France

Visiting the Guérande peninsula

Guérande, the town where I have spent all my holidays since I was born. A town, and a whole region, that I am very attached to and that I still rediscover every time I go.

2 August 2020

Guérande, the town where I have spent all my holidays since I was born. A town, and a whole region, that I am very attached to and that I still rediscover every time I go.
The peninsula is reachable in 3 hours by TGV from Paris Montparnasse, thanks to the stations of La Baule les Pins, La Baule Escoublac (the best known), Batz-sur-mer or Le Croisic. Once there, it is still better to have a car to get around, more practical for discovering the region.

What to see on the Guérande peninsula

In this article, I give you the must-sees to discover on the peninsula, my favourite and lesser known places and also my favourite spots: everything you need for a successful stay around Guérande!

Illustrated map of the Guérande peninsula and its stops

The medieval town of Guérande

You cannot come to the region without visiting Guérande and its fortified town! Awarded the “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” label, the medieval walled town of Guérande is still very well preserved and protected. No need for a map to find your way, you just have to wander and get lost in the little streets to discover the hidden treasures of the town. The main gate, the one you see on all the postcards, is the porte Saint-Michel, extended by the very busy and touristy rue Saint-Michel that leads to the place Saint-Aubin and the collegiate church. The other main gates are the porte Vannetaise, the porte Saillé and the porte Bizienne as well as the poterne du Tricot, much less used. Do not miss the rue du Pilori either, with its half-timbered houses and its Notre-Dame la Blanche chapel.

Woman seen from behind walking up a cobbled lane towards the bell tower

Strings of colourful bunting stretched in front of the church spire

Granite building and rampart gate at the end of the street

Old stone well in front of a house with a tall gable

Water-filled moat at the foot of the granite wall

Round tower and crenellated curtain wall reflected in the moat

Empty shopping street decked with bunting between stone houses

Ramparts gilded by the evening light above the moat

Shaded avenue of trees running along the foot of the ramparts

Funfair carousel set up in front of the fortified gate of the town

Gothic chevet of the collegiate church under a bright blue sky

Red shopfront and bunting in a street leading to the bell tower

Cobbled lane running towards the vaulted gate of the ramparts

Facade and rose window of the collegiate church lit up in orange

Luminous stars projected onto the ground in front of the pink church

Half-timbered house and bunting on a square at dusk

Collegiate church bathed in red and purple in the evening

Vaulted passage under the fortified gate, lit in pink

Twin towers of the fortified gate lit up in red

Shopping street and lit shop windows under a pink light

The Guérande salt marshes

A typical landscape of the region, the Guérande salt marshes are a must during a visit to the peninsula. It is an essential stop to understand how the famous Guérande salt is harvested, to observe many birds and quite simply to travel along the Route des marais, by car or by bike. The marshes carry the “Site remarquable du goût” label and are protected for their great ecological value. They are therefore not accessible on foot, as the paths are private and belong to the salt workers who work there. However, the marsh visitor centre Terre de sel at Pradel offers guided tours of the marshes, on booking, to discover the salt worker’s trade, as well as the local wildlife and plants.

Basins of the salt marshes behind a curtain of tall grasses

Crystallising pans in rows and small heaps of freshly harvested salt

Wild grasses in the foreground of the shallow basins

Mounds of white salt between the clay banks

Salt worker drawing the salt with his las, blue van in the background

Chequerboard of clay basins filled with shimmering water

Fleecy clouds reflected in the water of the crystallising pans

Expanse of marsh and low vegetation under a vast sky

Red glasswort edging the basins of a salt marsh

Orange setting sun reflected in the salt pans

Sissable

Sissable is a hamlet reached by a small road that winds between the salt marshes and leads to a small car park, at the end of the dead end. It forms a kind of peninsula inside the marshes, separating the two traicts of Le Croisic, which you can make out in the distance. The place has stayed quiet and unspoilt, and the view over the port of Le Croisic and the Pen Bron headland is worth the detour.
How to get there: Sissable is on the road from Guérande to Batz-sur-mer, on the right coming from Guérande.

