Brittany is one of the easiest and most rewarding places in France to explore by car, and this easy touring in Brittany guide is here to show you how. Forget the idea that a driving holiday has to mean long, tiring days and white-knuckle motorways.
Brittany’s roads are toll-free, generally quiet and beautifully maintained, the distances between its highlights are short, and the region divides naturally into a handful of compact areas, each easily explored from a nearby airport in a relaxed day or two. Whether you are a confident driver or a nervous one, this is a place made for easy touring in Brittany at your own gentle pace.
At getcarhire.com we have driven and mapped Brittany’s finest routes ourselves, and in this easy touring in Brittany guide we bring them together: three simple gateways, six unforgettable scenic drives, and all the practical reassurance you need to hire a car and set off with confidence. Car hire across the region starts from around £20 a day, and by the end of this guide you will know exactly where to fly into, where to drive, and why Brittany is so much easier than you might think.
Table of Contents
Why Brittany Is So Easy to Tour by Car
The first thing to know about easy touring in Brittany is that the driving is genuinely relaxing. Unlike the crowded motorways of much of Europe, Brittany has almost no toll roads at all, a rarity in France, so you can drive its dual carriageways and country lanes without ever stopping at a péage or watching the euros tick away. The main N165 that rings the South and West of the region is fast, free and easy, linking all the main towns, while the smaller coastal roads that lead to the best scenery are quiet and gentle.
The distances, too, are refreshingly manageable. Brittany is a peninsula, so you are never far from the sea, and its highlights cluster together rather than sprawling across hundreds of miles. A typical scenic drive here is 40 to 70 miles and can be enjoyed in a day, with the driving itself often adding up to no more than an hour or two. This is easy touring in Brittany in the truest sense: short, scenic hops between wonderful places, with plenty of time to stop, walk, eat and simply look.
Add in a mild climate, a coastline of extraordinary variety and some of the best food in France, and you have a region that rewards the independent driver like few others. All you need is a hire car and a sense of where to point it, and easy touring in Brittany is exactly what this guide provides.
The Three Gateways: Where to Fly In and Hire a Car
Brittany is best thought of as three touring areas, each served by its own airport gateway. Choosing the right one for the part of the region you want to see is the single most important decision in planning easy touring in Brittany, and it is a simple one. Each gateway has strong UK connections, plentiful car hire and quick access to a cluster of the region’s finest drives.
Rennes: The Gateway to Northern Brittany
Rennes, the handsome regional capital, is the natural gateway to the North coast and the Emerald Coast. From here you are within easy reach of walled Saint-Malo, the pink granite villas of Dinard, and the dramatic cliffs and coves that run West towards the Pink Granite Coast. It has the best transport links in the region and a wide choice of rental cars. Compare deals on our cheap car hire Rennes Airport page to start a tour of the North.
Brest: The Gateway to the Wild Far West
Brest sits at the far Western tip of Brittany in Finistère, whose name means quite literally the end of the earth. It is the gateway to the region’s wildest and most dramatic scenery, the towering cliffs of the Crozon Peninsula and the mythic land’s end of the Pointe du Raz. If it is raw Atlantic drama you are after, this is where to fly. Compare deals on our cheap car hire Brest Airport page.
Nantes: The Gateway to Southern Brittany
Nantes, just beyond Brittany’s Southern border, is the closest and best-connected gateway to the gentler South: the island-scattered Gulf of Morbihan and the prehistoric wonders of Carnac. The light here is softer, the climate milder, and the touring especially relaxed. Compare deals on our cheap car hire Nantes Airport page to explore the South. For a full comparison of all the gateways, see our guide to car hire in Brittany.
The Six Best Scenic Drives in Brittany
Here is the heart of this easy touring in Brittany guide: six easy touring routes across the region that together capture the very best of the region, from the wildest cliffs to the gentlest islands. Each one is a self-contained day of easy touring in Brittany, fully mapped with verified drive times, parking notes and a downloadable route guide, and each links to its nearest gateway. Pick one, pick a few, or work through them all over a longer stay.
1. The Emerald Coast (from Rennes)
The Emerald Coast scenic drive runs along the sparkling North coast from the corsair city of Saint-Malo through elegant Dinard to the wild headland of Cap Fréhel and the medieval town of Dinan. It is a wonderful mix of grand seaside resorts, dramatic cliffs and history, all within easy reach of Rennes, and a perfect introduction to Northern Brittany.
2. The Pink Granite Coast (from Rennes)
One of the strangest and most beautiful coasts in France, the Pink Granite Coast scenic drive follows the Corniche Bretonne past rose-pink boulders the size of houses, the famous lighthouse of Ploumanac’h and the wild Côte des Ajoncs. The colour of the rock is genuinely rare, and against the turquoise sea it is unforgettable. Also reached easily from Rennes.
3. The Crozon Peninsula (from Brest)
Shaped like a cross thrust into the Atlantic, the Crozon Peninsula scenic drive is Brittany at its wildest: a mountain-top panorama at the Ménez-Hom, hidden sea caves at Morgat, a turquoise cove at the Cap de la Chèvre and the unforgettable Tas de Pois rock stacks at the Pointe de Pen-Hir. A short hop from Brest and endlessly dramatic.
4. The Pointe du Raz (from Brest)
The Pointe du Raz scenic drive takes you to the very edge of France, a great rocky prow where the land ends and the Atlantic hurls itself against the reefs of the Raz de Sein. Add the wild Baie des Trépassés, the quiet Pointe du Van and the medieval town of Pont-Croix, and you have one of the most emotionally powerful drives in the country. Also from Brest, completing the wild Finistère pair with Crozon.
