Belle-Île
The largest of Brittany's islands, 14 kilometres off the Quiberon peninsula. Monet painted the rocks of its wild western coast, and its harbour town of Le Palais sits below a star-shaped citadel.
- Where
- Le Palais, Brittany, France
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 47.3331, -3.1870
Get the Belle-Île stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Belle-Île. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Brittany volume with your photos and a note.
Near Belle-Île
Carnac Stones 30 km
More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones near the south coast of Brittany, the largest such collection in the world. Hewn from local granite by the pre-Celtic people of the region, they run in long rows across the fields, among dolmens and burial mounds.
Les Machines de l'Île 123 km
An art project in the old shipyard buildings of the Île de Nantes, where giant mechanical creatures are built and set in motion. Its Great Elephant, twelve metres tall, walks the grounds with passengers riding on its back.
Château des Ducs de Bretagne 124 km
A great castle on the right bank of the Loire in Nantes, home to the Dukes of Brittany from the 13th to the 16th century. Its pale stone ramparts and moat enclose a courtyard and the city's history museum.
Pointe du Raz 140 km
A rocky promontory at the far western end of Brittany, reaching out into the Atlantic. From its cliffs the sea runs fast and rough through the strait towards the Île de Sein, with a lighthouse out on the reefs.
Pink Granite Coast 180 km
More than thirty kilometres of the north Brittany coast where the rocks are a warm pink granite, worn by sea and wind into strange shapes. The coastal path around Ploumanac'h and Trégastel winds between great boulders and small sandy coves.
Île de Ré 185 km
A flat island off La Rochelle, 30 kilometres long and five wide, joined to the mainland by a 2.9 kilometre bridge opened in 1988. Cycle paths run between salt marshes, oyster beds and whitewashed villages with green shutters.
Mont-Saint-Michel 191 km
A rocky tidal island off the coast of Normandy, crowned by a Benedictine abbey. At high tide the sea surrounds it, at low tide the bay empties into sand flats, and a single narrow street climbs between old houses to the abbey church.
Château d'Angers 198 km
A castle above the river Maine, founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou and enlarged in the 13th, with seventeen striped towers of dark schist and pale stone. Inside hangs the Apocalypse, a vast medieval wall hanging woven in the 14th century.
More hidden gems in Brittany
Questions
Where is Belle-Île?
Belle-Île is in Le Palais, Brittany, France. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Carnac Stones (30 km), Les Machines de l'Île (123 km), Château des Ducs de Bretagne (124 km).
How do I get the Belle-Île stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Belle-Île and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Brittany volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Belle-Île before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Brittany volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.