7 Things To See & Do On A Mini Break To Brittany

Got some time off? Need to take some AL? Wondering where to go that’s not too far, extremely aesthetically pleasing, and boasts some exquisite cuisine?

Look no further than the North of France. And more specifically, Brittany.

The sights, the wine, the culinary delights… Bretagne had never been high on my list of places to visit, but a couple of days travelling around the region made it abundantly clear why it’s become an ever increasingly popular spot among tourists.

Here’s 7 things to do on your next mini break.

1. Enjoy the ferry over

Yes, okay, you don’t need to get the ferry over to Brittany, but here’s why you should.

Our group travelled over on Brittany Ferries’ Pont-Aven ship. It was relaxing, it had lots of restaurants, and most importantly, it was fun. We stayed in the Commodore Suites, which meant that our rooms were spacious, had their own balconies, and that breakfast was delivered to our rooms the next morning.

Not that I was awake to receive it. Having stayed up half the evening sipping French rosé and peering over the deck railing a lá Rose Dewitt Bukater, I had to drag myself from bed to disembark at 7am the next day.

Not without inhaling my complimentary macarons though.

2. Spend some time in Pont-Aven

As the ferry’s name suggests, our first stop was the quaint village of Pont-Aven. Nestled in the Brittany countryside, the spot is quiet, small, and extremely pretty (and a two hour drive from Roscoff port, but arguably worth the the spin).

A river runs through the town, dotted with old mills, art galleries, and shops selling buttery biscuits. Cute cafés and restaurants provided the majority of bustling activity while we were there, although tour guide Céline did tell us that the village can get incredibly tourist heavy during the summer.

Stop off in La Pension de Moulin for some dinner if you can. The mushroom vol au vent was a personal favourite.

3. Bask in the selection of seafood

I’m a big fish fan. Prawns, mussels, oysters, trout, salmon, tuna… you name it, chances are I ate some version of it while in Brittany.

The region is particularly well known for its shellfish, of which I ate many. A visit to an oyster farm where we were unfortunately told that there would be no oysters that day due to norovirus concerns meant that we were treated to a platter of prawns and homemade mayonnaise instead.

I was not complaining.

4. Visit a cider brewery

The French are known for their wine, but they’ve also got a pretty decent cider offering too – especially up north.

The Coz Mezou apple farm make all kinds of cider and we tried them all. Dry, sweet, strong, light… They all went down easy. And were exceptionally better than most drinks we’ve got here at home. Sorry Bulmers.

5. Wander around Morlaix

When visiting Brittany make sure you book yourself an afternoon off and go for a stroll around Morlaix.

The heritage town boasts a massive viaduct that dominates the landscape (which is also climbable so you can get yourself some stunning views), 16th century houses, and plenty of gorgeous restaurants serving traditional French food.

6. Enter your seaweed era

You’ve probably heard of seaweed skincare. You’ve definitely heard of seaweed baths. But have you heard of seaweed spaghetti, seaweed paté, and tea made from (you guessed it) seaweed?

If you haven’t, you need to pay a visit to Roscoff’s Algoplus, local seaweed collectors and processors who have discovered ingenius ways to utilise seaweed and avail of its many, impressive properties.

They served up the aforementioned ‘seaweed spaghetti’ in a garlic-y cream sauce and let me tell you, it hit.

7. Eat some onions

A lot of onions.

Roscoff is known for its onions. The Roscoff onion, if you will. These onions are pink in colour, sweet in taste, and delicious in a French onion pasta (trust me, I know).

To enjoy the full onion experience, we visited Maison Quéméner, a local onion farm run by generations of ‘Johnnies’. There, farmer Éric taught us how to tie onions together, how he and his son grow them, and why Brexit means the Brits don’t get to taste his delicious produce anymore.

You’re missing out, guys.

This writer was invited on this press trip in exchange for a fair and honest review. You can find out more about Brittany Ferries and Brittany Tourism here. 

• france
• travel