The Festivals Route :
CORNOUAILLE FESTIVAL
A nine-day celebration of Breton culture, the Cornouaille Festival welcomes almost 250,000 visitors every year. It is one of the leading European festivals, combining art and popular traditions, always driven by a determination to showcase tradition and creativity and show the links between the past, the present and the future. In all there are almost 200 shows, concerts and events on throughout the festival, many of which are free, involving hundreds of musicians and dancers.
Find out more: www.festival-cornouaille.com, www.cornouaille.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
l’Hôtel de la Plage à Sainte-Anne la Palud
POLIGNAC FESTIVAL
The Polignac Festival was created by Prince Louis de Polignac in 1986 and aims to support and encourage young generations of singers and musicians, by giving them the opportunity to be heard as part of a series of concerts organised in Guidel. This open-mindedness is also seen in the choice of performers invited to take part: classical and jazz musicians rub shoulders with world music performers to offer a diverse programme of events to a wide audience.
Find out more: www.festivalpolignac.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
le Château de Locguénolé à Hennebont
l’Hôtel de la Plage à Sainte-Anne la Palud
le Castel Clara à Belle-Île
HENNEBONT MEDIAEVAL FESTIVAL
For two days, the mediaeval city of Hennebont goes back in time to the Middle Ages. The festivities begin with a grand procession and the cobbled streets ring with the sound of the instrumental music of the time around a huge craft market. Fighting, fabliaux, jugglers, strolling players, stilt-walkers, knights, archers, a mediaeval camp, Breton games and a historical show at night at the foot of the ramparts take you back several centuries to relive the history of Hennebont during the War of Succession.
Find out more: www.hennebont.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
le Château de Locguénolé à Hennebont
le Castel Clara à Belle-Île
LORIENT CELTIC FESTIVAL
The world’s largest gathering of expressions of contemporary culture from Celtic countries: 10 days and 10 nights of culture and festivities... 650,000 visitors, 4,500 musicians, singers, dancers, visual artists, academics and film makers from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Galicia, the Asturias, Brittany, the USA, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.
Find out more: www.festival-interceltique.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
le Château de Locguénolé à Hennebont
l’Hôtel de la Plage à Sainte-Anne la Palud
le Castel Clara à Belle-Île
ARVOR FESTIVAL
The Arvor festival takes place in Vannes between 13 and 15 August and is an annual celebration of Breton culture. Traditional and modern Breton music, Breton dance, with both confederations represented, Breton costume, a chance to showcase young creative artists in Brittany, presentations of traditional crafts, story-telling and the election of the Queen of Arvor and her two princesses.
Find out more: www.fetes-arvor.org , www.pays-de-vannes.com
www.mairie-vannes.fr
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Domaine de Rochevilaine à Billiers
L’Auberge Bretonne à la Roche Bernard
Le Castel Marie Louise à la Baule
Le Fort de l’Océan au Croisic
La Bretesche à Missillac
GUERANDE CELTIC FESTIVAL
The Guérande Celtic festival is one of the key events for Celtic and Breton culture in the Loire-Atlantique region. A wide-ranging festival that mixes sources and styles of the most authentic forms of cultural diversity from dance to music and story-telling to traditional songs. The way the festival has developed is a nice illustration of the determination to enable as many people as possible to access their traditions, with a programme of events open to both specialists and enthusiasts.
Find out more: www.bro-gwenrann.org
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Domaine de Rochevilaine à Billiers
L’Auberge Bretonne à la Roche Bernard
Le Castel Marie Louise à la Baule
Le Fort de l’Océan au Croisic
La Bretesche à Missillac
LA BAULE PARDON FESTIVAL
Created in 1947, the La Baule Pardon Festival has become of Brittany’s great cultural events. Every summer, over 20,000 spectators attend concerts and processions by around twenty groups, reflecting a Celtic culture that becomes ever finer and more dynamic.
Find out more: www.pardon-de-la-baule.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Domaine de Rochevilaine à Billiers
L’Auberge Bretonne à la Roche Bernard
Le Castel Marie Louise à la Baule
Le Fort de l’Océan au Croisic
La Bretesche à Missillac
ETONNANTS VOYAGEURS FESTIVAL IN SAINT-MALO
Since its creation in 1990, the Etonnants Voyageurs Festival has become a not-to-be-missed event for all lovers of literature. In eighteen years, around a thousand guests from some sixty countries and every genre in international literature have come to meet their readers in Saint-Malo. The aim of the Etonnants Voyageurs Festival, thanks to its relationships with writers from all over the world, has always been to communicate a certain idea of literature to other countries, making Saint-Malo the centre of a vast network.
Find out more: www.etonnants-voyageurs.net
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Manoir de Lann-Kerellec à Trébeurden
Les Maisons de Bricourt à Cancale
Hôtel Brittany à Roscoff
THE ROCK ROUTE IN SAINT-MALO
For the last fifteen years the Rock Route has been defending a bold, cutting-edge programme of events, seamlessly combining well-known performers and new talents and showcasing contemporary musical creativity every year whether it is in pop, rock or electronic music. The quality of the site (the 18th century Fort Vauban) and its proximity to the beaches of the Emerald Coast have also played their part in forging the festival’s clear identity.
ACCESS AND LOCATION
The festival takes place in Saint-Malo (Ille et Vilaine, Brittany). The Fort de Saint-Père is located approximately ten kilometres from Saint-Malo, the Palais du Grand Large is opposite the large Le Sillon beach at the entrance to the old town in Saint-Malo and the Plage Fnac is on the Eventail beach (right next to the Palais du Grand Large).
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Manoir de Lann-Kerellec à Trébeurden
Les Maisons de Bricourt à Cancale
Hôtel Brittany à Roscoff
HORTENSIAS FESTIVAL
The Hortensias Festival takes place in mid-August in Perros-Guirec. A mixture of tradition and modernity enlivens the gardens of the Capitainerie and the streets of the town centre. A programme of events full of revelations, stars, magic and colour stands is ready and waiting for an audience that grows every year. The success of the Hortensias Festival shows no signs of flagging. Over 11,000 spectators take part in the summer’s major event on the Pink Granite coast.
Find out more: www.tourisme.fr/office-de-tourisme/perros-guirec.htm
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Manoir de Lann-Kerellec à Trébeurden
Les Maisons de Bricourt à Cancale
Hôtel Brittany à Roscoff
THE SAILOR’S SONG FESTIVAL
The Chant de Marin (sailor’s song) festival in Paimpol has become the top event for maritime music. A celebration of the sea like no other, it is now the largest event of its kind in Europe. For three days, 1,000 musicians and singers celebrate the world of the sea and the great epics of a navy of wooden ships. Three hundred old ships will be sailing up and down Paimpol bay and over 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the event.
Find out more: www.paimpol-2005.com
Nearest Relais & Châteaux:
Le Manoir de Lann-Kerellec à Trébeurden
Les Maisons de Bricourt à Cancale
Hôtel Brittany à Roscoff
The Festivals Route : nearby Relais & Chateaux properties

