BELLE-ILE’S CHARACTER AND LOCATION
Its stunning cliffs were repeatedly painted by the great Impressionist, Claude Monet. Its dramatic coast was adored by Sarah Bernhardt – the celebrated French Belle Epoque actress even bought a famed house here. Today, tourists battle it out to book a place on the boats to glorious Belle-Ile. This Beautiful Island, the largest off Brittany, and the largest of the Iles du Ponant, has a wonderful variety of sides and sights with which to enchant you. Most visitors arrive from Quiberon, but in summer especially, there are ferry services from several other southern Breton ports.
Getting here and around the island
All year round
La Compagnie Océane
BP 1 - 56360 Le Palais - Belle-Ile-en-Mer
Tél. 0820 056 156 (n° Indigo)
www.compagnie-oceane.fr
Crossing takes 45 mins from Quiberon.
You can travel with your car or bikes : Book in advance.
In season :
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Connections Lorient-Sauzon and Quiberon-Sauzon (passengers only, no cars)
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Ports of departure : Vannes, La Trinité/Mer, Port-Navalo and La Turballe.
Accommodation
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17 hotels (from no stars to 4 stars)
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9 campsites (chalets or mobile homes available to rent)
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Bed & Breakfast
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Accomodation for groups
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Holiday residences
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Holiday village
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Several furnished rental properties
List of accommodation available from the Tourist office.
For sailors
Ports of Le Palais and Sauzon are stopovers appreciated by sailors. Inquire early about the conditions.
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Le Palais harbour office : Tel. 02 97 31 42 90 (or VHF channel 9). Showers, water, fuel
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Sauzon harbour office : Tel. 02 97 31 63 40 (or VHF channel 9). Toilets.
Information on renting a bike:
You can rent bikes, scooters and motorcycles at different points around the island
Information on public transportation:
Daily bus shuttles serve most villages and beaches from beginning of April to end of September and in certain other school holidays.
Cliffs form natural fortifications around much of the island’s 80-kilometre coastline, but there are also some 60 beaches to choose from, many set on unspoilt bays. The island is divided into four districts: Le Palais, in the north; Sauzon in the northwest; Bangor in the southwest; and Locmaria in the east.
Le Palais, where most boats arrive, sits in a deep, steep, typically Breton inlet. The phenomenal star-shaped Citadelle Vauban guards one side. Now it houses both a chic hotel and an interesting museum on Belle-Ile’s history. Opposite, the lively port has plenty of places to stay and eat and shop, plus a daily market featuring local fish and produce. At Le Palais, you can sign up for all manner of water sports or sailing options. Some of Belle-Ile’s most splendid beaches lie east out of town, backed by now-picturesque fortifications that recall more troubled times.
Sauzon rivals Le Palais as an enticing, colourful port. Just a few fishermen are still based here, though tourist yachts now dominate. Sarah Bernhardt chose the sensational northwest Pointe des Poulains for her Belle-Ile retreat, as recalled in the recently restored house-cum-museum here. There’s also a golf course nearby, set in a truly breath-taking location. While on the subject of dramatic performances, note that Belle-Ile hosts a reputed annual opera gathering in August, the Festival Lyrique en Mer. There are many other festivities to enjoy around the island, across the year.
Belle-Ile’s cliffs are at their most impressive on the western and southern sides. The most famous stops are the Grand Phare lighthouse, which you can sometimes climb, and the Aiguilles de Port Coton, a series of highly dramatic points of rock. Monet painted these statuesque pinnacles time and again, as did later artists, including the likes of Australian John Peter Russell. Today, a couple of luxury hotels on the southwest coast offer thalassotherapy, or sea-water, treatments. Note that the standard of accommodation across Belle-Ile is high. Inland from the Aiguilles, the name of the village of Bangor recalls distant religious links with Ireland.
The eastern end of Belle-Ile is gentler, the village of Locmaria quite unspoilt. Its medieval church is the oldest building on the island. Belle-Ile’s glorious coastline tends to monopolize visitors’ attention. However, don’t ignore the agricultural centre of the island – it’s full of charm too.
BRITISH CONNECTIONS WITH BELLE-ILE
King Edward VII was among the high-society guests who made it out to visit Sarah Bernhardt on Belle-Ile. She was clearly an A-list celebrity of her day, if even royals came to pay court to her!
To document
Visit the gallery
Download documentation
