Can anyone tell me about Brest in Brittany France

Just got notification from Holland America that our port call in St. Malo, France has been cancelled and replaced with a call to Brest in the Brittany area of France. I'm bummed, but know that changes are part of cruising...

So, can anyone tell me more about Brest and what interesting things there might be to do either in Brest or nearby??

Thanks!

Heavily-damaged/nearly destroyed by allied bombing in WW-II and hastily reconstructed post-war so it is pretty charmless. Depending on how you want to travel, you can go out to the ruined monastery and lighthouse at Pointe St. Matheiu, or go see the church calvaries inland. Maybe go and drive around the Crozon.

Not a huge amount in Brest itself - as has been said it is a standard French town with a lot of reconstructive work. There is a very good Oceanarium and the shopping centre has a decent selection of shops. There used to be a free shuttle service which picked up from the ship and did a free tour around the town and out to the beach area and Oceanarium but not sure if that still operates. You may want to consider a ships tour.

From the photos the Chateau de Brest and Maritime museum look nice...can anyone comment?

Just got notification from Holland America that our port call in St. Malo, France has been cancelled and replaced with a call to Brest in the Brittany area of France. I'm bummed, but know that changes are part of cruising...

 

So, can anyone tell me more about Brest and what interesting things there might be to do either in Brest or nearby??

 

Thanks!

You beat me to this. I have looked on the internet and Tripadvisor but nothing has stood out as a must see.

When are you going to Brest ?

We visit Brest on September 12 of this year.

I never went there. But i have heard about "archipel des glenan" if you want to relax.

For visiting, both castles looks great. There is nothing "incredible" near Brest, so you should just enjoy the city itself.

Not a huge amount in Brest itself - as has been said it is a standard French town with a lot of reconstructive work. There is a very good Oceanarium and the shopping centre has a decent selection of shops. There used to be a free shuttle service which picked up from the ship and did a free tour around the town and out to the beach area and Oceanarium but not sure if that still operates. You may want to consider a ships tour.

This thread is a little "old", but wanted to check if there that many added thoughts, experiences, etc., regarding Brest. And whether it is worth that much effort to get and be here compared to other options in and around Brittany. Appreciate any super loves, tips, suggestions for this area. From many of the comments here, there seems to be serious questions. Right or wrong?

In mid June, we are doing an 11-day Lisbon to Rouen sailing that has lots of great stops in Portugal, Spain and France. That includes much, in-depth, for Bordeaux and Brittany. We have one port stop at St. Malo and have previously visited Mont St. Michel and WWII D-Day locations. Additional secrets and insights to share about Brittany and past enjoyments?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,205 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

This thread is a little "old", but wanted to check if there that many added thoughts, experiences, etc., regarding Brest. And whether it is worth that much effort to get and be here compared to other options in and around Brittany. Appreciate any super loves, tips, suggestions for this area. From many of the comments here, there seems to be serious questions. Right or wrong?

 

In mid June, we are doing an 11-day Lisbon to Rouen sailing that has lots of great stops in Portugal, Spain and France. That includes much, in-depth, for Bordeaux and Brittany. We have one port stop at St. Malo and have previously visited Mont St. Michel and WWII D-Day locations. Additional secrets and insights to share about Brittany and past enjoyments?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,205 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Haven't been yet, going in 2018. The quai area is supposed to be very pretty.

Have you taken a look at Quimper? About an hour away I believe.

http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/quimper-cornouaille/unmissable-sites/quimper

It's been a number of years since we visited Brittany, but it's beautiful. We were attending a wedding - a friend of mine from college. We spent a week in London, then took the train to Plymouth to get a Brittany Ferry to Roscoff. (Only time I've ever been seasick. The first French phrase I learned on this trip was "mal de mer.":p ) We rented a car and stayed in Brest. The city itself isn't very scenic (as others have said, lots of war damage), but the towns surrounding the city are lovely. What you might not expect is the Celtic influence in the area - a number of the road signs were in both French and Gaelic. The wedding we attended was in a 13th century chapel about 45 minutes outside Brest; it had a dirt floor, and as with most of the old churches it had a Calvary outside. The next day we drove about an hour outside Brest to the bride's parents' seaside home. Again, just beautiful.

Haven't been yet, going in 2018. The quai area is supposed to be very pretty.

