Travelling To Brest

Brest is located at the westernmost edge of France, making it a bit more difficult to get to than other French destinations. The easiest and most convenient option is to fly into the local airport; however, the town is also accessible by TGV train, bus, boat and car.

Once in Brest, the only public transportation option is the bus. Since most of the nearby attractions lie outside the city, it is best to rent a car so that you can really experience this part of Brittany.

By car

Any traveller driving to Brest will have to come from somewhere to the east, which makes it a fairly straightforward journey to get to Brittany. If you are departing from the Paris region, take the A10 until you reach the A11 westwards. The A11 is a toll motorway until Vitre, where it turns into the N12. From the south, take the N165 from Nantes, which leads directly to Brest.

There are no toll motorways inside Brittany due to an ancient contract between France and Brittany which stipulated that the roads within Brittany should always remain free.

Driving in Brest is easy and stress-free. There are many things to see outside the city limits, so it makes sense to have to car when you visit this town.

By rail

Brests train station is located in the centre of the city, just 10 minutes from the boat landing to Ouessant and Molene islands. The high-speed TGV train runs from Paris about 10 times each day and the trip takes approximately 4 hours 20 minutes. There is also one daily train from Lyon, seven daily trains from Quimper and two direct trains from Quimper to Bordeaux (tel: +33 08 91 67 68 69).

By bus

Getting to Brest by bus is easy, as there are many buses arriving each day from major cities around France. Since the city lies so far from the rest of the country, it is a long trip, which is why most people either fly or take the TGV train.

Once in Brest, the local bus service is the only available public transportation. The bus service is run by a company called BIBUS, which handles a comprehensive route network which will get you anywhere you need to go within the city. Each bus ticket is good for one hour and allows you to use as many buses as you want within that time.

By air

Brest Bretagne Airport is located just a few kilometres outside the city limits and offers the fastest and easiest way to get to Brest. There are several daily flights from both Roissey and Charles de Gaulle airports in Paris, which have a flight time of 50 minutes. There are also a few direct flights from London, but they are expensive. The airport information desk can be contacted by calling: +33 02 98 32 01 00.

The small terminal has a decent array of facilities to serve the needs of any traveller. There is a bank, currency exchange outlet and ATM machines as well as a full service restaurant and a snack bar. Internet access and a conference room are available for business travellers. There is a nicely stocked gift store, which also sells reading materials, and a duty-free shop in the Departures area. Short-term and long-term parking is available at the car park and there is a special drop off area just in front of the terminal for quick visits.

There is one shuttle bus service which runs between the airport and the train station in the city centre. It stops at Saint Luc and Place de la Liberte next to the Tourist Office. Taxi service is also available, but it is expensive and the drivers rarely speak English.

By ferry

The nearest ferry port to Brest is at Roscoff, 65kms away. Several ferries cross from Plymouth each day and take about 6 hours to reach France. There is no rail link between Roscoff and Brest, so this travel option is only useful if you are driving a car.

Taxis

Taxis in Brest can be hailed from the street, found at the taxi stands which are marked by the letter T or ordered by phone. There are supplementary fees during the night (an additional 25 per cent between 19:00 and 07:00), for each piece of luggage weighing over five kilogrammes and for trips to and from the airport and train station.