Barbret Lake

Art aficionado? Linger at Le Château des Pères’ park stuffed with sculptural monuments (10 minutes’ drive) or roam around Rennes’ Musée des Beaux-Arts to see works by Botticelli, Rubens and Picasso. This city also has a stunning cathedral to admire and the planetarium in the Espace des Sciences is bound to amuse amateur astronauts. For a bit of outdoor time, stop and smell the roses at Parc du Thabor in the centre of Rennes or take the kids along to family-friendly Enigmaparc for the themed areas full of riddles, mazes and puzzles, from ancient Egyptian to the medieval period. Speaking of the Middle Ages, revert back to the current era with a trip to fairytale-like Château de Vitré (half an hour), built in the year 1000, and gaze at the views over the Vilaine river. Prime panoramas are also to be had at the walled city of Saint-Malo, which has a port, beaches, cathedral and an aquarium to explore too (an hour and a half). While you’re down by the seaside, dawdle over to Dinard (an hour and 20 minutes) for the Belle Époque villas and surrounding Côte d'Émeraude’s sandy stretches of coast, or mosey to Mont-Saint-Michel (an hour and a half) and see the stately home on this isle that’s only accessible by foot at low tide.