Holiday in Côtes d'Armor

About Côtes d'Armor

The Côtes d'Armor are the jewel of northern Brittany – a department on the Breton north coast, known primarily for the legendary Côte de Granit Rose, one of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in Europe. Here, erosion over millions of years has shaped gigantic granite blocks into surreal forms, giving them a warm, pink hue due to the iron content in the rock, which glows almost unrealistically at sunset. For German holidaymakers seeking the wild, authentic France away from the Mediterranean beaches, the Côtes d'Armor are a revelation. The Sentier des Douaniers, the old customs path, winds between Perros-Guirec and Ploumanach along the pink granite cliffs and offers such a concentrated dose of natural beauty over just three kilometers that one cannot help but be amazed. Each rock block seems to be its own sculpture – some resemble animals, others fantastic figures. The lighthouse of Ploumanach, wedged between the pink rocks and the turquoise sea, is one of the most photographed motifs in all of Brittany. Away from the coast, the hinterland impresses with medieval towns like Dinan, which, with its completely preserved city wall, half-timbered houses, and picturesque harbor on the Rance River, looks like a picture book of medieval France. The Île de Bréhat, a car-free island archipelago off the coast, surprises with an almost Mediterranean vegetation of agaves, hydrangeas, and palm trees, even though one is on the north coast of Brittany. For families from Germany, the Côtes d'Armor are ideal: the journey by car is possible in a long travel day, holiday homes are numerous and significantly cheaper than on the Côte d'Azur. The tides create huge sandy areas for shell collecting and mudflat hiking at low tide, and the Breton cuisine with crêpes, cider, and seafood delights the whole family.