Medieval towns, old fishing villages and port towns, prehistoric places of worship and Celtic festivals and names bear witness to the extraordinary cultural potential of Brittany and its inhabitants. This “bewitching” fairytale land is full of variety and contrasts and a great place to be explored on bicycle.
The Bretons do not feel themselves as French. “Bretons forever” is their motto and an own language supports this attitude. The people are very friendly and open and are not reluctant to speak English or German. All this makes Brittany one of the most interesting regions of France and our 13-day cycling tour will allow for some good insights into most of the area.
Arrival and meeting in the first hotel in St.Malo
First bike ride from the hotel, mostly on bike paths parallel to the sea, until we reach the abbey of Mont Saint Michel. Time to visit before returning by bus to the hotel in St Malo.
We cycle from the hotel, first through the old town of St. Malo and then through Dinard, 100 years ago France’s most exclusive seaside resort, as evidenced by the numerous villas and aging spa hotels of the Belle Epoque. Then we head inland southwards and cycle along roads to the Dinan on the banks of the Rance, where we stay overnight. The old town with its over 100 half-timbered houses is considered the best preserved in the whole of Brittany.
Transfer to Chele La Pass high above Paro (3.810m), we start cycling a few km before the pass, enjoy later incredible views from the top and start our exhilarating 26km downhill into the Haa-Valley. Continue cycling more through small hamlets and dense Himalaya forests before we transfer by bus to the capital Thimpu
We continue cycling through the charming Trégor and in the early afternoon we reach Perros-Guirec in the heart of the Pink Granite Coast (Cote de Granit Rose). A short walk from the hotel to the sea allows us to get a first glimpse of the fascinating rock formations that have made this stretch of northern Brittany world famous.
Free day to rest, to swim and of course to explore the surrounding natural spectacle of the coast, with the bikes or on foot along the old trail of customs. “The Bottle” or “Napoleon’s Hat” are just a few of the most famous rock formations.
We take the bus to nearby Morlaix and start today’s ride from here, taking us through a very different landscape of Brittany into the more densely wooded, hilly interior. We follow all day an old railway line converted to a cycle track.
Starting from the hotel we continue on the graded cycling path and finally arrive in the afternoon in the beautiful harbor town of Concarneau on the south coast, formerly one of the most important Breton fortresses and later important fishing port of the sardine fishermen.
Today is another day of rest, e.g. for a leisurely stroll through Concarneau or an optional cycling tour out to the old artists’ village of Pont-Aven, where Paul Gauguin once lived parts of his live within a thriving community of other artists.
A bus takes us to the old town of Aubray, from where we start a shorter bike ride to Carnac. On the way we visit Menec – with almost 3,000 counted menhirs one of the largest collections of Stone Age menhirs in Europe. If you still feel like cycling in the afternoon, you can extend the ride to the wild and romantic peninsula Quiberon. From there transfer back to the hotel in taxis
We cycle from the hotel to Locmariaquer, where we take a small ferry to the other side of the Gulf of Morbihan, called the “Little Sea” by the Bretons. Later we cycle through beautiful landscapes across the Rhuys peninsula to Vannes, another gem among them well-preserved, medieval towns in Brittany and capital of the region around the Gulf of Morbihan
Free day for exploring Vannes or for a boat trip to the island of Belle-Ile-en-Mer.
More info about this tour