This Wildly Underrated French Island Has Darling Coastal Villages, Pristine Beaches, And Fresh Seafood

When you picture traveling to France, islands probably don't come to mind. But there are several scenic islands located off of France's western coast, including the rocky island of Mont St. Michele and Île de Ré, known for seafood and surfing. One of the most picturesque islands is the appropriately named Belle-Île-en-Mer, which translates to "beautiful island on the sea." It's often simply called Belle-Île.

Located in the region of Brittany in northwest France, Belle-Île is known for its picturesque beaches and stunning landscapes. It's the largest of the Breton islands, a group of over 800 small islands in Brittany. The charming coastal villages of Le Palais, Sauzon, Bangor, and Locmaria feature colorful buildings, seaside eateries, quaint shops, and fishing boats, used to catch the delicious local seafood. While many travelers like to see Belle-Île on a day trip from Quiberon, others prefer to spend a few days or a week on the island — or even longer. Belle-Île is home to many guest houses rented by the night, as well as short-term house or apartment rentals typically rented by the week. There are 13 hotels on the island, including the luxurious Castel Clara in Bangor, the family-friendly La Désirade in Bangor, the panoramic Hôtel le Cardinal with ocean views in Sauzon, and the Grand Hotel De Bretagne, the oldest hotel on the island, in Le Palais.

Whether you prefer a leisurely time outdoors or intense athletic feats, Belle-Île has plenty to offer when it comes to hiking, cycling, swimming, boating, and even surfing. The island is full of picturesque ports, rocky landscapes, cliffs, grottos, and beaches, with plentiful walking, hiking, and cycling trails. Among the region's many beaches, the standout is Les Grands Sables or the Great Sands, a white sand beach in a sheltered bay that's a popular area for swimming, sunbathing, kayaking, and sailing. Les Aiguilles de Port Coton, or the Coton Port Needles (pictured above), are a set of jagged rocks painted by Claude Monet that are now a popular tourist site with stunning sunset views. The name comes from the needle-like shapes of the rocks and the cotton-like foam that the waves churn up in windy weather. Nearby is the Grand Phare, a 52-meter-tall lighthouse built in 1856 that's one of Belle-Île's most recognizable landmarks. Tourists can climb all 247 steps to the top! Hikers can take a circular route from les Aiguilles de Port Coton to Grand Phare. The famous long-distance hiking trail GR®340 circles Belle-Île-en-Mer and typically takes four days to hike.

There's also an important artistic history to the island. Belle-Île's natural landscape was painted by several Impressionist painters, including Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, and John Peter Russell, and the famous late-19th- and early-20th-century French actress Sarah Bernhardt spent her summers in Belle-Île. She lived in a small fort named La Pointe des Poulains and in later years built or acquired several more buildings to house her entourage. Her legacy is now celebrated at a museum called L'Espace Muséographique Sarah Bernhardt.

Belle-Île is known for its fresh seafood, particularly barnacles, a crustacean related to crabs, shrimp, and lobster. The area is known for its diverse fishing, with sea bass, pollack, conger eel, gilthead bream, oldsquaw, mackerel, mullet, flatfish, and oysters in the nearby waters. Local seafood and selfish can be found at fish markets throughout the island, so you can take a fresh catch home to cook. Another Belle-Île delicacy is black bee honey, with a unique taste that comes from the island's wild plants. A local species of sheep called Race Ovine Belle-Île or Race de Deux means that lamb meat and sheep's milk cheese are common as well. Popular restaurants include Le Suet, with a seasonal, seafood-filled menu; the creperie La Mère Michèle; and Le Grain De Sel, with seaside views. Foodies can also stop by a local dairy called la Fromagerie Pilou, visit the Kailis distillery to sample locally-brewed whisky, take a beekeeping tour at Rucher de l'Abeille Noire, or indulge in local desserts at artisanal cookie factory la Bien Nommée.  

To reach Belle-Île, you'll first need to get to Quiberon, the seaside port from where the ferry to Belle-Île departs. If you're traveling from outside of France, the nearest international airports are Nantes Atlantique Airport or Rennes Bretagne Airport, both about a 2-hour drive, while Paris is about a 6-hour drive from Quiberon. Whether you're traveling from Nantes, Paris, or even London, you can reach Quiberon via bus, train, or car. From there, you can take the ferry to Belle-Île — with or without a car. Belle-Île is particularly popular in the summer, but open to visitors year round. From food to nature to cultural history, Belle-Île is truly an underrated gem when it comes to traveling in France. Exploring the region of Brittany? Don't miss the "impeccably preserved" medieval city that Rick Steves calls a must-see.