Think of Claude Monet and you don’t immediately think of Brittany. But in mid September 1886, Monet traveled to the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer and was captivated. In one of his daily letters to Alice Hoschedé, his muse and partner since 1876, he wrote:

“It was a joy for me to see the sea in all its fury; it was like a drug, and I was so carried away that today I was devastated to see the weather calm down so quickly.”

Brittany and the Impressionists

The Impressionists had fallen in love with Brittany. Eugène Boudin, Georges Lacombe, Paul Sérusier, Maximilien Luce and others painted the country in the Crozon Peninsula and the pretty ports of Camaret and Morgat. Pont-Aven is forever associated with the later movement led by Paul Gauguin. But Belle-Île belongs to Monet.

Why Monet Chose Brittany

In 1886 Monet had collected an advance payment of 3,000 francs from his dealer and was looking for new inspiration. He had recently read Par les champs et par les grèves (Over Fields and Shores), a travel book written by Gustave Flaubert on his walking tour with his friend Maxime Du Camp through Brittany and particularly on the rugged beautiful landscape of Belle-Ile. It was finally published posthumously in 1885 and the descriptions of Brittany portrayed a landscape far removed from the gentler regions of France.
“We were in the middle of a vast moor, entirely purple with heather… All around us the horizon was bounded by great grey rocks, piled up like Druid monuments; it was silent, mournful, and superb.”

Belle-Île-en-Mer Island

Belle-Île-en-Mer to give it the official name is the largest island off the Brittany coast. It’s around 85 square kilometres and has its fair share of sandy beaches, charming villages like Le Palais and Sauzon and those dramatic cliffs and rocky shores so beloved by Monet.
Discover more about Belle-Île-en-Mer in Beautiful Islands of Brittany

Belle-Île and Monet

In September 1886 Monet set off for Belle-Île. He lodged at the small village of Kervilahouen, near a stretch of the coast known as La Mer Terrible. He had originally planned to spend a fortnight here before going on to the island of Noirmoutier in the Vendée which Renoir so loved. He stayed until the end of November.

As Monet wrote in one of his daily letters to Alice Hoschedé:

“It’s well-named. Not a tree for ten kilometers, some rocks and wonderful grottoes; it’s sinister, diabolical, but superb”

Monet was captivated by this rugged island with its dramatic landscape and black volcanic rock formations that plunged into the sea. His favourite subject was Aiguilles de Port-Coton which he painted again and again in different lights and tides, a practice which came to characterise his art.

Monet returned to Giverny with 39 works  He spent the winter completing the paintings of Brittany and in May 1887 exhibited ten canvases which were sold immediately with enthusiastic reviews. “The most significant landscape painter of modern times” enthused French novelist and art critic, Joris-Karl Huysmans.

Follow in Monet’s Footsteps

You can follow the paths that Monet took by bike or on foot with 104 kilometres of coastal paths and cycle routes to choose from.

The main cycling route covers approximately 30 kms (19 miles) beginning in Le Palais. It’s a delightful ride, taking you past landmarks like the Grand Phare lighthouse and the village of Bangor. As you cycle along the coast you understand why Monet was so inspired. Or try any of the other routes that run from just a few kilometres to longer rides, criss-crossing the island.

Walkers would do best to take the 11km (7miles) coastal trail which takes you to the places which Monet painted: the Aiguilles de Port-Coton and the Rochers du Lion.

Where to Stay in Belle-Ile

Hôtel La Désirade
This delightful hotel, made up of pink villas built around a swimming pool and set in its own park, is a perfect holiday retreat. It’s just a 20 minute walk to the beaches of Les Aiguilles, so beloved by Monet, though you might prefer to chill out here. The energetic or the curious can hire a bicycle from the hotel The restaurant has a reputation for fresh local fish.

Hôtel La Désirade
847 Le Petit Cosquet
Bangor
56360 Belle-ile-en-mer
Tel: +33 (0)2 97 31 70 70
Website
Double bedroom, from €125 to  €299 per night. Family rooms available

How to Get to Belle-Île-en-Mer

Get to Quiberon on mainland Brittany, then take a regular boat from Quiberon to Belle-Ile island.

From the UK to Quiberon

By Air: There are direct flights from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and other UK airports to Nantes, Rennes, and Lorient (seasonal). Drive to Quiberon: 2 hours from Nantes Atlantique Airport. 2 hours from Rennes Airport and 1 hour’s drive from Lorient (this small airport only has seasonal flights. 

By Ferry: Brittany Ferries operates to various ports. Portsmouth to St Malo then a 2.30hr drive to Quiberon; Plymouth to Roscoff and a 3-hour drive; Portsmouth to Caen and a 4-hour drive.

By Train (via Paris): Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord (2h 20m), then transfer to Gare Montparnasse for a TGV (high-speed train) to Auray (3 hours). From Auray, Quiberon is about 45 minutes by taxi or local bus.

From Quiberon to Belle-Ile-en-Mer

The ferry crossing from Quiberon to Le Palais on Belle-Île is operated by BreizhGo Océane. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes, with around 55 crossings per week currently operating on this route. Book in advance for the best fares.

Belle-Île-en-Mer Tourist Office
1 Bis Place de l’Hotel de Ville
56360 Le Palais
Brittany

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Normandy Travel Guide – What to see and Do in Normandy

Getting to Normandy

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Normandy and Impressionism go hand in hand. This was where the movement started, attracting the group of 19^th century painters who created this revolution. They rejected the academic approach of the past where artists worked in their studios whether they were painting landscapes or portraits. The new artists worked outdoors, capturing light and its changing facets, depicting ordinary people at their daily tasks, rural scenes and small towns and villages.

