Categories: Active Vacations in France, France How To, Normandy & Brittany
Jennifer Gruenke lives in Paris, but every summer she packs a tent and hikes a section of the GR34 in Brittany. This year she walked the north coast from Saint-Brieuc to Saint-Malo, camping every night and using the regional buses when she needed a break. If you've ever wondered whether you could hike and camp in France without planning every step, this episode is for you.
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What Is the GR34?
The GR34 is the long-distance trail that follows the coast of Brittany. It's part of the Grande Randonnée network, more than 200,000 kilometers of trails marked with red and white blazes all over France. Hiking the whole thing takes two to three months. Jennifer does it in sections of five to seven days, which she says is "about the right amount of wilderness" for her. Her first section was in the Finistère. This one was on the north coast, facing the English Channel, la Manche.
She went in late June 2026, between two heat waves, and watched the forecast closely. Parts of Brittany stayed cool, with highs around 65°F (18°C), which is perfect for hiking.
Camping in France: How the Star System Works
French campgrounds are rated from one to five stars, like hotels. The higher the rating, the more it looks like a family resort: pools, water slides, playgrounds, sometimes a kids' club. Jennifer stayed at campgrounds rated one to four stars and found the lower-rated ones better for hikers. They had shared fridges and places to sit and charge your phone.
Things she liked everywhere:
- Hot showers, gated entrances with a code, and a relaxed atmosphere. She felt safe as a woman hiking alone.
- Order a croissant or pain au chocolat when you check in, pick it up in the morning. About one euro.
- Many campgrounds in isolated spots have a small grocery store at reception.
She paid between 8 and 20 euros a night for her tent and never booked ahead. Most towns had more than one campground, so if one was full she went to the other. Hotels and Airbnbs were a different story. When she checked along the way, there was almost nothing available. If you want a roof over your head on the GR34 in Brittany in summer, book well in advance. A two-bedroom cabin at a campground runs around 600 to 700 euros a week in high season, and roughly half that once school starts.
The GR34 from Saint-Brieuc to Saint-Malo, Stage by Stage
Saint-Brieuc to Hillion. Her direct train from Paris was canceled because of the heat, so she went through Rennes. The next day she walked to Plage Bon Abri and watched amphibious boats come in from the bay with their harvest of mussels. She stayed at Camping Village Nature d'O, a one-star site with a view of the bay, and ate moules-frites at La Cabane de Mytilus, a restaurant tucked behind the mussel operation.
Hillion to Pléneuf-Val-André. Six and a half hours of steep ups and downs with nowhere to stop. It was difficult, and she was glad she did it. If you'd rather skip it, walk about an hour and a half on flat ground to the bus stop at Morieux and take the 202. Camping du Minihy, run by a local family, was her favorite of the trip. Dinner was mussels again at Le Best Of, overlooking the pier.
Erquy. A short, easy walk along the beach. Camping du Val has an indoor heated pool, which is common in this area because the water is usually too cold for outdoor pools.
Îlot Saint-Michel. The highlight of the trip. It's a small tidal island with a chapel to Saint Michael on top, red rocks covered in yellow lichen, and blue mussels. You can walk out at low tide, and the chapel opens on a schedule posted at the site. Bring a hiking pole because the rocks are rough. Afterward, have a galette and a Breizh Cola at Le Petit Saint-Michel.
Pléhérel-Plage. The wildest stretch, with no town and no cell service. Her phone kept welcoming her to the UK, picking up a signal from the Channel Islands. There's a municipal campground right on the beach and a beach-hut café, the Café de la Plage.
Saint-Cast-le-Guildo and Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer. She took the bus partway to see the ruins of the Château du Guildo, then went on to Saint-Jacut, where people head out at low tide to dig in the sand. Check the tide times before you walk out. With another heat wave coming, she took the bus to Saint-Malo, spent half a day walking around the old town, and caught the train back to Paris.
Getting Around Brittany by Bus
Brittany's regional transit network is called BreizhGo. A ride costs 3 euros, and you can pay in cash or through the BreizhGo app, which now works on American phones. A few tips from Jennifer:
- Bus stops aren't on Google Maps. On the BreizhGo website, click Horaires, zoom in on the map, and allow location access to walk to your stop.
- Download the schedule before you go, and make sure it's the summer one. Brittany adds buses in summer for tourists.
- Some routes carry bikes on a rack at the back.
The same approach works in most of France: find the name of the regional or departmental bus network and start there.
Also in This Episode
In the magazine segment, I cover the numbers from the 2026 Seine swimming season, Balance Ton Ascenseur, a website built by a 19-year-old that tracks broken elevators across the Paris region, and a stroll along the Rue du Louvre.
Jennifer's guest notes list every campground and restaurant with the correct spellings, so check them if you're planning your own GR34 Brittany trip.
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Discussed in this Episode
- Saint-Brieuc
- Bay of Saint-Brieuc
- Hillion
- Plage Bon Abri
- Camping Village Nature d'O
- La Cabane de Mytilus
- Pléneuf-Val-André
- Camping du Minihy
- Le Best Of
- Erquy
- Camping du Val
- Îlot Saint-Michel
- Chapelle Saint-Michel
- Le Petit Saint-Michel
- Pléhérel-Plage
- Café de la Plage
- Saint-Cast-le-Guildo
- Château du Guildo
- Camping Les Miel
- Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer
- Saint-Malo
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Transcript Guest NotesCategories: Active Vacations in France, France How To, Normandy & Brittany