Quiberon – Introduction

Quiberon in Brittany is a peninsula, or as the French would say, an “almost island“. It is known in France as a great place to unwind on the wide sandy beaches, dunes and walk or cycle the many hiking paths. The area must have been very popular for 1000’s of years since human remains have been found there dating back 5000 years BC!

The area is not only known by the French as a great summer holiday place, but also for its sardine industry.

But the most import parts of Quiberon are indeed its vast, enormous sandy beaches and their long dunes:

All along the Quiberon area, but specially at the Southernmost point, you will find many dunes, forests and rock formations with a plentitude of hiking paths.

Walking along the coast line, which is easy since it’s pretty flat and well maintained, you will see all sorts of structures;

Lighthouse Phare de la Teignouse

The lighthouse was built in 1843. Since 1983 the lighthouse is unmanned.

Beaches

There are several beaches in the Quiberon area, some alongside the harbours and towns, some in the dune areas in the South.

Resort Hotels

The Quiberon area is very much a tourist destination, and therefore you will see several resort hotels, but also camping grounds spread around the area.

Some of them luxurious, some of them not so (our favorite was the Sofitel Quiberon Thalassa Sea & Spa hotel with its enormous outside spa).

Port Haliguen and Maria

There are two (small) harbours in Quiberon. The smallest is Port Haliguen, while the bigger Port Maria has a ferry service to the closeby lying islands.

Lighthouse of Port Haliguen

The 12 meter high lighthouse was built in 1856 using the standard model of lighthouses in small marinas.

Fort Neuf

Walking along the coastline of Quiberon you will most probably encounter this small fort, “Fort Neuf” (Neuf meaning New). It was built early 1700’s and currently it’s a public garden (not landscaped, just wild growth).

Several of these small forts were made to protect the area from invasions.

The Buildings

The buildings in Quiberon are all low, apart from the beach area where you will find some flats. As architecture goes, it’s not earth shattering.

When walking around the area, you may come across these “things”:

It’s a small library, honour code based, where you take out a book you want to read, and when done, you put it back. There are a couple of them in the area.

The Village

Quiberon is not very big (some 5,000 inhabitants), so you’ll not see any highrises apart from around the beach area, where you will see some flats.

The village itself has everything you’ll need for a holiday (or to live there), from shops, restaurants and supermarkets.

Conclusion

Quiberon is not a vacation place you go to for the many activities or things to see. It’s a place to relax and for hiking/cycling. It’s a place to enjoy the nature.

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