arch, the Pointe du Percho, heathland and megaliths. Swimming strictly forbidden.
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.
ViewpointPointe des PoulainsSauzon, Belle-Île-en-Mer · 2 hours to half a day.The jewel of north-west Belle-Île, with an 1868 lighthouse, Sarah Bernhardt’s estate and a 360° ocean view, open all year but with an islet cut off at high tide.
Heritage siteVannes walled townVannes · Half a dayA walled town in Morbihan that keeps nearly a kilometre of ramparts, five of its seven gates and two thousand years of continuous urban history.
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.
ViewpointAiguilles de Port CotonBangor · 45 minutes to 1 h 30 for the site, longer for a hike or the Monet trail.One of Belle-Île-en-Mer’s most famous landscapes, immortalised by Claude Monet in 1886, with rock needles, cliffs and a spectacular sunset.
The tip of Finistère, from Quimper
This is the most distant and wildest itinerary: the Pointe du Raz, the Baie des Trépassés, the lighthouses of the Iroise Sea. Distances are longer than they look on a map, as the road goes round every ria. Allow an hour from Quimper to the Pointe du Raz, and as long to come back.
What to see in southern Finistère and at the tip
ViewpointPointe de Pen-HirCamaret-sur-Mer · 1 to 2 hours.One of the great sites of the Crozon peninsula, with high cliffs of Armorican sandstone, the vast ocean and the famous Tas de Pois rocks extending the headland.
ViewpointPointe du RazPlogoff · 1 h 30 to 3 h, depending on the route and the time you spend.One of Finistère’s great panoramas, a Grand Site de France, with cliffs, the Raz de Sein strait, La Vieille lighthouse, the Île de Sein and the vast Atlantic.
LighthouseSaint-Mathieu LighthousePlougonvelin · 1 h 30 to 3 h, more with the memorial and a stretch of the GR34A 37 m tower lit in 1835, 163 steps, a white flash every 15 seconds and an exceptional view over the Iroise Sea, among the ruins of the abbey.
LighthouseÎle Vierge LighthousePlouguerneau · 2 hours to half a day, depending on the option.The tallest lighthouse in Europe and the tallest cut-stone lighthouse in the world, 82.50 m and 397 steps, closed to climbing in 2026 for restoration.
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.
LighthouseLa Jument LighthouseOuessant · Depends on the viewpoint or the boat trip.A legendary 47.40 m lighthouse at sea, built from 1904 to 1911 on the Ar Gazeg reef, with a red light of three flashes and a current range of 10 nautical miles.
BeachLa Torche BeachPlomeur · 3 hours to a full dayIn Plomeur, La Torche stretches about 2 km of white sand facing due west in a Natura 2000 site, with world-famous surfing, lifeguarded swimming in summer, surf schools, the GR34 and strong currents.
BeachBaie des TrépassésCléden-Cap-Sizun · 2 to 5 hours, a full day with a hikeBetween the Pointe du Raz and the Pointe du Van, the Baie des Trépassés is a huge sandy beach exposed to the Atlantic, known for surfing, its waves, its panorama and swimming that calls for real care.
How many kilometres a day
The right measure is not distance but driving time. In Brittany, a coastal road averages 50 km/h in reality, including the villages you pass through, and much less on the coast in August. Beyond two hours of driving a day, a three day stay becomes a road trip.
| Journey | Distance | Real time |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Malo → Cap Fréhel | 45 km | 1 hour |
| Vannes → Carnac | 31 km | 30 min |
| Quimper → Pointe du Raz | 59 km | 1 hour |
| Saint-Malo → Quimper | 227 km | 3 hours |
| Rennes → Brest | 243 km | 3 hours |
The last two lines are the ones that decide: crossing Brittany from east to west takes three hours, six there and back. Over three days, that is a whole day in the car, and it is why the three itineraries above do not mix.