5. The Gulf of Morbihan (from Nantes)
For gentle, sunlit touring, the Gulf of Morbihan scenic drive loops around a near-enclosed little sea scattered with islands, taking in the walled city of Vannes, a ducal castle, the great megaliths of Locmariaquer and a short ferry hop to the lovely Île-aux-Moines. This is Southern Brittany at its most relaxing, easily reached from Nantes.
6. Carnac and the Quiberon Coast (from Nantes)
The Carnac scenic drive pairs the greatest concentration of standing stones on Earth, older than the pyramids, with the sailing port of La Trinité-sur-Mer and the crashing surf of the wild Côte Sauvage on the Quiberon peninsula. A drive of extraordinary contrasts, and the natural companion to the Gulf of Morbihan, also from Nantes.
Building Your Own Brittany Tour
The beauty of this easy touring in Brittany guide is that the drives are modular: you can combine them to suit the time you have. For easy touring in Brittany with a long weekend, fly into a single gateway and enjoy the two drives it unlocks, the two Rennes coasts, say, or the wild Finistère pair from Brest, or the gentle Southern duo from Nantes. Three or four days is ample for easy touring in Brittany, enough to savour a pair without rushing.
With a week or more, you can string several together into a grand tour of the region. A classic route runs from North to South: fly into Rennes for the Emerald and Pink Granite coasts, drive West to Brest for Crozon and the Pointe du Raz, then South to the Gulf of Morbihan and Carnac before flying home from Nantes. Because Brittany is so compact and its roads so easy, even this full circuit never feels like hard driving, just a succession of wonderful days linked by short, scenic hops.
Whichever you choose, the pattern is the same and gloriously simple: fly in, pick up your hire car, and let each day’s drive unfold at your own pace. That is the essence of easy touring in Brittany, and it is why the region rewards the independent driver so richly, one relaxed scenic drive at a time.
Practical Tips for Easy Touring in Brittany
A few simple pointers will make easy touring in Brittany smoother still, so you get the most from every day on the road. France drives on the right, and if you are not used to it, take the first hour gently: quiet Breton lanes are a far kinder place to adjust than a city centre. A small car is ideal here, cheaper to hire and to fuel, easier to park at the beaches and simpler to thread through the narrow lanes and medieval town centres out on the headlands.
Remember the priorité à droite rule, which can still apply at some smaller junctions, giving way to traffic joining from the right. Speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on two-way rural roads and 110 km/h on dual carriageways, lower in the wet. Keep the mandatory kit in the car, a reflective jacket and a warning triangle, and carry your licence and documents. For the official rules of the road, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps an up to date summary on its France travel advice pages.
Finally, time your touring well. May to September brings the best weather and the longest days, ideal for the coast, while spring and autumn are quieter and often beautifully clear. In the peak weeks of July and August, start early to enjoy the popular spots, the Pointe du Raz, Ploumanac’h, the Quiberon peninsula, before the crowds, and to secure parking. Out of season, you will often have Brittany’s finest scenery almost to yourself.
When to Go
Brittany can be toured at any time of year, but the sweet spot for easy touring in Brittany and fine weather is late spring to early autumn, when the region is at its most rewarding. June and September are particularly lovely, with warm days, long light and fewer visitors than the school holidays of July and August. The Breton climate is famously changeable, four seasons in a day is a local saying, so pack a windproof and waterproof layer whatever the forecast, and be ready for the light to shift dramatically, which is part of the region’s magic.
Even winter has its rewards for the hardy driver: the wild coasts of Finistère are at their most dramatic under a big Atlantic swell, the roads are empty, and the towns are yours to enjoy in peace. Whenever you come, the toll-free roads and short distances make Brittany a perfect place for easy touring, exactly as this easy touring in Brittany guide has set out to show.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brittany easy to drive around?
Yes, Brittany is one of the easiest regions in France to drive. Its roads are almost entirely toll-free, quiet and well maintained, the distances between highlights are short, and the scenic drives are typically only 40 to 70 miles. It suits confident and nervous drivers alike.
Do you need a car to explore Brittany?
A car is by far the best way to explore Brittany. Public transport links the main towns but is limited and slow along the coast and out to the headlands, where the finest scenery lies. Hiring a car gives you the freedom to tour at your own pace, from around £20 a day.
Which airport is best for a Brittany road trip?
It depends on the area. Rennes is best for the North coast, Brest for the wild far West of Finistère, and Nantes for the gentler South around the Gulf of Morbihan and Carnac. Each has good UK links and plentiful car hire, and each unlocks two of our six scenic drives.
How many days do you need to tour Brittany?
A long weekend from one gateway is enough for two scenic drives at a relaxed pace. A week or more lets you combine several into a grand tour of the whole region. Because Brittany is compact and its roads easy, even a full circuit never involves hard driving.
Are there tolls on Brittany’s roads?
No, and this is one of the joys of touring here. Almost uniquely in France, Brittany’s roads, including the fast N165 dual carriageway that rings the region, are toll-free, so you can drive freely without stopping to pay.
Start Your Brittany Tour
Brittany is a region made for the independent driver: toll-free, compact, endlessly varied and wonderfully easy to explore. With three simple gateways and six unforgettable scenic drives, all mapped and ready in the links above, easy touring in Brittany gives you everything you need to plan a tour that suits your time and your pace. Pick your gateway, compare deals on our car hire in Brittany page from around £20 a day, and set off to discover one of the most beautiful and rewarding corners of France at your leisure. Easy touring in Brittany starts here.
About the Author
Written by the Digitalhound.co.uk editorial team. Every guide is thoroughly researched with genuine local knowledge, road numbers, food stops and practical driving tips gathered from on-the-ground experience.