Kervalet

Kervalet is a salt workers’ village in the heart of the Guérande salt marshes, in the direction of Batz-sur-mer. This little village is typical of the region with its stone houses with slate roofs, its chapel and its calvary. It is a stop I recommend making if you are coming from Batz-sur-mer and want to take the Route des marais.
Special mention for the Crêperie Fleur de sel, one of my favourite spots and probably the best crêperie in the region!

Pen Bron

Pen Bron is one of my favourite spots on the peninsula. An unspoilt place, just the way we like them. Located between La Turballe and the Guérande salt marshes, facing Le Croisic, Pen Bron is a spit of sand lined with a pine forest. This protected site is reachable by bike and by car, parking at the car park at the entrance. It is the ideal place to admire the sunset! You can walk both along the Traict du Croisic or along the sea and the beach on the other side. A little gem in Loire-Atlantique!

Sandy path running towards the sea against the light

Woman in a floral dress walking on a dune path

Pine leaning over the coastal path facing the bay

Paved path running along a vast pale sandy beach

Stone slipway facing the harbour and the bell tower of the town

Couple embracing on the sand, seafront on the horizon

Low sun over the foreshore and dark silhouettes of the pines

Woman sitting on the rocks facing the setting sun

Coastal meadow crossed by a raking light

The Côte Sauvage

Le Croisic

Le Croisic is also a must-visit in the region (except on Sundays when there are far too many people!). The town faces the Pen Bron headland and the entrance to the Grand Traict, the sea gulf that feeds the Guérande salt marshes. You can devote a whole day to this town, which deserves some time to discover its fishing and marina ports, its old centre, the various viewpoints from the Esprit and Lenigo hills or the Trehic jetty. You then have to carry on walking along the Côte Sauvage, as far as the Pointe du Croisic, passing the Rocher de l’Ours and the Menhir de la Pierre Longue and on to Port Lin. You can come back towards the port through the Penn-Avel park.

Turquoise water and pontoons glimpsed through the foliage

Wooden footbridge crossing the inlet between two clumps of pines

Boats at anchor in front of the long jetty of the harbour

Twisted pines overhanging a pontoon and crystal clear water

Small white boats anchored near the exposed rocks

Flat rocks and a low stone wall at the edge of the ocean

Standing stone on the moor facing the ocean

Woman sitting on a stone bench facing the open sea

Granite blocks sculpted by the deep blue sea

Undergrowth of trees leaning over a shaded path

Pink flowers in the foreground of the marina

Pale facades lined up along the flower-decked quay

Piriac-sur-mer

Listed as a “Petite Cité de Caractère”, Piriac-sur-mer is a charming port where, once again, you should get lost in the maze of its little streets. The stone houses with slate roofs, typical of the region, are well kept and full of geraniums and hydrangeas: the Breton cliché! For a beautiful view over the town and the port, head to the jetty, after the Saint-Michel beach.

Granite house with red shutters and climbing plants

Stone fisherman's house with bright blue shutters

White lane leading towards a squat bell tower

Gable with red half-timbering above a blue sign

Hollyhocks growing at the foot of the houses in a lane

Deserted beach in front of the packed masts of the marina

Vivid pink hydrangeas against stone walls

Isolated white house above a rocky foreshore

Mesquer, Pointe du Merquel

Another walking idea: the Mesquer loop, starting from the Port de Kercabellec, going by the Pointe de Merquel and the salt marshes of the Mès basin. This place is more peaceful than the Côte Sauvage and lets you discover different landscapes, both maritime and inland. You can park at the Kercabellec car park, by the oyster farming port, or the one at Quimiac a bit further along and walk on the coastal path (sandy sections). If you feel like a swim once you reach the Pointe du Merquel, the Sorlock beach awaits you!

