Things to do in Brittany
There really is an enormous amount to do in the area, so much so that it would take a whole website. Listed below are just some of the vast array of things to see and do, something for everyone.
Le Mont St Michel
This is the second biggest tourist destination in France after the Eiffel Tower. The Abbey dates back to the 18 century, when the Archangel appeared to the bishop of Avranches, Aubert, who duly founded a monastery on the island. Well worth a visit, though it can be very busy in the summer season. Refreshments are readily available along with numerous gift shops.
Golf
There are many stunning golf courses in this area of France.
Dinard – St Briac Sur Mer: this is an all year round golf course,thanks to its quality. Its close to the sea, has panoramic views from the club house and is one of France’s oldest courses.
St. Malo – Le Tronchet: A 27 hole course, set between the lake of Mirloup and the forest of Mesnil.
Dol de Bretagne – Golfing Des Ormes, is a challenging,but suitable for all course set in the superb grounds of Chateau des Ormes.
For more info on golf courses in the area and prices etc go to: www.tourismebretagne.com
Disneyland
If you fancy a visit you can drive to Disneyland in 3.5 hours, or take the TGV from Rennes in 2 hours.
Markets
Cancale – Sunday Morning
Dinan – Thursday Morning
Dol-de-Bretagne – Saturday Morning
Fougeres – Saturday Morning
Rennes – Everyday except Sunday,in the central food halls
St Malo – Tuesday and Friday Morning in the Intra Muros
Pontorson – Wednesday Morning
Combourg – Monday Morning
Dinard – Saturday Morning.
Hypermarkets
Cora – a large hypermarket on the outskirts of St Malo which sells everything from cereal to dvd’s, clothes to sports equipment. Near to Cora you will also find Decathlon. Decathlon sells all sorts of sports and leisure equipement. Both well worth a visit.
Carrefour – situated further towards St Malo, La Madelaine Centre has a carrefour hypermarket,along with gift shops, make-up and perfume stores and much, much more.
On the beach
Sand Yachting – St Malo, Vivier Sur Mer and Cherrieux.
Water sports – Various water sports are available, such as catamaran sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, diving, rafting, sailing and much more, more info will be provided in your gite.
Brittany beaches
Brittany is lucky to have dozens of beautiful beaches and coastlines, so many it would be crazy to attempt to give a write-up of them all. So here are just a small taster of what can be found very easily.
St.Malo – The beaches of St.Malo are made up of good sand and there are many places to hire equipment for water sports etc. Perhaps one of the best known is La Plage du Bons Secours, which has a sea water swimming pool which is refreshed after every high tide. The beach and pool lead on to a causeway to the small island of Grand – Bé. This is a safe beach and attracts windsurfers. The Plage du verger and Anse du Guesclin are further along the coast and are very popular with surfers.
Dinard – The Plage de l’Ecluse is a sandy beach set in a beautiful bay, overlooked by the Casino of Dinard, fronted by cafés and eating places. Enjoyable coastal footpaths can be found in abundance and the well known Dinard blue and white stripped tents are in evidence along the beach.
St Cast-le-Guildo – St Cast is around 30km from St Malo and is a very pleasant seaside location.Beach activities and organised sand castle building competitions.
La Baule – To the far south of Brittany La baule has 4 miles of fine sandy beach fronted by a promenade.
Cherrieux – The beach here is ideal for sand yachting, horse riding or kite flying and this coastline runs all the way to Cancale.
Other things to do
Helistar – Situated in Dinard/St Malo/Rennes this is an exciting experience to suit all budgets and is hugely exciting. Helistar provide helicopter tours from between 30 mins to an hour. See further details in your Gite.
Cruises – Since we are so close to the sea we have many types of cruise to choose from. From Dinard to St Malo,the Rance Valley, the Island of Cézembre and Cap Fréhal. Many cruises include a meal either in the evening or at lunch time and some are short journeys between St Malo and Dinard. All are a lovely way to pass the time and take in this beautiful coastline or the quiet canal ways. More info available in you holiday home.
Cobac Park – Well woth a visit and perhaps a picnic. Cobac park has water slides, pool,boating lake, a train, rides and much more and is nestled in the wonderful Breton countryside. Between Rennes and St Malo.
Prehistorical Park – Set in 20 hectares of wild woodland, with lakes and ancient quarries. Stroll along marked paths and discover life-size scenes of people and animals, from homo erectus to Brittany’s first inhabitant. All explanations are translated into various languages, including English.Between Redon and Vannes.
Bowling – Le Belem Bowling at Taden, Dinan.
La Bourbansais – Involved in protecting endangered species, this Zoo also boasts a Chateau with gardens, games and leisure activities, along with live demonstrations. You can also find a play area, maze, train, café and gift shops. Between Rennes and St Malo.
Le Reptilarium / Aligator Bay – Alligator Bay is one of the rare genetic reserves for reptiles. Live an adventure through the forests of Louisiana and the jungles of Africa. Only 5 minutes from Le mont St Michel.
Zoo de Champrepus – Between Avranches and Granville this Zoo boasts many exotic animals such as Giraffe and lion, zebra and ostrich and much,much more. The Zoo participates with other major european zoos in the preservation of endangered species.
Planete Sauvage – A Safari park 15 mins from Nantes.
Paintball – Paintball R game is near to St Malo and another is south of combourg.
Karting/Quads – Situated at Saint Meloir Des Ondes, 5mins from St Malo and 20 mins from Le mont St Michel.
Grand Aquarium – St Malo. Enter a world of real rainbow colours. More than 600 fish species, sharks,turtle and NAUTIBUS, a unique dive through seaweed and aquatic scenery. A zone of turbulence adds to the excitment of the voyage. There is also an Aquarium in the Intra Muros.
Les Feeriques de Montgothier – A fantastic live show with 500 actors, 40 horses, 12 wagons and dogs and a light show. During 2 hours this spectacular show will make you laugh and make you dream. After Avranches, the exit for Ducey.
Gardens – Jardins du Montmarin at Pleurtuit, close to Dinard. Overlooking the Rance the Montmarin gardens open up directly over a large stretch of water and has romantic and formal gardens, a Chateau and beautiful views. Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne is close to the town of Fougéres and has a 50 acres of parkland with dozens of gardens. Le Jardin de Coramille is at Baguer-Pican and has romantic walks.
Foret de Villecartier – Situated at Bazouges la Pérouse this forest has a large lake with boats,pic-nic areas and a café. Surrounded by beautiful walks and scenery, this forest also has a fantastic adventure/activity park, something the children will love.
Rennes Bruz – Is a bird park near to Rennes. It boasts a vast array of exotic birds.
Musemus – There are many and varied museums in the area including: the maritime museum in St Malo, the WW2 museum in Dinan,the Railway museum in Dinan and the Oyster museum in Cancale,plus many, many more.
Restaurants As you might imagine seafood is high on the agenda and you cant go too far wrong. However there are also a wide variety of pizza places traditional French places, creperies, couscous, chinese restaurants and even an Indian restaurant in Dinan, St Malo and Fougeres. Lunch time menus are usually outstanding value, starting from as little as €8.5 for a 3 course lunchtime menu. The food is generally of a high standard, the biggest problem will be deciding what to go for when you are so spoilt for choice.