To travel to French Brittany is to be transported to the Middle Ages, whose stone and half-timbered buildings are impassive to the passing of time. The imposing fortresses, such as Fourgeres, and the castles that dot the entire region, remind us that there was a time when Brittany had to defend itself against numerous territorial wars. Today, the cry for independence lives on in some souvenir shops, where maps subtly claim what is theirs. This is the case of Nantes, today belonging to the Pays de la Loire region and which served as the former seat of the Duchy of Brittany.
Jules Verne’s city castle is a good starting point for this trip. From here, small coastal or inland towns with their well-preserved traditional architecture; romantic lighthouses like those that surround Ouessant Island; or also channels to travel in small river boats. The thick vegetation has inspired many tales and legends that are recreated every day in Broceliande, while the many megalithic compositions of Carnac have attracted the attention of historians and anthropologists from all over the world.
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It is classified as “The most beautiful corner of France”. Its rich heritage has earned it the title of City of Art and History in 1999. Its moment of maximum splendor was in the Renaissance, when its Notre Dame square became an important place for the fabric market. It was also in this city where the Dukes of Brittany established their residence.
Vitre is one of the best preserved cities in French Brittany. Medieval in style, in it we can enjoy its old walls, its cobbled and colorful streets, or its ostentatious Notre Dame church.
Josselin
Presided over by the Chateau de Josselin, this small medieval town on the banks of the Oust River is one of the most charming in French Brittany and one of the essential stops for those who take river cruises. The flamboyant Gothic style castle is owned by the Rohan family, one of the oldest lineages in Brittany. In the center of the town is the oldest house in Josselin, from 1538, still standing and restored, which in its day served as a model for the rest of the medieval buildings with half-timbered structures and slate roofs.
Dinan
Dinan was an important commercial enclave thanks to its port on the Rance river. Its heyday of greatest splendor was in the 14th and 18th centuries, when its streets were full of weavers, tanners, carpenters and other artisans. Today you can still find workshops and shops where everything is made by hand. Dinan played an important role in the history of Brittany, firstly because it was bought by the Breton hero Bertrand Du Guesclin to defend himself during the war. And later for the withdrawal of Queen Anne of Brittany to the castle that stands at the top of Dinan.
Combourg
It is one of the most beautiful towns in French Brittany due to its castle, the lake that lies at its feet, the network of its medieval streets and the vegetation that surrounds it. It is the cradle of Romanticism and the place of origin of the French writer and poet Chateaubriand. It is said that this author lived in one of the four towers of the castle, in the so-called Torre del Gato from where there are incredible views of the lake. This 11th century fortress was crucial in the defense of Brittany.
Ouessant
It is one of the islands of the archipelago with the same name that is located 30 kilometers from the tip of Saint-Mathieu. Along with Molene, it is one of two inhabited islands. Its main charm is that it is delimited by beautiful cliffs, as well as being surrounded by the lighthouses that its ancient inhabitants built to help navigators find the coast. You can also find typical rural houses of the time that are still inhabited today by peasants and ranchers.
Fourgeres
This city has the largest fortress in Europe. A vast stone complex built during the 12th and 15th centuries with thirteen towers that are currently surrounded by gardens. It was one of the key points in the fight for the borders of Brittany and the views of Fourgeres from its walls are impressive and its old town has managed to preserve its medieval essence despite being currently full of small shops and cafes.
Kerlouan
It is one of the most picturesque places in French Brittany for its dunes, the stone cliffs that surround the town and for its architecture, made of black stone and thatched roofs. The guard posts, huge houses built with stone blocks, and the Pol chapel, are some of the best known buildings in Kerlouan. As if that were not enough, the surroundings are full of beaches and cliffs where you can relax.
Carnac
Carnac concentrates the largest number of megalithic monuments in the world with more than 2,900 menhirs. They were built by Neolithic populations between 6,000 and 2,000 BC. Most of them are distributed between Le Menec, Kermario, Kerlescan and Petit Menec. The largest of them, 7 meters high, is the Giant of Manio, slightly set apart from the others.
Becherel
Literature lovers will find in Becherel the ideal place to get lost among first-hand and second-hand books. In this small medieval town, a famous old book fair is held on Easter weekend, as well as the fureur de lire (the furor of reading), reading days that are organized in October. Through its narrow streets you can find old bookstores, bookbinding houses, stationers, etc.
Broceliande
This impressive forest is full of tales and ancient legends. One of them is that Broceliande was the place where the wizard Merlin, the fairy Viviane and the knight of Lancelot lived. These stories can be learned through the different guided routes, whether it is through the Comper castle, occupied in the 9th century by King Solomon, through the Never Return Valley, with its famous fairy mirror pond, the fountain of Bareton or the fountain of Youth.
