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Brittany, France has a wonderful selection of
towns to visit. Quimper and Dinan delight
visitors with their medieval quarters, Josselin
with its castle and St Malo with its
spectacular coastal setting. Our guide to the
top ten towns in Brittany comes complete with
links to Holiday France Direct and ideas for
holidays in Brittany. What more could be finer
than a holiday in a medieval town house in
Dinan or a holiday home in Josselin?
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Brittany holiday accommodation near St
Malo »
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St Malo was built as a fortified island
in the middle ages at the mouth of the
Rance Estuary to control the open sea. It
is built with the same grey granite stone
as
Mont St Michel. In later
centuries, St Malo became notorious as
the home of a fierce pirate-mariners, and
as the birthplace of Robert Surcouf (born
in December 1773) a famous French
privateer. During his legendary career,
he captured 47 ships and was renowned for
his gallantry and chivalry earning him
the nick-name of ‘Roi des
Corsaires’ (King of the
Privateers).
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St Malo was severely damaged during WW2
and the town that you see today has been
beautifully rebuilt. It is one of the
most visited places in Brittany. Passing
through the ancient walls to the inside,
it is easy to see why. You are greeted
with a busy, lively town full of
character and atmosphere, packed with
restaurants, bars and shops. The walk
along St Malo’s ramparts around the
town is delightful and the clean, sandy
beaches are a real plus if you are
visiting with children. Visits include
the cathedral of St Vincent and the
aquarium. St Malo is easily accessible
from the UK via Brittany Ferries’
service from Portsmouth.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Vannes »
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Vannes, 20km east of Auray, is one of
Southern Brittany’s key tourist
towns. Modern Vannes is a thriving
community but it’s the old walled
town of Vieux Vannes that is of
particular interest to visitors. Its
focal point is Porte St-Vincent, which
houses a busy little square at the
northern end of the long canalized port.
Once inside Vannes’s ramparts, the
old town is mostly pedestrianised and
charms visitors with its quaint streets
around the cathedral
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Outside the medieval quarter, the place
de la Republique has the grandest of the
public buildings including the Hotel de
Ville, guarded by a pair of fine bronze
lions.
Things to see and do in Vannes include
the Musee Archeologique, said to have one
of the world’s finest collections
of pre-historic artefacts, and
Vannes’ modern aquarium in the Parc
du Golfe claims to have the best
collection of tropical fish in Europe
including a Nile crocodile found in the
Paris sewers in 1984 that shares its tank
with a group of piranhas.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Rennes »
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Rennes is a picturesque city that sits on
a hill between the rivers Ille and
Vilaine and is well known as a centre of
art and history. Capital of Brittany,
Rennes is home to the impressive
Parliament of Brittany building and the
Basilica Saint-Sauveur, and is also
famous for its picturesque half-timbered
houses.
Head south from the Palais de Justice to
the River Vilaine, which flows through
the centre of Rennes, and head over to
the south
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bank for a lively atmosphere. Head south
away from the river to rue Vasselot to
see the half timbered houses, while the
giant Colombier Centre is a prime example
of modern Rennes. It is a shopping centre
packed with shops of all kinds, plus
cafes and snack bars, and features an
amazing crystal model of itself in its
main entrance hall.
Rennes is the perfect city to visit if
looking for art, history and medieval
quarters to discover or to simply shop
and relax.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Saint-Brieuc »
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Saint-Brieuc is especially attractive
because of its setting between the steep
sided valleys of the River Gouedic to the
east and the River. Gouet to the west.
The best place from which to admire the
view is the Notre-Dame mound to the north
west. From here, you can visit the
Outdoor Theatre and the Grandes
Promenades Gardens by the Law Courts.
St-Brieuc was one of the Welsh
missionaries who came to Armorica
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in the 6th century. He is said to have
landed with 84 companions in what is now
known as Legue, and he built his
monastery on the triangular plateau
overlooking the bay.
The main shopping street in Saint-Brieuc
is the rue Saint-Guillaume named after
the 13th century bishop of the town. Not
far from this is St Stephen’s
Cathedral, an impressive building,
reminiscent of a fortress, and was once
used as a stronghold. The 2 towers date
from the 14th century and have
slit-windows and a parapet walk. St
Brieuc’s streets around the
cathedral contain several houses with
beautiful overhanging upper levels.
From the town centre, you can go down to
the pretty Legue Harbour and, from there,
take a stroll in the picturesque Gouet
Valley.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Quimper »
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Quimper is the oldest Breton city,
founded by St Corentin after crossing the
Channel with his Bretons sometime between
the 4th and 7th centuries. Legend states
that St Corentin lived by eating a
regenerating and immortal fish all his
life.
Quimper, pronounced ‘Kemper’
is situated on the junction of the
Rivers Steir and Odet, around which
are the cobbled streets of the medieval
quarter dominated by Quimper’s
impressive St Corentin cathedral.
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There are numerous low flat bridges
crossing the Odet (strictly speaking, a
sea inlet rather than a river), covered
with geraniums in the summer. The wooded
slopes of Mont Frugy, overlooking Quimper
also offer an inviting walk. There is no
great pressure in Quimper to rush around
monuments or museums, and one enjoyable
option is to take a boat trip down the
Odet to the open sea at Benodet.
