Cotes-d'Armor

Cotes d'Armor: the coast

The best known - and most beautiful - section of coast here in northern Brittany is surely the Cote de Granit Rose, to the north-west of the Cotes d'Armor department around Perros-Guirec and with sandy beaches and rocky coves, coastal footpaths and the famous 'pink granite' rocks.

See also Cote de Granit Rose.

This area is also close to the popular resorts of Trébeurden and Tregastel, while Lannion to the south-west of here and Saint-Michel-en-Greve also have popular sandy beaches.

Travelling east from the Granite Rose coast, the traditional fishing village at Paimpol is very pleasant to explore, and from here you can also take a boat trip to visit the Ile-de-Brehat and visit the 12th century pilgrim's abbey at Beauport (one of just 33 listed 'Grand Sites of France').

The town of Saint-Brieuc has several interesting historical buildings to see in the old part of the town, and in the bay of Saint-Brieuc the resorts of Binic and Saint-Quay-Portrieux have easy access to family friendly beaches.

To the north-east of Saint-Brieuc you should follow the coast path along Cap Frehel which is very picturesque, and there are also many popular beaches to be found near the Cap-Frehel headland, both to the east and the west.

The Cap d'Erquy next to Cap Frehel is also a 'Grand Site of France', and we suggest you follow your walk along the headland with a trip to the nearby Fort-la-Latte.

For the coast nearby around Saint-Cast-le Guildo and Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer see Emerald Coast.

Cotes d'Armor: inland

The town of Lannion is a large and busy port to the west of the department, while just south of the Cote de Granit Rose in Cotes d'Armor two particular highlights include the cathedral town of Tréguier and the town of Pontrieux (to the south towards Guingamp).

The village of La Roche Derrien has an interesting centre with some half-timbered houses, and futher inland Quintin also features some medieval buildings and a 17th century chateau, and is in a pleasant setting overlooking the broad waters of the river Gouet.

Continuing eastwards, a little way inland from the cathedral town of Saint-Brieuc you can visit Moncontour, a town with an interesting historical centre that was once the centre of Brittany's linen production.

To the west of Saint-Brieuc is the town of Guingamp, best known for its chateau and (rather austere in granite) basilica.

In the eastern Cotes d'Armor follow the valley of the river Arguenon and take a stroll around Plancoet, then visit Dinan, an interesting historical walled town with a great deal to enjoy in its extensive historical centre, including some picturesque half-timbered houses.

In the forests south-west of Plancoet we enjoyed visiting the medieval chateau de la Hunaudaye, surrounded by a moat, while to the south of Dinan the villages of Lehon, Guenroc and Trefumel each have a lot of character and were a pleasure to stroll around.

The south

On the southern border between the Cotes d'Armor and Morbihan, the Guerledan Lake is a very popular leisure destination with a wide variety of leisure opportunities both water based and marked trails through the surrounding forests.

You will also find similar activities including boat hire available on the Nantes-Brest canal in this region.

Also in the south of the Cotes d'Armor department an unusual attraction can be seen at the Forges des Salles (on the border with Morbihan), where a 19th century charcoal producing village has been preserved unchanged since 1877.

You can visit the ruins of the cistercian Abbey Notre-Dame de Bon-Repos here at Saint-Gelven.