Rias of Finistère, France

Idea About: itinerary, place

Country: France

Aber Wrac'h in Finistere, Brittany
Ludo29880 CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 License

Click above to open interactive map

Need a place to stay? Research our extensive inventory of Hotels near Finistere, France and book a hotel.

Idea Description

General Information

Description

Finistère (called in Breton "Penn-ar-Bed") is a department of France, in the extreme west of Brittany. It has 300 miles (500 km) of coastline with ever-changing landscapes. Finistère is a place where traditional life style of northern Brittany (France) still prevails. For example, in Finistère Breton dialect survived strongly as a spoken language. Exploration of small towns and cities in this region can be very interesting. But if you are in Finistère, you may not want to miss rias - drowned river valleys.

Do not confuse rias with fjords. Fjords have been formed by glaciers. Because of this, they have steep walls and deep floors allowing big vessels to navigate them. On the other hand, a ria is a river valley that has subsided below sea-level and flooded. They are usually mush shallower than fjords and often become estuaries (a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it and with a connection to the open sea). Often ria is broad, estuarine river mouth with depth and width gradually diminishing inland. You may have seen rias already - for example, the Chesapeake Bay, and Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States and San Francisco Bay, on the Pacific coast, are rias. There are many rias on the European Atlantic coast, for example, in Spain. The rias in northern Brittany are called Abers. In Finistère there are three of them: Aber Wrac'h, Aber Benoît and Aber Ildut

back to top

What Makes It Special

Like real fjords, the rias sculpt the coastline and offer endlessly changing landscapes. Finistère's dramatic and rough coastline indeed looks sometimes as the end of the world with unspoiled views of wild Breton coastline and places linked to tales and legends. Small villages, local food, no tourist crowds - all this will make your trip one of a kind.

back to top

Directions To Destination

By Plain: You can enter France trough Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris which is one of the biggest international airports. To explore Finistere region you can start with Brest - the largest city in the area. You can get there by plain, car, train, bus or by boat - Brest is one of the biggest ports in France.The quickest way to get there is by plain. The city is served by Brest Bretagne Airport (IATA: BES, ICAO: LFRB). The airport is called Brest Guipavas Airport because of its location in the commune of Guipavas. It is situated about six miles (10 km) from Brest. there are 3 daily flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and 6 daily flights from Paris Orly Airport to Brest. The duration of a flight is about 1 hour 15 minutes. You can find taxis at Brest airport. The taxis are not cheap and drivers mostly do not speak English.There is a shuttle bus service between Brest Bretagne Airport and the train station in the center of Brest. It makes two stops at Saint Luc and Place de la Liberte next to the Tourist Office.

By Car: From Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris shuttle bus and taxis can take you to Brest. If you'd like to rent a car you can also do it at the airport. You need to cover a distance of about 312 miles (503 km) to get there - the duration of the trip is about six hours. The best way to navigate your car is to use Google directions. From Paris you need to take route A10 then A11, A 81, N157, N 136, N 12 - details in the map. As soon as you get to Brittany you do not need to pay for the roads - they all are toll free. The old contract between France and Brittany does not allow toll roads inside the region.

By Bus: There are no long distance local buses in France. Plain, train, taxi, shared taxi or shuttle are the options. In Brest the city bus service is available for public transportation. The bus service is run by BIBUS company. The route network is convenient and covers practically the whole city of Brest. The ticket expires after one hour but you can use as many buses as you like within that time.

By Train: Brests train station Gare de Brest is located in the center of the city. High-speed TGV trains run from Paris very frequently on a daily bases. The trip takes about 4 hours 30 minutes. The one way fare per person for the second class seat is $104. This website can help you to schedule your trip: http://www.raileurope.com

There is a harbor in the city. It is regarded as the first French port conveniently accessible from American continent.

back to top

Best Time To Go

You can visit the region all year round but the best time is summer when there are fewer rainy days. In June - August Fenestere region has about 9 rainy days per month. Fenestere region has a maritime climate. Summer temperatures in July - August are about 70 ºF - 81 ºF (21 ºC -27 ºC). Winters are usually mild with rare night frost. The coldest months are January - February with day temperatures about 49 ºF (9.5 ºC).

back to top

Where To Stay

To visit Aber Wrac'h and Aber Benoît we can recommend La Baie des Anges in Landeda (350, route des Anges - Port de l'Aber-Wrac'h, 29870 Landeda, France) three star hotel with the rates starting from $200 - per one person and $255 per two plus 5% local accommodation tax. Family owned and operated the hotel is located in a lovely bay with great views directly on Flamands Beach. There are ten rooms in the hotel.

Aber Ildut is located about 20 miles south-west from Aber Ildut. One of few places to stay near by is Auberge De Bel Air located in the seaside town of Breles (Route De Lanildut, 29810 Breles, France), about 10 miles (20 km) north of Brest (somewhat bigger city, seaport and naval base with population of more than 300,000 which can be also a place to visit or to stay). The rates start from about $72 to $81. Auberge De Bel Air offers 3 en-suite guest rooms with a view over the Aber Ildut.

Research and book hotels in or near Landeda, France

back to top

Activities

The main activity in the area is sightseeing and hiking. If you like sea and river fishing, you can do it as well; though, I would not count on nice beaches although you may find some. It could be a good idea to rent a car which can make the exploration of this region much easier allowing you to explore small medieval villages and towns.

back to top

Useful Visitor Information and Tips

Talking about local accommodations, I would recommend to set your expectations and standards with respect to the level of service. In these rural France areas, there are certainly different services than in big European or American cities. However, hotels and B&Bs owners certainly welcome guests and try to provide service as they understand it.

If you are planing a trip to Finistère keep in mind the following places of interest:
- Île Vierge 15-acre islet opposite the village of Lilia (not far from Landeda) with new and old lighthouses.
- La Pointe Saint Mathieu picturesque place with a red-color lighthouse which built on ruins of Benedictine abbey.
- The Bay of Audierne with its little unspoilt port and city of Audierne. While visiting the bay, you will see plenty of seabirds, dunes, marshes and ponds. There are also some beaches.
- One of the ideas for you is to take a long trek (which you can complete in several hours if you use a car) from Landeda to Brest on the Path of Lighthouses to visit or see many of Finistère's lighthouses.
- La Pointe du Raz (further south, about 100 miles from Brest), a chain rocky outcrops and coral reefs stretching into the sea with one of them standing tall above the water and Vieille Lighthouse.

back to top

Additional Information

Tags: Aber Benoit; Aber Ildut; Aber Wrach; Audierne; Breles; Brest; Brittany; Finistere; France (7); Ile Vierge; Landeda; La Pointe du Raz; La Pointe Saint Mathieu; Penn-ar-Bed; ria; rias

Web Sites: Finistère Tourisme - vacances en Finistère, weekend, séjour et loisirs

Navigate Ideas

naviquan

traveling and meeting other cultures: ideas, destinations, reviews and tips