The Bay of Biscay: Brittany's Southern Face

Brittany's southern coast, facing the Bay of Biscay, offers a gentler aspect than the Atlantic shores. Here, the water warms enough for comfortable swimming, beaches stretch for kilometers, and the legendary Breton weather shows its sunnier side. Yet this coast maintains its Breton character through fishing ports, maritime traditions, and a landscape that, while softer, still speaks of the sea's shaping power.

Lorient tells a story of destruction and rebirth. Created by Louis XIV as a base for the Compagnie des Indes (India Company), it grew rich on trade with Asia. German U-boats based here during World War II brought devastating Allied bombing that destroyed 90% of the city. The rebuilt Lorient lacks the charm of preserved Breton towns, but it has found new purpose as a center of competitive sailing and marine technology. The annual Festival Interceltique celebrates connections with Celtic cultures worldwide, asserting Brittany's place in a larger Atlantic community.

The Quiberon Peninsula, a narrow spine of land reaching into the bay, divides dramatically between its wild western coast, battered by Atlantic swells, and its sheltered eastern shore. The peninsula's thin connection to the mainland has created an island mentality among residents, reinforced by summer traffic jams that can make the 14-kilometer peninsula feel very remote indeed. Quiberon's port serves ferries to Belle-Île, Houat, and Hoëdic, maintaining vital links to Brittany's inhabited islands.

Belle-Île-en-Mer, Brittany's largest island, encapsulates the region's coastal story. Its name—"beautiful island in the sea"—barely does justice to a landscape of dramatic cliffs, hidden beaches, and picturesque ports. The island has attracted artists and writers since Claude Monet painted its pyramidal rocks in 1886. Sarah Bernhardt owned a fort here, which she converted into a summer retreat. Yet Belle-Île remains a working island, its farmers growing the famous small potatoes in seaweed-enriched soil, its fishermen pursuing bass and pollack in dangerous waters.