Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1491, the French King Charles VIII forced Brittany's 14-year-old Duchess Anne
to marry him (at Château de Langeais in the Loire Valley). Their union made feisty, inde-
pendent Brittany a small, unhappy cog in a big country (the Kingdom of France). Brittany
lost its freedom but, with Anne as queen, gained certain rights, such as free roads. (Even
today, more than 500 years later, Brittany's highways come with no tolls, which is unique
in France.)
Locals take great pride in their distinct Breton culture. In Brittany, music stores sell
more Celtic albums than anything else. It's hard to imagine that this music was forbid-
den as recently as the 1980s. During that repressive time, many of today's Breton pop
stars were underground artists. And not long ago, a child would lose French citizenship if
christened with a Celtic name.
But the freckled locals are now free to wave their black-and-white-striped flag, sing
theirsongs,and
parler
theirlanguage(there'saBretonTVstationandradiostation).Look
for
Breizh
bumper stickers and flags touting the region's Breton name. Like their Irish
counterparts, Bretons—many with red hair—are chatty, their music is alive with stories of
struggles against an oppressor, and their identities are intrinsically tied to the sea.
Planning Your Time
With one full day, spend the morning in Dinan and the afternoon either along the Rance
River(walkingorbikingarebest,butdrivingworks)oralongBrittany'swildcoast,where
you can tour Fort la Latte and enjoy the massive views between Sable-d'Or-les-Pins and
CapFréhel.TrytofindafewhoursforSt-Malo—ideallywhenconnectingMontSt-Michel
with Brittany. The coastal route between Mont St-Michel and St-Malo—via the town of
Cancale (famous for oysters and a good place for lunch), with a stop at Pointe du Grouin
(fabulous ocean views)—gives travelers with limited time a worthwhile glimpse at this
photogenic province.
Getting Around Brittany
By Car:
This is the ideal way to scour the ragged coast and watery towns. Autoroutes are
free, and the traffic is generally negligible (except in summer along the coast).
By Train and Bus:
Trains provide barely enough service to Dinan and St-Malo (on
Sun,service all butdisappears). Key transfer points bytrain include the bigcity ofRennes
and the small town of Dol-de-Bretagne. Some trips are more convenient by bus (including
Rennes to Dinan and Dinan to St-Malo).
By Minivan Tour: Westcapades
runs daylong minivan tours covering Dinan, St-
Malo, and Mont St-Michel. Designed for day-trippers from Paris, the tours leave from St-
