Visit Belle-Ile-en-Mer: when to go and what to see

Le Palais, the main gateway, is dominated by the Vauban citadel and its island-history museum; it is the only town with supermarkets, a bank and services. Six kilometres away, Sauzon lines up its coloured houses along a narrow harbour that empties at low tide, the start of walks toward the Pointe du Cardinal and Pointe des Poulains. Bangor and Locmaria, further inland, complete the four communes of the island.

The west side, open to the ocean, strings together the Port-Coton needles painted by Monet, the collapsed Apothicairerie cave and the Pointe des Poulains, where Sarah Bernhardt had her house, now a museum. The 52-metre Grand Phare of Goulphar is open in summer: 256 steps for a view over the whole island. Bring a windbreaker, the area is rarely sheltered.

The beaches vary: Grands Sables and Bordardoue, wide and supervised in summer, Donnant, spectacular but dangerous because of the rollers, Herlin and Port-Kerel, sheltered in the south. The GR340 loops the whole island in five stages, about 90 kilometres. From Le Palais, seasonal boats reach Houat and Hoedic, two car-free islands visited in a day. From mainland Brittany, Quiberon is the only year-round pier.