Le Havre – Where Impressionism in Normandy was born

Impressionism began when Claude Monet painted a view of Le Havre, which during the mid 19^th century was a chic seaside resort much beloved by smart Parisians who came here by train. Monet’s painting Impression, Soleil Levant was exhibited at the second Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Refused) in Paris in 1874. A critic took the word Impressionism as a condemnation of the new style, and the movement was born.

But Monet was just one of the group of painters whose work was to revolutionise the world’s perception of art. Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and Eugène Boudin and others were all as important in the development of the style.

Monet’s Impression, Soleil Levant is on display at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, (not as you might expect in the famous Musée d’Orsay).  In Normandy, take in the Musée Malraux in Le Havre which has an outstanding collection of works, particularly by Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Courbet and Corot.

Normandy and Impressionism along the Coast

Across the estuary of the Seine from Le Havre, you’ll come to the charming little port of Honfleur, birthplace of Eugène Boudin. Once a safe harbour used to ship goods from Rouen to England, today the slate-covered houses surround the harbour where yachts have replaced rather than goods vessels or fishing boats. Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, Sisley, Pissarro, Renoir, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind, the artists who formed the Honfleur school, painted the changing light and colours of the Seine, becoming known as the ‘Estuary Painters’.

They stayed at La Ferme Saint Siméon, a 17^th-century former coaching inn, where the redoubtable Mère Toutain provided her ‘family’ of artists and writers with lodging, meals, cider and calvados. It’s still a hotel, though today a rather posher Relais & Châteaux hotel and restaurant with formal gardens, spa and  helicopter landing pad. Those with artistic leanings can book Room no. 22 (Monet’s favourite), or no.19 which was Corot’s studio. Or just take lunch and enjoy the fabulous views overlooking the harbour.

For a taste of the past, visit the Musée Eugene-Boudin for pictures by Boudin and  his contemporaries, as well as furniture and clothes, photographs from 1880 to 1920 and tourist posters advertising Normandy from 1880 to 1950. It’s one of those museums I love; full of objects that bring the region alive.

Explore the Côte Fleurie

South of Honfleur you come to chic Trouville-sur-Mer, France’s oldest seaside resort where the writers Flaubert and Proust and the artists Monet and Boudin came to enjoy the resort and its casino and record its glories.

Cross the river Touques to its younger rival Deauville which today offers polo and racing, photo exhibitions and beach sports. In the 19^th century the town was quieter, but it’s recognisable today from the Impressionist images.

The often neglected seaside town of Cabourg is quite delightful and quite grand. A mid 19^th-century resort, it was another of the places beloved by Marcel Proust. The new Marcel Proust Museum which is one of the big events for this Spring, 2021, recreates the life of the Belle Epoque. Go back to the past of Monet and have a drink at the Grand Hotel that he painted in all its glory.

Deauville/Trouville is a delightful place to visit. Read Fiona Quinn’s article on the seaside resort.

The Alabaster Coast north of Honfleur

The coast road takes you along the white cliffs and rolling farmland to Etretat and that famous cliff formation, the Porte d’Aval. The best view is from the top of the Cap d’Amont, a tall cliff where the little Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde commands the sea view.

Drive north to Yport, less well known but with another beautiful seascape. On a clear, sunlit day when the light bounces off the sea, you might be inspired to imitate the Impressionists and set up a canvas; you’ll certainly whip out your mobile for an Instagram opportunity.

Most of today’s visitors only visit Fécamp for its Benedictine distillery but there’s plenty more to see plus traces of William the Conqueror. In the 19^th century it was still a charming resort and a centre for the cod fishing industry where Monet, Edouard Manet and his sister-in-law Berthe Morisot painted the harbour, beaches and streets.

Dieppe

The Impressionist paintings of Dieppe might be less well known, but there are wonderful images to discover in the Chateau Museum. There’s Boudin’s well dressed party on a windy beach; Gauguin’s intrepid sea bathers; Pissarro’s overcrowded port scene with its steam boats and grey skies; Monet’s colour washes of sunsets and sunrises, and shown here, Turner’s evocative Dieppe harbour. Monet preferred nearby and quieter Pourville and Varengeville sur Mer.

Take the path up to the castle, past the Memorial Park which remembers the Canadian raid on Dieppe. First thing to note is the fabulous view, then go into the Dieppe Castle Museum.

Rouen

One of the great Impressionist cities, the capital of Normandy and the Seine Valley provided some of the greatest sites. Monet painted Rouen Cathedral no less than 30 times between 1892 and 1894 when he rented a temporary studio opposite the 12^th century building.

Follow the Impressionists along the towpaths of the Seine, over the Boieldieu bridge and along the Rue de l’Epicerie frequented by Gauguin, Pissarro and Alfred Sisley, and Turner.

But do try to visit the Museum of Fine Arts which has the second largest Impressionist collection in France after the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

Giverny and Monet

Monet’s house and garden at Giverny, near Vernon, are the most popular Impressionist destination in France so plan your visit carefully. It’s a stunning place with house and garden, the churchyard where he is buried, the Musée des Impressionnismes, and the Ancien Hôtel Baudy where the painters ate.

Impressionist Festival

The next Impressionist Festival takes place in 2026. with over 450 events throughout the region.

Guide to the Impressionist Painters

More about Normandy

Best ways to travel to Normandy’s ports and major cities
Normandy Travel Guide – What to see and do
Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches Guide – from Utah to Sword
For a completely different slice of history, stay near the D-Day Landing Beaches

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