Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, is mostly known for its wild coastline and endless beaches wedged between greenery and turquoise water, but also for its strong folklore and traditions.

But did you know that Brittany counts over 800 islands? Or that the region hosts every year some of France’s most famous music festivals? 

Learn more about this region with the following 20 interesting facts about Brittany France! 🔎

 

Facts on Brittany to Learn All About It

Ready to learn all about Brittany?

Facts are one of the best ways to learn more about something, and I personally love to read them! I’ve put together for you quite a bit of facts on Brittany; I’ve split them in 4 categories:

  • The best Brittany facts
  • More facts about Brittany
  • Brittany facts for kids
  • General facts of Brittany

Let’s dive in straight away with our first category!

 

The Best Brittany Facts

Brittany, Bretagne in French, is a very unique and intriguing region in the West of France. First off, let’s talk a bit about some general facts. 

 

1. Brittany has a very unique culture and a language of its own

Brittany is one of the most unique regions in France. Alongside Alsace, it has its own language (“Breton”), which is very prevalent locally, and that most people, especially in the countryside, speak. On top of that, every road sign is written in both French and Breton.

You guessed it, the people there are very proud of their identity.

 

2. There are more than 2,700 km / 1,677 miles of coastline in Brittany

Brittany features some of the most beautiful beaches and coasts.

There are over 2,700 km / 1,677 miles of wonderful coastline in the westernmost region of France. The most famous places are Saint-Malo, La Baule, Perros-Guirec and Trébeurden. You can find everything you are looking for, whether it is a sandy beach or a rocky seaside.

 

2 - brittany facts about the coastline

 

3. Brittany is one of the best places in France to eat seafood

Seriously, Brittany is the seafood lover’s heaven. Wherever you go, you will see seafood in some sort being produced, fished or eaten. It is so popular there that it actually accounts for 80% of France’s shellfish production!

If you go to specific locations (small ports generally), you can even buy seafood straight from the fishing boats!

 

4. Just like in most coastal regions, sailing is very popular in Brittany

Seamen are an important part of the culture in Brittany. In fact, the sea in general is, in one way or another, everywhere.

Sailing is a very popular activity, especially during summer. In any of the main seaside resorts, you will find the equipment you need, and even lessons if you are new to the sport.

 

4 - facts about bretagne sailing

Saint Malo Port in Brittany

5. In France, Brittany is renowned to have an exceptionally poor weather

If you ask any French how it is like in Brittany, the first word that they will probably say is most probably “rainy”.

Is that true though? Not really! While there are a bit more rainy days than the national average, there are not too many clouds. In the South of the region, there is even more than 2,000 hours of sun per year!

 

6. There are music festivals for everyone in Brittany: from rock to traditional

Music has always been part of the local culture. The Celtic culture, still marking the region quite heavily, is celebrated during the Fest Noz, an evening festival filled with traditional music and dance.

The Vieilles Charrues festival is perfect for pop-rock music fans, and finally the Polignac festival is ideal for classical music devotees.

 

6 - bretagne facts about music festivals

Polignac in Brittany

7. There are 800 islands, big or small, in Brittany

Disseminated through the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean, Brittany counts an enormous number of 800 islands!

Obviously though, many of them are not inhabited, apart from some seabird species. The most famous of them are visitable though, like Bréhat, Batz, and… Belle-Île-en-Mer.

 

8. Belle-Île-en-Mer is a nationally famous island

Belle-Île-en-Mer, often called Belle-Île, is the largest of Brittany’s islands. Its coast is made of extremely sharp cliffs and peaceful beaches.

Many people own a secondary residence on the island, and the population therefore increases dramatically during summer, when the weather is ideal. The economy of Belle-Île largely depends on tourism and fishing.

 

8 - brittany france facts about belle ile

Belle-Île-en-Mer

9. Brittany joined France in 1532, after the formal treaty of incorporation

When the heir to Brittany, Anne, married successively two kings of France, Charles VIII and Louis XII, Brittany officially became a part of France.

However, throughout both the 19th and the 20th centuries, the region remained very conservative, with old-fashioned religious and social practices. Just like in Catalonia, there is a separatist movement in Brittany.

 

10. There are 2,900 protected monuments in Brittany

If you were not convinced already that Brittany is a beautiful region with an important historical and traditional past, just think about the 2,900 protected monuments in the region.

This makes Brittany the second largest historical heritage region, right after Paris, of course. The most beautiful of them are castles, citadels, churches and fortified towns in general.

 

10 - chapelle saint-guirec

Chapelle Saint-Guirec in Perros-Guirec, classified as a historical monument

Alright, these were the 10 first best Brittany France facts. But wait, don’t go anywhere, there’s more to come!

 

More Facts About Brittany

I simply have too much to tell you!

In this second part, I added 5 more of the best and most interesting facts about Brittany in France. Enjoy:

 

11. Both hikers and cyclists will love Brittany

Some of the coastal landscapes of Brittany are just sublime. If you like either hiking or cycling, you should definitely head there, as it has some of the best scenic coastal paths of the whole country.

Not only are the coasts stunning, but there are also refreshing forests (like the mythical Brocéliande forest), and historical apple orchards.

 

11 - brittany in france facts

 

12. In France, Brittany is famous for its “galettes”, which are salted pancakes

Apart from seafood, the main dish known all around the country is the “galette bretonne”, a salted pancake. The sugary ones, “crêpes”, are also very tasty!

