Quiberon travel guide

Visit Quiberon (Brittany, France)

Quiberon is a town and a peninsula on the southern coast of the Finistère department of western Brittany, near Carnac. The peninsula is 14 kilometres long and connected to mainland France by little more than a bank of sand with a road across it, with the entrance to the peninsula being overlooked by the 19th century Fort de Penthièvre.

Explore Quiberon

Although there are few important monuments in the town of Quiberon it is pleasant to explore and your visit will be centred around the port and on the long sandy beach in the town itself. This main beach is almost one kilometre long and called La Grande Plage.

Behind the beach you can see various grand villas dating from the time that Quiberon became established as a resort at the end of the 19th century, when trainlines first arrived here, as well as some more recent developments.

In the town behind the beach you can see typical low Brittany whitewashed houses and shops, and the 12th century Church of Notre-Dame de Locmaria. There is also a small museum dedicated to the history of the Quiberon peninsula, called the Maison du Patrimoine (on rue de Port Haliguen in the town centre).

There are two ports here: Port Maria, where the fishing fleet is based and from where you can take excursions to the nearby islands, and Port Haliguen, which is the port for pleasure boats.

The castle you can see on a headland is called Chateau Turpault and was built in 1910 - it is not open to the public.

Exploring the Quiberon peninsula

The Quiberon peninsula is a very popular seaside resort in the summer, and has some attractive beaches on the sheltered eastern coast. The most popular beaches (apart from the beach in Quiberon town) are those at Saint-Pierre and Penthievre.

At Saint-Pierre-de-Quiberon you can also visit the menhirs (the town lies at the southern end of the 'Coast of megaliths' which runs south from Carnac on to the peninsula).

Head to the most southerly point on the peninsula, called the Pointe du Conguel, for the best view across the to the islands in Quiberon Bay. Pointe de Percho at the north-west of the peninsula is also well worth visiting for the views across to the islands of Belle-Ile and Groix.

The western coast of the peninsula is altogether more dramatic and a popular site with walkers, cyclists and nature lovers. While the coast here is very pleasant to explore on foot or by bike, there is also a road that follows this western part of Quiberon and incorporates numerous stopping places, so it is still easy to enjoy the scenery. Include Kervihan, Kerné and Kerniscop for some of the most dramatic scenery.

Excursions

The other main reason that Quiberon attracts visitors is because ferries to the popular islands of Belle-Ile, Ile de Houat and Ile de Hoedic leave from the port here.

Explore elsewhere in the Brittany coast. You can find more travel ideas in the Morbihan guide and the Brittany guide.