The mere mention of Saint-Malo’s name is enough to plunge us back into the richness of its past. The fortifications stand as testimony to the Malouins’ determination to defend their citadel, fought over by France and Britain in turn. When we drop anchor here, immerse yourself in the diversity of its heritage: the time when privateers sailed the oceans in search of trade and victories; the legendary yacht races the port city is still famous for, such as the Route du Rhum; and the final resting place of the French writer François-René de Chateaubriand, who was born here and chose to be buried here anonymously.

Chart a course towards the sentinel island, the most westerly point of mainland France, recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1988. Some 7 km long, Ouessant boasts a wild and bitter beauty. Its landscapes carved by the sea and the wind, the vegetation of the moors and the heather, the rocks ceaselessly whipped by the Atlantic waves, are the home to thousands of sea birds. The island has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times, with women dedicating themselves to farming while the men were fishermen and sailors. From Lampaul, the “capital”, you can admire the powerful lighthouses that adorn the Ouessant coastline, including the Créac’h lighthouse, which stands out from the rest with its black and white stripes!

A little like the Seychelles…The Glénan archipelago and its string of islets offer you a magical spectacle with their white sand beaches and emerald green waters, evoking the exoticism of distant islands. Located around 10 nautical miles from the French mainland, the Glénans are a succession of seven islets, coiled around an interior sea with a paradisiac decor. To the east, Penfret shelters the lighthouse. Further on is the island of Loch, the largest one, recognizable by its chimney stack. Then come Cigogne with its fort, Drenec, Bananec, Guéotec, and finally Saint-Nicolas. The daffodil is the emblematic flower of the Glénan Islands; these pretty white flowers decorate the idyllic landscape of the archipelago in springtime … A waking dream.

“Qui voit Groix voit sa joie” (“Whoever sees Groix will see its glee”) — this proverb will make perfect sense as soon as your ship reaches Groix Island. Located around 4 nautical miles from Lorient, Groix stretches 8 kilometers long and is home to pretty low houses and colorful gardens. There is much contrast in the panorama: mainly wild and craggy landscapes to the west, and long beaches to the east, inviting conviviality and relaxation. At the beginning of the 20th century, Groix was the leading tuna port in France and the tuna-shaped weathercock, perched atop the church belfry, illustrates this activity.
 

To the south of Brittany, the Gulf of Morbihan is the heart of a little paradise of land and sea, embellished by the subtle variations in the light throughout the day. You will chart a course towards this veritable inland Small Sea (from the Breton Mor-Bihan) spanning some 12,000 hectares where the Atlantic Ocean penetrates, at Port Navalo, far inland, sheltered from the sea winds. Created in 2014, the Gulf of Morbihan regional natural park is home to a rich and varied biodiversity, largely thanks to the many natural habitats of the site. Blessed with a mild micro-climate, this charming landscape will reveal around forty islands including l’île aux Moines, “jewel of the gulf” which is one of the Ponant Islands.

Located between Belle-Île-en-Mer and the golfe of Morbihan, near Hoëdic, the island of Houat is home to less than 200 inhabitants all year round. It belongs to Mor Braz, a vast body of water that includes the peninsulas of Quiberon, Rhuys and Guérande. Houat is immediately striking thanks to its immaculate appearance and its sandy creeks bathed by emerald waters. If you walk briskly, it’s possible to get around the island in a couple of hours, admiring its landscapes, which are a paradise for amateur botanists, honeysuckle, tamarix, everlastings, sea pink, and more.

Lying to the South of Brittany, Belle-Île is very aptly named. The largest of the Ponant islands, it owes its glowing reputation to its exceptional environment and generous natural attributes: pristine moors and dunes, headlands and cliffs cut into granite points, rocky inlets, and sheltered bays with sandy or pebble beaches. Aboard your ship, let the wild coastline of Belle-île-en-Mer surprise you, this little speck of land lying on the ocean, sparkling with colors in the morning light.

The Pointe de Pen Hir is reputed for the six rocks that prolong it, known as the Tas de Pois. Each of them bears a pretty Breton name. To the west, you will see Bern-Id, meaning ‘mound of wheat’, the most charming of them because of its pointed shape like a Chinese hat. Then there are Ar Forc'h and Chelott, Pen Glaz, Petit Daouët and finally, Grand Daouët, which connects to the French mainland. Legend has it that they were built by Titans… The spectacle of the waves coming crashing against the rocks and the very particular and ever-changing light are what make the Tas de Pois so beautiful.

Located between the Crozon peninsula to the north and the Raz headland to the south, Douarnenez Bay forms a vast arc more than 16 kilometers wide and 20 kilometres long. To the north, on the Crozon Peninsula, lies anse de Morgat with its beautiful sandy beach between two rocky outcrops.

The island of Bréhat, which has banned cars from its streets, became France’s first classified natural site in 1907. As it’s 3.5 km long and 1.5 km wide, the island promises a change of scenery, one imbued with the maritime and military history which marked it from the Middle Ages. Its nickname is the Island of Flowers for the variety of its flora with agaves, echium, hydrangea, mimosa, mulberry trees, eucalyptus, aloes, camellias and the emblematic agapanthus. All year round, it enjoys the influence of the Gulf Stream which gives it a particularly mild microclimate, even in winter. It’s also a paradise for birds, with 120 different species identified.

The mere mention of Saint-Malo’s name is enough to plunge us back into the richness of its past. The fortifications stand as testimony to the Malouins’ determination to defend their citadel, fought over by France and Britain in turn. When we drop anchor here, immerse yourself in the diversity of its heritage: the time when privateers sailed the oceans in search of trade and victories; the legendary yacht races the port city is still famous for, such as the Route du Rhum; and the final resting place of the French writer François-René de Chateaubriand, who was born here and chose to be buried here anonymously.