The filling is variable, but the most famous one is “La Complète”, a mix of ham, cheese and egg. Add a bit of salad on the side and you’re good to go.

 

12 - crepes facts about brittany in france

 

13. Brittany is extremely famous for its cider, characteristic of the region

The cider of Brittany is ideal to drink with a galette. It is rich, rustic and robust, and can be sometimes enriched with aromas like spices.

The bubbly beverage can be either sweet or hard. Because of how much time “Bretons” have spent perfecting their recipe, it is safe to say that their cider is simply exceptional.

Read more: Discover everything about French food

 

14. Brittany is still very famous for its salt production

When we think about seafood, we immediately picture shellfish and… fish. But in Brittany, salt is very important, and the “Guérande” salt is nationally renowned and loved!

Salt is collected off the Mont Saint-Michel’s Bay as well as in lots of coasts. Seaweed has also been produced in Brittany for centuries.

 

14 - bretagne france facts about salt fields

Guérande salt marshes

15. Several tasty dishes come from Brittany

You have heard about seafood, pancakes and cider, but there’s even more than that in Brittany. The region is filled with great dishes and restaurants.

The most famous cake is called “Kouign-Amann”, a caramelized pastry oozing with butter. There are also cold pork meat dishes (“charcuterie”), vegetables, wine and cheese.

 

So these were more of my Bretagne France facts! The last part of this list will be about facts for kids. 

 

Brittany Facts for Kids

Though every fact on this list is suited for kids, I want to dedicate a special part to the youngsters.

Eternally curious and thirsty for knowledge, I hope they will be happy with these 5 facts I have for them.

 

16. The name of Brittany is linked to Great Britain

In French, Brittany is called “Bretagne”, and Great Britain, “Grande-Bretagne”. Not only are both names very close, these areas are also geographically near.

In the past, Brittany used to be called “Little Britain” or “Lesser Britain”. During the 5th century, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Great Britain and settled there, and the Ancient Britons, the Celts, moved to Brittany to give it its name, language and culture.

 

17. One of the best sights in Brittany are the Carnac stones, the French Stonehenge

The Carnac stones are a very weird group of stones. In fact, they are the world’s largest collection of standing stones in one place!

Most of them are located next to the village of Carnac, but some others can be found in another one in the vicinity, La-Trinité-sur-Mer. Some of them date back to 4,500 BCE!

 

carnac stones

 

18. The capital of Brittany is Rennes, a very animated city

Rennes dates back to more than 2,000 years. At that time, it was called “Condate”, and was a small Gallic village.

Nowadays, Rennes is very lively. It is a beautiful embodiment of Brittany’s medieval past, with its tons of half-timbered houses. There, you can visit the 17th-century Parliament of Brittany, one of the most beautiful monuments of the whole region.

 

18 - rennes

Rennes typical building facades

19. Brittany is an important agricultural region in France

In France, Brittany is important in terms of agriculture: its vast lands are ideal for farming. In fact, agriculture is the main industry of Brittany, with mostly pork and chicken farming as well as maize, used for cattle feed.

Brittany is also the name of… a dog breed!

 

20. Jacques Cartier, the famous seafarer, was born in Saint-Malo in Brittany

Jacques Cartier is very famous for having discovered Canada and laid the basis for later French claims to North America during the 16th century.

It is said that the explorer, born in Brittany, gave its name to Canada, using the local name “kanata” (that means “village”) to describe the area of Québec city.

 

20 - saint malo cartier

Saint-Malo in Brittany

So this is it, these were all my 20 interesting Bretagne facts. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the region, or the country as a whole, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about. 

 

General Facts of Brittany

You’ll find below a few general facts of Brittany, to learn more about this French region:

  • Name: Brittany (English) / Bretagne (French)
  • Land area: 34,023 km² / 13,136 sq mi
  • Population: 4,714,000
  • Name of inhabitants: Breton, Bretonne (French)
  • Website: Brittany

 

Brittany Flag

brittany flag

 

More Facts!

Want to learn more facts about France?

Well, I have other France facts posts I’m sure you’ll love reading!

Here is the main guide of the best France facts 👉 The 60 Best Facts about France

Check out these France facts by city:

Or these French facts by region:

You can also check these French facts by topic: 

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

 

The Full List of 20 Brittany Facts

  1. Brittany has a very unique culture and a language of its own
  2. There are more than 2,700 km / 1,677 miles of coastline in Brittany
  3. Brittany is one of the best places in France to eat seafood
  4. Just like in most coastal regions, sailing is very popular in Brittany
  5. In France, Brittany is renowned to have an exceptionally poor weather
  6. There are music festivals for everyone in Brittany: from rock to traditional
  7. There are 800 islands, big or small, in Brittany
  8. Belle-Île-en-Mer is a nationally famous island
  9. There are 2,900 protected monuments in Brittany
  10. Brittany joined France in 1532, after the formal treaty of incorporation
  11. Both hikers and cyclists will love Brittany
  12. In France, Brittany is famous for its “galettes”, which are salted pancakes
  13. Brittany is extremely famous for its cider, characteristic of the region
  14. Brittany is still very famous for its salt production
  15. Several tasty dishes come from Brittany
  16. The name of Brittany is linked to Great Britain
  17. One of the best sights in Brittany are the Carnac stones, the French Stonehenge
  18. The capital of Brittany is Rennes, a very animated city
  19. Brittany is an important agricultural region in France
  20. Jacques Cartier, the famous seafarer, was born in Saint-Malo in Brittany

 

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