Port
Le Palais, Belle-Ile-en-Mer, France
Activity Level
Moderate Activity
Excursion Type
All
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Starting At (prices in USD)
$139
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
Duration
Approximately 2½ Hours
Meals Included
Meals not included
Belle Ile is the largest of all the Breton islands, with a coastline comprised of cliffs, creeks, and beaches sloping gently down to the open sea. Le Palais, the small island's capital, is dominated by a star-shaped citadel.
You will leave the town and head to Port Coton. Watch for the Grand Phare as you travel -- the island's tallest lighthouse. You also spot the Port Coton needles. These are pyramids of rock, worn and shaped by the ocean. On stormy days, foam flies off them like balls of cotton -- hence the name.
Continue to Pointe des Poulains -- the northern cape of the island. Actress Sarah Bernhardt and artist Claude Monet both spent some time here. Sarah loved the inland village of Kervilahouen, and the great Impressionist painted the same stretch of wild coastline 36 times, in several different weather conditions.
Eventually, you will reach Sauzon -- a picturesque harbor at the entrance to a broad estuary. The town is well known for its colorful façades. You will stop here to explore on foot before you drive back to Le Palais and walk back to the pier.
Please note: Coaches are not allowed in Le Palais or Sauzon. You will walk for 10 minutes from the tender pier to the coach parking location in Le Palais, and from the coach parking area to central Sauzon.