Wild coasts buffeted by Atlantic rollers, spectacular beaches, half-timbered medieval towns, mysterious megaliths, lace-bonneted festivals that echo its Celtic past - Brittany has it all. Its 3,500km coastline ranges from wonderful rose-granite cliffs in the north to the glorious sweep of the Golfe du Morbihan in the south, passing tiny fishing villages and dramatic castles en route. There are breath-taking trails for hikers, sheltered sands for families, and watersports, cycling and horse-riding for thrill-seekers - not to mention fantastic pancakes and cider across the region.
Place names like Saint-Malo and St-Brieuc recall the Celtic holy men who, in the Dark Ages, sailed across the Channel to set up Christian communities, founding Brittany ('little Britain'). Legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail crossed the waves too, as you can see in the Forest of Brocéliande. Isolated from the rest of France (not until 1532 did Brittany reluctantly become a French province), the region developed a culture of its own, and despite the best efforts of centralising bureaucrats, it’s managed to hang on to remnants of its language and heritage. And that, along with its mesmerising land- and seascapes, is its charm today.