Hôtel et Spa de la Bretesche
Hotel and restaurant on a golf course
The boundless charm of this estate works its magic as soon as you cross the gates. A ravishing 15th century castle nestles in the heart of magnificent parkland with its ancient trees and outbuildings housing the guest rooms. Each of the rooms boasts an original décor and they all exude warmth, authenticity and sophistication: also the hallmark of the chef’s inventive cuisine at Le Montaigu, and of the décor of the bar in the former stable block which has preserved the ancient marble feed and water troughs. The Cour Carrée spa is a perfect haven of peace offering well-being and peace of mind and the 18-hole golf course, designed by Henry Cotton, provides superb views over the castle. ...Read more
France, Missillac

Les Maisons de Bricourt
Restaurant and hotel on the seafront
At Les Maisons de Bricourt there are breathtaking views of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel and, at your feet, the oyster farms and the little port of Cancale. In this world of illustrious seafarers, the spirit of the restaurant Le Coquillage is one of elegant simplicity paired with gentle hospitality. The cuisine showcasing produce from the bay of Cancale reflects the maritime adventures of this former pirate country by using more than 120 spices from the East and West Indies. You will find two residences; the château Richeux and the cottage Les Rimains, as well as Les Gîtes Marins for families. The Roellingers’s joie de vivre is evident in the patisserie-tea room Grain de Vanille, the Cuisine Corsaire cookery school and the Épices-Roellinger warehouse. ...Read more
France, Saint Méloir des Ondes

Castel Clara Thalasso & Spa
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
The secluded island of Belle-Île-en-Mer is the ideal setting for a restorative getaway. Visitors arrive by boat on this aptly named “beautiful island at sea”, with its rocky coves with turquoise water, blooming hills and pastel-hued ports. Castel Clara overlooks the picturesque Goulphar Bay, where the Impressionist Claude Monet liked to paint his magical landscapes. Marvel at the views of the Aiguilles de Port-Coton, a series of sculptural rocky formations jutting out in the middle of the ocean, savour the delights of the local cuisine, or head to the thalassotherapy centre or spa to experience Belle-Île-en-Mer health treatments with fresh gorse flowers. ...Read more
France, Bangor