 

Have you taken a look at Quimper? About an hour away I believe.

 

http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/quimper-cornouaille/unmissable-sites/quimper

We had booked a cruise with Brest on the itinerary (but cancelled). From my initial research, Quimper seemed to be the most interesting excursion destination. DIY via public transportation didn't work. It would probably take a organized excursion or car rental. I don't believe our ship had an excursion there...but, other cruise lines may have something.

OP, Oceania's Marina had it on the itinerary last year, so perhaps you could search that ship's roll call threads to see what cruisers ended up doing with the port?

We had booked a cruise with Brest on the itinerary (but cancelled). From my initial research, Quimper seemed to be the most interesting excursion destination. DIY via public transportation didn't work. It would probably take a organized excursion or car rental. I don't believe our ship had an excursion there...but, other cruise lines may have something.

 

OP, Oceania's Marina had it on the itinerary last year, so perhaps you could search that ship's roll call threads to see what cruisers ended up doing with the port?

Thanks. I'll be investigating something private. Appreciate the feedback.

Kazu,

I dug around CC and found this post...it's kind of moldy oldy though.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=31707589&postcount=7

Hope that helps. I know this was the port that had me wracking my brain before we cancelled.

Kazu,

 

I dug around CC and found this post...it's kind of moldy oldy though.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=31707589&postcount=7

 

Hope that helps. I know this was the port that had me wracking my brain before we cancelled.

Bless you :). Thank you very much :)

Bless you :). Thank you very much :)

Those pictures posted by that cruiser made me realize what a great travel resource CC is! Wonderful...Brittany is definitely on my hit list.

A bit more digging and there are some very intriguing villages that have been around since medieval time.

I think I have found a private tour that covers those and will still give us time to enjoy Brest a bit.

I'll post here so others can benefit (if you like) if things works out.

In any case you can take a train to the intriguing town. Trains are pretty regular.

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to this port now :)

A bit more digging and there are some very intriguing villages that have been around since medieval time.

 

I think I have found a private tour that covers those and will still give us time to enjoy Brest a bit.

 

I'll post here so others can benefit (if you like) if things works out.

 

In any case you can take a train to the intriguing town. Trains are pretty regular.

 

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to this port now :)

Which town is it Kazu?

It will be good to have some "recent feet on the ground" updates for a rather difficult port that is starting to show up on itineraries!

Which town is it Kazu?

 

It will be good to have some "recent feet on the ground" updates for a rather difficult port that is starting to show up on itineraries!

Quimper and a couple of other medieval towns. Sadly I did hear back from the company and while they do this tour, they do it out of Normandy and don't come to Brest. Back to the drawing board. :( ;)

Quimper and a couple of other medieval towns. Sadly I did hear back from the company and while they do this tour, they do it out of Normandy and don't come to Brest. Back to the drawing board. :( ;)

Darn. Is the company that the fellow used for that Prisendam cruise in the thread link no longer doing them from Brest? Quimper is the holy grail for that area. Believe me, I know what you are going through. The towns are there, they are just very difficult to get to! :(

Darn. Is the company that the fellow used for that Prisendam cruise in the thread link no longer doing them from Brest? Quimper is the holy grail for that area. Believe me, I know what you are going through. The towns are there, they are just very difficult to get to! :(

Haven't tried them yet. The price was pretty steep :eek: from what I saw on that. But, I may be forced to.

We don't need a fancy lunch. Just want to get there and see it ;)

We don't go until 2018 so I am early planning. I'll keep you up to date on what I find in the hopes it helps others. I am enchanted with Quimper and am determined we will get there but the bus takes a long time and while it goes there regularly, it does not return to Brest often so I don't think that is an option.

So it's a transfer / tour /drive from the looks of things. Don't want to drive (yet) so we shall see what we find ;). I'm pretty determined on this stuff and it has worked out in the past, so fingers crossed.

Just being in Brittany is an experience because it is quite unlike the rest of France although as you may know, each "department" of France claims a uniqueness, this one truly is out of this world.

There is another culture with Celtic roots and mystical heritage too - like Stonehenge for example, in Carnac, Brittany there are amazing white giant stone formations to see - also unexplainable and visited by many people.

