Visiting Brittany with your kids? Or do you want some inspiration for your next holiday? Please keep reading for the best family activities in Brittany.

All these activities are tipped by our travelbee Renee Koudstaal, who lives in two cities. Amsterdam, where she raises her two beautiful sons, and Paris to pick her moments of freedom.

Renee Koudstaal, travelbee, mum of 2 and owner of @lestyleparisien.

She is the owner of @lestyleparisien and knows everything about living the French lifestyle and where to enjoy the best family holidays in France… Yes, Brittany is one of her favorites to spend her holidays! Below she will first let you in on the best places to stay and then shares the best family activities in Brittany.

“To me Brittany is one of the most beautiful regions in France. An ideal mix of stunning landscapes, great food and enough space not to bump into a tourist every other second. Having children did not alter in any way my love for this region but it surely required some advice from my friends in Brittany to give a more family-proof twist to my stays there. This is the list of child friendly, but also parent satisfying, activities locals love”.

Chateau de Vitre| Photo credits by Emmanuel Berthier

Visit les Maisons de Bricourt and its beautiful property: rent a gite with your family, or a room at the Chateau Richeux (without kids:).

Les Maisons de Bricourt with cozy rooms and family gites

Sleeping like roses in one of the bedrooms

Interiors with detail

Eat at Le Coquillage (still without kids) or have your kids discover the famous Roellinger spices in the shop or the tasty patisserie at the Grain de Vanille. Take a stroll through the beautiful gardens (to digest…) before heading to the beach.

Lunch between de pine trees

Beach views from the pool

Another great place to stay is the eco-hotel Manoir Dalmore. It offers family rooms for 4 persons and a wonderful restaurant which serves delicious dishes made with local produce.

Direct access to the beach

You will love the sauna and the terrace with beautiful views of the sea. The kids will love playing on the beach (just steps from the hotel) or the playground.

One of the bedrooms at Manoir Dalmore

• You cannot leave Brittany without visiting one of the Duke’s castles. Try Château de La Bourbandais (with a zoo), Château Bienassis (offering escape games), Château de Fougères (medieval days), Château de la Hunaudaye (children workshops during holidays) or Château du Nessay (if one day you come back without the kids).

• Learn a few Breton words, often unpronounceable, hence laughing out loud-guaranteed during your travel time to Brittany: Welcome // Degemer Mat,  Hello // Demat, bye // Kenavo, Thank you // Trugarez, How are you // Penaos ‘mañ kont , are you ok? // Mat ar jeu),…
• A visit to Rennes and its beautiful historical center. Don’t miss out on the Parc du Thabor to visit the rose-gardens and the birds aviary and the Marché des Lices to check out all the scary looking fish and seafood (sometimes still alive)…

Fresh fish food from the ocean to your table

• Of course a trip to Brittany means enjoying the sea. Not really by swimming (way too chilly for most of us) but a boat trip is a total must do. One of the most well-known departs from Saint Malo with a replica of the famous sailing-ship Le Renard.

Boat Trip with the Renard | Photo credits by Etoile Marine

• Visit the Vallée des Saints in the center of Brittany (Côtes d’Armor). This beautiful valley is one of the key cultural attractions in this area with 113 huge sculptures made out of granite, still 887 to go to honour the 1000 Breton saints.

Vallee des saints |Photo credits by Yannick Derennes

• Put on your fisherman’s clothes, take your fishing nets and buckets and off you go to the beach at low tide. Don’t forget to jump on the sand to make the small cockles come out.Please always check the low and high tides here to be safe.

• Make a trip to Île de Bréhat (boats leaving from L’Arcouest in Ploubazlanec). Rent a bike and stay the night to experience the island with locals only. Plan everything in advance here.

• Buy a Marinière, the typical Breton sailor shirt, from Saint James or Armor Lux. You will find these brands and others throughout Brittany. But if you have time, certainly peek into the factory at the shop in Saint James or visit the Armor Lux outlet shop in Quimper.

• The Broceliande forest is a paradise for children offering all kinds of activities within a world full of historical legends, myths, like canoeing, carriage rides, theatre plays, storytellers,..
• Brittany offers an impressive number of picturesque villages with the advantage of being small, so perfectly do-able with young children.  My favorites are Rochefort-en-Terre (with a prehistorical parc nearby at Malansac), La Gacilly (with the Maison Yves Rocher) and Carnac (slightly bigger, with an historical center but also a nice beach side with many restaurants).

• Listen to local music, to get a better feel of the culture: http://www.canalbreizh.bzh/
• Fête des remparts in Dinan, the biggest medieval festival in Europe which offers life time memories for sure. It takes place every summer. Definitely go there and definitely book in advance.

• Try local food: which could be a fulltime activity in Brittany… Salted butter, all the different seafood, crêpes, galettes, pastries like the “Kouign Amann” (sugar, pastry and butter…) ,…

• Local drinks? Not for children, but what if they go to bed early thanks to all the fun they had during the day? Try the local ciders or Le Chouchen, a drink made from fermented honey and water.  Also try Le Pommeau and Le Muscadet. Brittany has several natural sources like Isabelle, Cristaline, Monts-d’Arrée, Brocéliande, Saint-Alix and Plancoët. Certainly try those!