Travel Information

Accompanying persons are welcome to ITST 2005. If they wish to participate, please do not forget to indicate this on the registration form.

They will find a lot of information on the website: www.brittanytourism.com
We can suggest the accompanying persons the following trips :

Ouessant Island (a 2 hours boat trip from Brest, 15 mins. by plane) www.pennarbed.fr

This wild but beautiful island epitomizes the ruggedness of the Brittany coast. An old local saying "He who sees Ouessant sees his blood" dramatically expresses its untamed nature and the fear inspired by the area's powerful currents and treacherous rocks. About 8km long, the crab-claw-shaped island serves as a beacon for over 50,000 ships entering the Channel each year.
While the inhabitants are no longer isolated from the rest of the world, centuries of tradition prevail: houses are painted blue and white for the Virgin Mary, or green and white to symbolize hope, with interiors furnished from driftwood; small black sheep roam freely over the land. Ouessant also has the world's most powerful lighthouse, good museums on local history and stunning walks and scenery.

Mont Saint Michel (260 km, 2h45 by car) www.normandy-tourism.org

The famous Mont Saint Michel can be visited as a day trip. The Mont Saint Michel and its bay are one of the wonders of the world and are listed by UNESCO on its list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites.
Located at the gateway to Brittany, the abbey of the Mont Saint Michel is surrounded by the most powerful tides in Europe and during the tides of equinoxes in March and September the locals say that when the tide comes in, "the sea comes in as fast as a galloping horse". During very high tides, the rising sea covers a distance of 25 kilometers.

Quimper (72 km, 50mn by car) www.quimper-tourisme.com

Quimper is the main city of Cornouaille (the Breton Cornwall). It is a town famous for its art, its medieval houses and its pottery which has been hand-painted at the Henriot factory since 1690.

Concarneau (94 km, 1h by car) tourismeconcarneau.fr

Concarneau is a picturesque fortified "ville close" (XIVth century ramparts, rebuilt from 1541 to 1577 and modified during the XVIIth century by Vauban). It is situated on a small 500 m long island.

Pont-Aven (100km, 1h10 by car) www.pontaven.com

In the XIXth century, Pont-Aven was a small commercial town known for its mills and its port. It has always inspired artists and, in the 1860's, American painters settled in Pont-Aven. Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard met them here and it was this meeting that gave birth to an artistic revolution that made Pont-Aven known around the world.

Roscoff and the island of Batz (Roscoff 65km, 0h50 by car, 15 mn boat trip to Batz)
www.roscoff-tourisme.com

Roscoff is located at the heart of the vegetable zone of North-Finistère. It is a small seaside resort and its harbour was an ancient haven for pirates. A 15 minute boat ride will take the accompanying persons to the charming Ile de Batz, with its exotic gardens and impressive lighthouse.

Morlaix (59 km, 45 mn by car)

Morlaix is instantly recognisable by its impressive 19th century granite viaduct that spans the valley where the town lies. With its harbour inside the town, Morlaix prospered from piracy or privateering and was more notorious than St Malo. Morlaix still has its narrow streets and medieval houses.

Closer to Brest...

Closer to Brest, the accompanying persons will perhaps have the opportunity to discover Landerneau and its inhabited bridge, St Thégonnec and its church enclosure dating from the Renaissance. They will be able to also appreciate the wild character of the "Coast of Legends" and the tranquility of the abers (coastal inlets).

In Brest...

In Brest, they can visit the castle and its naval museum, the naval dockyard, the naval harbour, the cours d'Ajot (panorama), the commercial harbour and the marina. Next to the marina they will find Océanopolis. In three pavilions (temperate, tropical, polar), they will discover a spectacular presentation of o life. (www.oceanopolis.com)