People dress in unique clothing and speak a different language - Breton - which has a somewhat Gaelic/French (difficult to understand!) and probably not passing down so well through generations. I couldn't understand it and I was close to someone that spoke it and speaking French posed no advantage (and I'm Celtic!)

The food is also very unique, cider is abundant and if you've ever been to the 6th Arrondissment in Paris, near the railway station, you have been to the area known as "Little Brittany" where there are MANY creperies! Crepes and cider are part of the food culture in Brittany as are amazing fresh seafood dishes (langoustines!) and soups and more.

Every French village offers something - whether it is WWII history or it's own little bit of culture, beauty or charm but Brest being in Brittany offers up something not many visitors to France still ever discover - a culture not very often seen because most (understandably) with little time head to Cote d'Azur, Normandy, Paris or the Alps etc. Brittany is known as the Cote d'Emeraude - Emerald Coast - for a reason. Very verdant and rich and well worth exploring the cultural abundance that is there. Be the ones to find out :) Then maybe later come back and go to Quimper or Rennes and beyond....start a whole new trend ;)

Just being in Brittany is an experience because it is quite unlike the rest of France although as you may know, each "department" of France claims a uniqueness, this one truly is out of this world.

 

There is another culture with Celtic roots and mystical heritage too - like Stonehenge for example, in Carnac, Brittany there are amazing white giant stone formations to see - also unexplainable and visited by many people.

People dress in unique clothing and speak a different language - Breton - which has a somewhat Gaelic/French (difficult to understand!) and probably not passing down so well through generations. I couldn't understand it and I was close to someone that spoke it and speaking French posed no advantage (and I'm Celtic!)

 

The food is also very unique, cider is abundant and if you've ever been to the 6th Arrondissment in Paris, near the railway station, you have been to the area known as "Little Brittany" where there are MANY creperies! Crepes and cider are part of the food culture in Brittany as are amazing fresh seafood dishes (langoustines!) and soups and more.

 

Every French village offers something - whether it is WWII history or it's own little bit of culture, beauty or charm but Brest being in Brittany offers up something not many visitors to France still ever discover - a culture not very often seen because most (understandably) with little time head to Cote d'Azur, Normandy, Paris or the Alps etc. Brittany is known as the Cote d'Emeraude - Emerald Coast - for a reason. Very verdant and rich and well worth exploring the cultural abundance that is there. Be the ones to find out :) Then maybe later come back and go to Quimper or Rennes and beyond....start a whole new trend ;)

Thank you Host Bonjour.

Just being in Brittany is an experience because it is quite unlike the rest of France. There is another culture with Celtic roots and mystical heritage too - like Stonehenge for example, in Carnac, Brittany there are amazing white giant stone formations to see - also unexplainable and visited by many people. People dress in unique clothing and speak a different language - Breton - which has a somewhat Gaelic/French (difficult to understand!) and probably not passing down so well through generations. I couldn't understand it and I was close to someone that spoke it and speaking French posed no advantage (and I'm Celtic!) The food is also very unique, cider is abundant. Crepes and cider are part of the food culture in Brittany as are amazing fresh seafood dishes (langoustines!) and soups and more. Every French village offers something - whether it is WWII history or it's own little bit of culture, beauty or charm but Brest being in Brittany offers up something not many visitors to France still ever discover. Brittany is known as the Cote d'Emeraude - Emerald Coast - for a reason. Very verdant and rich and well worth exploring the cultural abundance that is there.

Appreciate from Colleen and others all of these various, wonderful items of info about Brittany. Very helpful, interesting and super beneficial!! I have highlighted the key aspects from Colleen that are most of interest to me. Will copy and save these on my laptop as we prepare for this mid-June adventure.

Keep it coming with these many key background items. Don't be shy in offering past travel loves from here, plus in asking added questions.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 220,309 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

I don't think I mentioned in my post Terry that these amazing stone formations are in a place called Carnac - if I did, please forgive the repetition. Brittany or "Bretagne" is fascinating and unique - as yet another marvelous region of France - very much worth a land visit.

For some reason, it had me thinking of Biarritz, further south along the Atlantic coast of France (not in Brittany) but once a popular seaside holiday town for Americans and Europeans though I don't think so anymore. I believe Coco Chanel used to go there!

Anyway - glad to provide a bit of helpful info on Bretagne - I'm sure you'll enjoy it quite a lot :)