3 Best Sights in Brittany, France

One glance at these leafy, light-dappled woods, a bit north of Pont-Aven's town center, will make you realize why artists continue to come here. Past some meadows, just outside the Bois d'Amour, you can find Gauguin's inspiration for his famous painting The Yellow Christ—a wooden crucifix in the secluded Chapelle de Trémalo: it's privately owned but usually open from 10 to 5 (until 6 in summer).

Now housing a restaurant, this pretty mill was built in the early 1600s. It’s a delightful place to dine and enjoy live music on a terrace directly beside the flowing waters of the Aven River, in view of the footbridge.

The town’s art museum captures some of the history of the Pont-Aven School, whose adherents painted Breton landscapes in a bold yet dreamy style called Synthétisme. In addition to works by “member” artists—Paul Gauguin, Paul Sérusier, Maurice Denis, and Émile Bernard among them—the Musée de Beaux-Arts has a photography exhibit documenting the Pont-Aven School.