Paimpol – Tips
Here is how to get to Paimpol, Brittany, what to do, where to stay and where to eat.
Brittany, known in French as “Bretagne”, is as famous a region as Normandy to foreigners. Wild, captive, incredible landscapes, it’s got everything going for it.
The Pointe de Guilben is a peninsula at the East of Paimpol, Brittany. It’s a great place for a hike or picnic. Several small and secluded beaches can be found there.
The Beauport Abbey in Paimpol, Brittany was built in 1202. It was one of the first buildings in Paimpol. Today, most of the abbey is a ruin, but it can still be visited. It is also the starting point of one of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes.
Paimpol is a rather large town, some 7100 inhabitants, located on the Northern part of Brittany. It’s a pleasant town, and therefore you’ll see many tourists during the summer month, attracted by the harbour, beach and restaurants.
How to get to Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany, what to do and see, where to stay.
The Museum of the 39-45 Memories in Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Brittany is housed in a big WWII bunker. The museum is well designed and easy to see items. It’s well explained and whole families will love it.
The “Memorial aux Marins Morts pour la France” (Monument for the Sailors who Died for France) is an impressive memorial located in the Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany.
A lighthouse, a church, ruins of an abbey, a French Navy Observation post and a WWII Memorial museum at Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany. Quite a place to visit.
The Port-Louis Citadel/Fortress in Brittany is in a very good state, and is now a museum. Built by the Spaniards and improved by the French (and Germans during WWII), it’s quite a spectacle.
What to do, what to see, where to go, where to eat, where to sleep and how to get to Quiberon, Brittany.
The almost island of Quiberon in Brittany is known by the French for their beaches, dunes and many hiking paths. A place to spend a nice few days of peace and relaxation.
Vannes, particularly the old city, is a very interesting visit. The ramparts (fortified walls) are for a large part very well preserved and merit a visit. Here’s ho to get there, where to stay and eat.
The ramparts (fortified walls) of Vannes are near totally preserved over the centuries. There are not many of these left in France, and they can see seen from different angles. A highly recommended visit.
There are quite a few churches in Vannes, Brittany, so here’s small selection of them.
The gothic Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter) cathedral in Vannes, Brittany is quite beautiful and merits a visit. Building started in the 11th century and finished in the 18th century.
The city of Vannes in Brittany is old, and very well preserved. The fortified walls extend all along the old city centre and merits a visit.
The initial construction of the Brest Fortress/Castle started in the 3rd century.It is still one of the biggest fortresses in France, it’s still used by the French Navy and it’s the National Navy Museum… it’s definitely worth a visit.
Transport Getting there The railroads do not come to Camaret-sur-Mer anymore. The closest railway stations are Brest and Quimper (both about an hour drive, bus services are available). Air: Camaret-sur-Mer does not have an airport, but there are two airports serving international flights closeby. One is the airport of Brest (about 1 hour car drive), …
Camaret-sur-Mer in Brittany is a small town, some 2700 inhabitants, with a very scenic harbour, enormous dramatic cliffs and a very big monument. The village/town is old, very old. Traces of habitation can be found as far back as 2500 years BC! In those days, the place was for druides and their magical stone, the …
Transport Getting there Air: Lorient has an airport, but it does not offer international flights. The majority of domestic flights go to Paris or Lyon. From there you can transfer internationally. Click here to access the airport’s website (in English) Ferry: No international ferry operations can be found in Lorient. In fact, only a ferry …
If you are into sailing, then the name “Eric Tabarly” will probably be known to you. For those of you who don’t know the legendary French sailor, you can read more about him by clicking here. The museum doesn’t just look at his life and sail races, but explores mostly the art of sailing. The …
The Submarine museum (in French “Musee Sous-Marin“) is NOT a museum of submarines (for that you can visit the Flore submarine next door, click here to read more about it), but for a look at the life of the divers underwater. The most interesting part of this museum (a private and volunteer endeavour) is the …
The Flore submarine museum (a diesel submarine) in Lorient is located in the former German WWII submarine base, which includes 3 enormous submarine pens (which could host up to 30 submarines). Next to the 2nd German submarine pen (K2) you can immediately see the Flore submarine. This sub can be visited. You can see the …
Lorient in Brittany is not a place you want to visit for the beauty of the city, since it’s not. But the La Base is very interesting since it was the main submarine base of the Germans during WWII. There’s even a submarine you can visit.