Manoir de Lan-Kerellec
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
Surrounded by the immense sea and the reefs of the Pink Granite Coast, the Manoir de Lan-Kerellec is a jewel in Brittany’s crown. From your balcony, drink in the magical panoramic view of the islands of Milliau, Molène and Losquet. Then you might want to take a walk along the coastal path to taste the sea spray, or scuba dive for a closer look at the underwater nature reserve. Enjoy your dinner in the dining room built in the shape of an upturned boat, a masterpiece by the Compagnons du Devoir. ...Read more
France, Trébeurden

Hôtel de la Plage
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
Refined dishes such as tartare of bass and caviar, prawn salad and carpaccio of Saint-Jacques à l’orange, take on a special flavour when they are served in a wonderful place like Hôtel de la Plage. The panoramic restaurant overlooks the ocean and the vast beach of fine sand. There are similar views from the rooms, where you can hear the gentle lapping of the waves. Guests with families will enjoy the beach entirely dedicated to children. ...Read more
France, Sainte-Anne-la-Palud

Château de Locguénolé
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
A door leads out to the ocean and a private dock for immediate boarding. Sailing between Lorient and the island of Groix is an unforgettable experience and just one of the many pleasures in store at this historic castle and manor house surrounded by 120 hectares of private forest that overlooks a wide stretch of sea. Helicopter flights over the cliffs of Brittany are also on offer. On returning to the ground, sample the delights of the menu of fresh seafood and Brittany’s local produce, followed by a shiatsu massage to finish off a perfect day. ...Read more
France, Kervignac

Castel Marie-Louise
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
This year, the six kilometres of fine sand at La Baule have joined the very select circle of “The World's Most Beautiful Bays Club”. This Belle Époque mansion house with its sophisticated English style décor by Jacques Garcia stands across from the Atlantic Ocean. Every detail counts. The perfect retreat for a charming break, with staff who are attentive to your every wish. The delicious breakfast already hints at the chef’s treats in store, fricassee of lobster or sea bass with caviar. Another major attraction: the thalassotherapy centre and many other leisure activities are a mere stone's throw away. Here, the last word in chic is to get around on one of the bikes borrowed from the hotel. ...Read more
France, La Baule

Domaine de Rochevilaine
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
Bertrand Jaquet, owner of Domaine de Rochevilaine, has a genuine passion for Brittany and his desire to share that love with his guests is evident. Be seduced by the breathtaking, typically Breton setting on the Vilaine estuary with its jagged cliffs and blue waters. Savour a Breton lobster like none other at the seaside restaurant, where dining feels a bit like being on the deck of an ocean liner. Listen to the sound of the waves during a restorative treatment at the excellent spa, perhaps “la table phénicienne” (the Phoenician table), a massage patented by the establishment. Another one of Bertrand Jaquet’s passions is art, as guests are bound to discover in the hotel’s wonderful art gallery. ...Read more
France, Billiers

Le Fort de l’Océan
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
For the past four centuries, this granite fort on the Croisic peninsula has stood guard over the moods of the sea and the ramparts, moats and drawbridges are all still standing. Built to resist storms and attacks, today, behind this tough exterior there is charming oak panelling, sweet-smelling gardens, a sheltered swimming pool and a kitchen garden. The chef uses herbs and vegetables from the garden in his inventive cuisine that usually includes fresh seafood. For dessert, the slightly salty homemade caramel is a real treat. ...Read more
France, Le Croisic

Hôtel Brittany
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront
Formerly a smuggling port and refuge for privateers, Roscoff has remained a unique destination, with its waves of emerald, granite fisherman’s cottages and manor houses nestled amongst the cliffs. This hideaway is an ancient trader’s property with a swimming pool, spa and direct access to the beach. The chef will treat you to an exceptional quality of fish and seafood, directly sourced from the local fishermen. His cuisine is a reflection of modern Brittany; it is a real pleasure to see, to feel, to taste! A 15 minute boat trip is all that is needed to discover the small island of Batz, a “tropical” pearl with palm trees and beaches of fine sand that has been magically misplaced in the English Channel. ...Read more
France, Roscoff
Copyright Photos :
CRT Bretagne ; SCHULTE-KELLINGHAUS Martin /Crtb