Bretagne

Understand

Towards the end of the 4th century, some of the Celtic Britons from what is now Wales and southern England began to emigrate to the Armorican Peninsula. Indeed the "Great" in Britain was added to differentiate it from the "Little" Britain on the mainland. The region received its modern name: Brittany (Breizh in Breton, Bretagne in French) from these settlers. With them they brought their own customs, tradition, and language that were completely different from that of their neighbours.

As a result of their unique cultural identity, Breton history became a long struggle for independence, at first from the Franks (5th to 9th centuries), that led to a Breton kingdom. After Viking invasions the kingdom became a duchy. The influence of the Counts of Anjou and the Dukes of Normandy was important from the 10th to 12th centuries, and finally the duchy was under the influence of England and France. Brittany was united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as if it were a separate nation under the crown.

Jacques Cartier was a Breton sea captain who explored parts of what is now Canada in the 1530s and 40s. 240px|thumb|right|Breton flag The Breton people maintain a fierce sense of independence, as displayed by their local customs and traditions. In 1914, over 1 million people spoke Breton which equates to 90% of the population of the western half of Brittany. In 1945, it was about 75%, and today, in all of Brittany, at most 20% of Bretons can speak Breton.

Since th…

See

Menhirs and Dolmens – Brittany has a large number of megaliths, which simply means "big rocks". These menhirs (standing stones) and dolmens (stone tables) were sites for burials and worship. See some magnificent examples at the bay of Morlaix and the gulf of Morbihan. Museums at Vannes and Carnac detail the archaeological finds made at these sites.

thumb|200px|Calvary of Saint-Cado thumbnail|Lighthouse in Ploumanac'h, with typical pink granite Coastal Brittany Cote de Granit Rose – The beautiful Pink Granite Coast offers an abundance of beautiful vistas, ranging from amazing pink granite outcrops through to gloriously sandy beaches. Cote d'Émeraude – Saint-Malo, Cancale and Dinard

Religious buildings - Lot of churches, chapels, calvaries.

Gardens – Brittany has exceptionally beautiful gardens, see Remarkable Gardens of France

The chateau des Rohan in Josselin

Nantes-Brest Canal

Do

Participate in a fest-noz — Breton for "night fest" are dancing sessions open to everyone, where people learn to dance traditional dances from Brittany, usually from 18:00-02:00. It will cost you from nothing to €8 to participate (most of them have a €6 fee). More globally, Breton people tend to dance when they hear traditional music so you may see people dancing in the street. Hiking — there are many places where to hike Pays de Montfort — A natural and hiking destination between Rennes and the forest of Brocéliande. Monts d'Arrée — the mountainous area in Finistère, a very preserved place with a lot of natural paths in preserved and diverse countryside Biking Canals and some rivers have been used as communication paths since centuries. They all offer a nice way to bike in Brittany. You can go from Rennes to Dinan, Rennes to Redon and then Nantes or the Atlantic Ocean. The longest bike path on a canal is on the Nantes-Brest Canal from Redon to Châteaulin: you literally cross Brittany east to west. Music festivals — There are plenty of festivals in Brittany], some of which are huge and have an international audience, e.g. Transmusicales in Rennes, in Carhaix-Plouguer, in Crozon and Festival Interceltique in Lorient Swim — Brittany is famous for beaches

Eat

By far the foods that Brittany is most known for are crêpes and galettes among the regional specialities, that you can eat on the numerous crêperies you can find in every place. Kig ha farz – meat and stuffing Coquilles Saint-Jacques – famous in Saint-Brieuc Mussels and oysters – famous in Cancale Crêpes made from wheat flour, they are eaten in Lower Brittany Galettes made from buckwheat flour are traditionally eaten in Upper Brittany Galette-saucisse – a grilled sausage rolled onto a fresh galette, traditional snack in Ille-et-Vilaine, you can buy some in markets or at sportive events Galette complète – a galette filled with ham, cheese and an egg. Tourteaux (large crabs) and spider crabs Far breton – cake made with prunes and eggs Kouign amann – butter cake, served lukewarm Galette (biscuit) – butter sweet biscuit from Lower Brittany, not the same as galette from Upper Brittany Ham and pork products Artichokes and cauliflowers

Drink

Cider (cidre) – Like Normandy, Brittany is cider country. Much like wine, cider comes in different varieties that are intended for different purposes, so you should pay attention to the following words on the label. Doux indicates a sweet cider, with a strong apple flavour and low alcohol percentage (3% or below), that is best drunk with dessert or by itself. Demi-sec / brut is sharper and fresher, with an alcohol content of between three and five percent. This kind of cider is more common as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to local cuisine, especially seafood. Unlike in certain other countries, notably the United States, cider in Brittany is always alcoholic and always sparkling (pétillant). A map of the producers (in French) is here Perry (poiré) – Similar to cider, but made from pears. Production is considerably limited compared to its apple-based counterpart. Chouchen – Breton mead, a sweet alcohol made from fermented honey, water and yeast Beer – There is a great variety (some of them are made with sea water) Whisky – There are Breton whiskies. Nevertheless, there are better ones in the Gaelic world. Kir Breton – The local adaptation of the kir. You pour Breton cider instead of white wine, preferably from the Rance valley. (Kir, for those uninitiated, is blackcurrant liqueur and white wine.) Buttermilk (lait ribot)

Stay safe

When swimming in the sea, watch out for rips and undercurrents, like in the Golfe du Morbihan. Be mindful that the tide can come at a very fast pace so watch out or you might be stranded on an outlying island! Check the tides (marées) in your local tourist office. Ask for a table of the tides.

When it comes to personal safety, Brittany is fairly safe for the most part. Some larger urban areas like Rennes and Brest have their share of pickpocketing and muggings, but besides those, one can travel stress-free throughout the region.

Go next

Channel Islands, i.e. Guernsey and Jersey Mont Saint Michel – In Normandy, but very close to the Brittany border; monastery and town built on a tiny outcrop of rock in the sand, which is cut off from the mainland at high tide (and then joined to the continent by a light bridge; cars and buses can no longer pass or park near the Mont, but there's a transport system with light buses). It is one of France's major tourist destinations, and as such gets very busy in high season. Check the times of the tides before you visit!