If you’re looking for traditional
shopping, Quimper is famous for its
production of ceramics, a 300-year
tradition and Quimper has a fine
selection of shops selling a whole range
of ceramics, gifts and cakes plus all
things Breton.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Morlaix »
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Morlaix is an old Breton port, built on
the slopes of a steep valley with pretty
stone houses. An 11th century castle and
a circuit of walls once protected
Morlaix. Little is left of either, but
the old centre remains with medieval
cobbled streets and half-timbered houses.
A striking pink-granite viaduct carries
trains from Paris to Brest way above the
town centre. If coming into Morlaix by
road from the north, the first view of
the town is of tall yacht masts and the
viaduct.
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A local speciality can be sampled at the
Brasserie des Deux Rivieres where they
make Coreff, a highly fermented bitter.
Morlaix was once notorious for its
piracy, even more so than St Malo. It
remains a delightful town to walk around
- sights include the rue du Mur and La
Maison de la Duchesse Anne with its
intricate carvings and lantern roof.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Brest »
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Set in a magnificent natural harbour,
known as the Rade de Brest, the city of
Brest is doubly sheltered from the ocean
by the bulk of Léon to the north
and by the
Crozon Peninsula to the south.
Brest has always played an important
maritime role and is the base of the
French Atlantic Fleet.
Brest was continually bombed during World
War II to prevent the Germans from using
it as a submarine base. When the town was
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liberated by the Americans on September
18th 1944, they found Brest devastated
beyond recognition.
Brest’s 15th century castle is an
impressive sight and offers a superb
panorama of the city. Three of its ornate
towers house part of the collection of
the Musée National de la Marine.
The 14th century Tour Tanguy on the
opposite bank of the River Penfeld serves
as the Musee de Vieux. Here dioramas
convey a vivid impression of how Brest
used to be.
Brest’s most modern attraction is
Oceanopolis beside the Port de Plaisance
du Moulin-Blanc. This futuristic complex
consists of 3 huge aquariums and a 3-D
cinema. The aquarium in the main white
dome focuses on Brittany and
Finistere’s fishing industry and
displays a variety of fish, seals,
molluscs, seaweed and sea anemones. The
second is the Tropical Pavilion,with
sharks and a myriad of colourful fish
that populate a coral reef, and a Polar
Pavilion houses polar bears and penguins.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Dinan »
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Dinan is one of France’s most
attractive walled towns. Situated on a
hillside overlooking the River Rance.
Dinan’s 3km encirclement of walls
remain virtually intact and houses street
after street of late medieval houses.
Like St Malo, 25km to the north, Dinan is
best seen arriving by boat, with
spectacular views of the castle and
fortifications.
Time in Dinan may be best spent wandering
from creperie to cafe,
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admiring the beautiful overhanging houses
along the way. Unfortunately, only one
small stretch of the ramparts is
walkable, from the Jardin Anglais behind
St Sauveur church to a point just short
of Tour Sillon overlooking the river. The
Tour de l’Horloge offers impressive
views of the town and surrounding area.
St Sauveur church is a real mixture of
styles with its Romanesque porch and 18th
century steeple. Even its 9 Gothic
chapels feature 5 different patterns of
vaulting.
Head down rue du Jerzual that descends to
the gate of the same name and on down to
the lovely port du Dinan. Here the river
is calm and narrow and spanned by a
splendid old stone bridge. Craft shops
and restaurants line the quayside.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Auray »
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Auray is well placed for exploring
Carnac, the
Quiberon Peninsula and the
Gulf of Morbihan but first explore the
beautiful town itself. The centre of
Auray is the place de la Republique, with
its 18th century Hotel de Ville. In a
neighbouring square is the 17th century
church of St Gildas, with its fine
Renaissance porch. A covered market
adjoins the Hotel de Ville and Mondays
sees an open-air market where you can
pick up some of the finest fresh local
produce.
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Auray features the picture-postcard
ancient quarter of St-Goustan, with its
delightful 15th and 16th century houses.
The bend in the River Loch was a natural
setting for the town and it soon became
one of the busiest ports in Brittany. In
1776, Benjamin Franklin landed here on
his way to seek the help of Louis XVI in
the American War of Independence. A visit
to Auray is sure to delight with numerous
restaurants, bars and places to sit and
watch the world go by.
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Brittany holiday accommodation near
Josselin »
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Josselin is instantly recognisable due to
the 3 ornate towers of its chateau.
The duchess’s collection of dolls,
housed in the Musee des Poupees behind
Josselin’s castle, makes for a
special visit or stop at the Basilica
Notre Dame du Roncier with its wonderful
architecture.
Josselin is full of medieval splendours,
from the gargoyles of the
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basilica to the castle ramparts, and the
half-timbered houses in between.
Josselin has a busy centre where you will
find shops, supermarkets, restaurants and
cafes as well as a cinema. A bustling
market is held in the town every
Saturday.
Josselin offers a good choice of crafts,
farm produce, green spaces, summer
festivals and exhibitions.
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Copyright: Holiday France Direct 2008
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