Mudflat at low tide dotted with beached boats

Sandy path lined with wooden posts leading to the sea

Small beach sheltered by a breakwater of rocks

Curved jetty closing the beach off from the sea

Seaweed-covered rocks in front of boats at anchor

Concrete sea wall leading towards a wooded point

Jetty reaching straight out to sea towards a beacon

Blue boats lined up along a boardwalk path

Brière regional nature park

La Brière is also, for me, a must in the region, letting you discover another face of the Guérande peninsula after the maritime landscapes of the Côte d’Amour and the salt marshes. The Brière regional nature park has been listed since 1970 and is the second largest nature park in France after the Camargue! Called the “Pays Noir” in opposition to the “Pays Blanc”, the land of Guérande salt, this park is a real paradise for watching birds and going for walks along the canals.

The village of Kerhinet

Kerhinet is a charming little village of thatched cottages, well restored and showcased, where you discover the traditional housing of Brière through a small interpretation trail. It is a stop to make for those who want to see Breton architecture and buy a few local specialities in the dedicated shop. The village is tiny but still deserves a short stroll in my opinion.

From Kerhinet, you can do several routes to discover all the villages around and admire the thatched cottages. The Circuit des Ker makes a loop passing not far from Bréca. The Circuit Entre chaumières et marais also lets you see both the local architecture and the surrounding nature in Brière.

Reed-thatched cottage behind a wooden gate

Mauve hydrangeas at the foot of a stone cottage

Cottage with green shutters under its thick thatched roof

Blue door of a cottage surrounded by climbing plants

Woman posing in front of a cottage and its purple hydrangeas

Thatched longhouse with blue shutters and rose bushes

Bed of mauve hydrangeas spilling out in front of a cottage

Old blue van parked in front of a flower-decked cottage

Bréca

The port of Bréca at Saint-Lyphard is the starting point for hikes and for rides in a horse-drawn carriage or a chaland (the local flat-bottomed boat). The path starts at the end of the route de Bréca, after the Auberge de Bréca and the carriages: once past the footbridge, you can turn right along the canal to reach the port of Tréhé. The path is well signposted thanks to the GR waymarking. The marshes are absolutely calm: you come across many bird species such as egrets or spoonbills, but also cows and wild horses.

Black boats turned upside down beside a canal in the Brière

Green meadow and boats moored at the entrance to the marsh

White birds settled on the still waters of the marsh

Dirt path running between two canals of the marsh

Wooden pontoon looking out over the reed beds of the marsh

Straight canal lined with tall grasses under a blue sky

Our favourite places to eat around Guérande

L’Agapé: a very good restaurant a stone’s throw from the Porte Saint Michel and the Guérande ramparts. The menu offers fresh and local produce, and changes every week. Starter main dessert 31€; starter main or main dessert 26€; lunch menus.
Tête de l’art: an excellent gourmet restaurant in the manor of the Porte Calon, a few minutes from the Guérande ramparts. Starter main dessert 32€; five-course menu 48€; lunch menus.
Le Lenigo: a gourmet restaurant overlooking the port of Le Croisic with modern decor; menus at 32€ or 45€.
Tante Germaine: a traditional crêperie in the old centre of Le Croisic, away from the bustle of the port.
Le Nezil: a gourmet inn in the heart of the Brière; starter main dessert 34€.
Fleur de sel: THE well known crêperie of the area where the galettes are well cooked and generous, in the little village of Kervalet in the heart of the marshes.
La Flambée: a traditional crêperie on the rue de Saillé inside the Guérande ramparts; simple and effective.
Georges Larnicol: the shop run by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, perfect for tasting mini kouign aman in different flavours.
Christophe Roussel: a high-end patisserie inside the walls and in La Baule, for tasting delicious macarons.
La route du cacao: good pastries to enjoy on the port of Le Croisic (ice creams and chocolates also available).

What we thought of the Guérande peninsula

With no great surprise and with a hint of Breton chauvinism, I would tell you that Guérande and its region are to be discovered at least once in your life! Its variety of landscapes, between salt marshes, Brière canals, rugged coastlines and long fine sand beaches, its local and modern food, its peace and quiet, the peninsula has everything to please, especially in the sunny months.
We advise you to come and spend a few days there to enjoy the Guérande micro-climate and the richness the region has to offer.

Walker on a dune path facing the setting sun

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Thank you for your comment! Marie & Romain

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