Streets squares and districts to visit Brittany

A symbol of Saint-Malo, the ermine leaves for a moment the flag and coat of arms of the city to guide you through its historic centre. There is no need for a plan or guide, just follow the nails with its effigy - no less than 150 - scattered here and there in the city. They will lead you to explanatory terminals - 42 in total, including 35 panels and 7 desks - where you can learn a little more about the history and anecdotes of Saint-Malo. Each borne has a flashcode that allows you to have more details on your smartphone.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 2 h.

Difficulty: .

The Republic Square will be reborn in 2025. For the moment, it is this vast crossroads of buses and pedestrians that pass through the city's most central metro station. Here stands the Palace of Commerce, built between 1885 and 1929, which housed the Posts and Telegraphs on the one hand and the Trade Exchange on the other. It is the work of Jean-Baptiste Martenot and Emmanuel Le Ray. The central pavilion, square in plan, open to traffic on the ground floor, surmounted by a floor, housed the city's festival hall. The Palais du Commerce currently houses the Central Post Office, the city has launched a call for projects to transform the functions of this building by 2025. In the centre, the layout of the square offers small shops, benches and vegetable shelves, you can stop in the heart of the Rennes hustle and bustle. But more than just talking about the square, it is the neighbourhood that is of great interest. It is true that the whole district revolves around the Palace of Commerce (Post Office building) up to the Emile Zola High School, where the review of the trial of Captain Dreyfus was held. Behind the Place de la République, there is the Marché Central, a daily market renamed the Auction, and the semi-pedestrian rue Vasselot, which is full of small restaurants and shops. Also discover the remains of the former Carmelite convent at number 34. Walk along the rue du Pré-Botté in which the Ouest-France building stands. Don't forget to take a detour to the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Quai Emile-Zola, which traces the history of painting from the 14th century to the present day.

It is a beautiful illustration of Josselin's prosperous trading period. Most of the houses date from the 16th century and have retained the appearance they had at that time. Take time to stroll around to admire the wooden sections and sculptures restored by the latest restorations, with the exception of the house known as the House of the Seneschal, right next to the basilica. This beautiful 18th century house was home to one of the most famous Republican leaders, General Hoche, during his visit to Josselin in 1795.

Rue Jean Jaurès is, along with Rue de Siam, one of the two most commercial arteries of the city of Brest. Linking the Place de la Liberté to the Place de Strasbourg, it is lined with shops. From fashion to restaurants, banks, hairdressers, bars and cinemas, you can easily spend your day there! Without forgetting to make a little detour to the Place Guérin and the Saint-Martin district, with its church and daily market. A piece of advice: take advantage of the tram, which serves the whole street, to get around...

Explore the history and the Monuments monuments by wandering over the three heritage circuits: " Historic heart "circuit, circuit" Quartier de la Gare "and circuit" Le Hamlet de Kerléano ". Illustrated information panels detail the history of the site. The different paths are marked on the ground by the ermine, symbol of the town of Auray. You will find these three routes in the Flâner in Auray brochure available free of charge at the Tourist Office (translated in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian). A game, that of the 6 puzzles is the child's version of the heritage circuits. The game is also available for free at the tourist office.

Goz-Korle in Breton, the ancient site of Corlay, made up of Numerous hamlets. In the village there is the oldest monument armoricain, the mound at the Coulombs, which symbolized the boundary between the gauloises tribes. See also the typical church of the th century, high on the basis of construction of the th century, the chapel of the Cross and its th century polychrome altarpiece, as well as the manor of Botcozel. The top of Kerchouan marks the dividing line between the Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.

This less than a kilometre long route invites you to discover the most beautiful buildings in Questembert. Leave the halls, the city's emblem, and discover the Hôtellerie Jean Le Guénégo, the Hôtellerie Belmont and its tower, the Saint-Pierre church, the tower of Alain le Grand, the Saint-Michel chapel, the washhouse and the fountain of the Vieux Presbytère... For everyone, it is a whole history that unfolds and opens the doors of that of Brittany. The route is easy and accessible to all, without any difference in altitude. Allow 45 minutes to take the time to admire each step of this beautiful tour!

Brest has a constantly changing urban fabric. The artists appropriate the walls and underline the history of the city of Le Ponant through gigantic paintings. Rue Anatole France is an example of this desire to promote art and revitalize the city's right bank. In this long street, you can admire about ten frescoes, designed and created by the Lyon muralist painters of CitéCréation, who worked in collaboration with illustrators, comic book authors and renowned architects such as Pierre-Henri Argouarch, Liliwen, Benjamin Flao, Patrice Pellerin, etc. If we can deplore the lack of commented visit of this street of Brest, we can get the paper guide " Les murs ont la parole " available at the tourist office.

Other murals are scattered all over Brest. The site www.streetart-brest.fr lists nearly 650 of them. It's up to you to lose yourself in the city with these artistic and urban winks...

The beating heart of Paimpol, this pretty cobbled square, which hosts a lively market every Tuesday, is lined with traditional two-storey granite and freestone houses. Stop in front of the one located at number 2 to admire its Renaissance décor, with its two carved jamb doors on the facade, its window which has retained its full surround with cornice, supporting stone and triangular pediment, and its niche in which a statue of Saint-Louis is installed. Dating from 1581, it is one of the oldest houses in the city. At the corner of Rue de l'Eglise, the beautiful building with a corner turret was once a hotel, where Pierre Loti, the author of Pêcheur d'Islande, stayed. In the novel, the heroine Gaud Mével lives there. From the Place du Martray there are several pretty little streets, such as the Place de l'Eglise, one of the oldest, or the Place des Huit-Patriotes, one of the most beautiful in the historic centre. Its name refers to the eight maquisards who fell on 16 August 1944. This narrow pedestrian alley, very lively with its many restaurants, bars and shops, reveals superb facades, some decorated with statues. Among the most remarkable: the half-timbered house at number 6, which has housed the Jézéquel family hardware store since 1886. This 1570 building has columns and beams, as well as statues at each corner, a sort of caryatids with a strange posture, bent knees and hands resting on their thighs.

Large, colourful, and always busy even under the dark clouds, the commercial port is the epicentre of Brest life. Whether you descend on foot from Cours Dajot by taking the huge stairs or take a ride in the car driving along the castle, the landscape is unique. Meeting points, the Irish pubs that are located at the entrance to the port have their rooms always full day and night. When it comes to the many restaurants which have been implanted there for a long time, their tables are constantly occupied at lunchtime. But the port is also a place of Sunday walk that is even busier since the inauguration of Marina du Château! As you walk around on the "port de co", you can enjoy some old riggings on stopover, such as the Recouvrance or the Abeille Bourbon, the impressive tugboat that is always ready to go and help ships in distress. Note: it's on its quays that, every summer, Thursday evenings are animated by the sound of "Jeudis du port", which is a free artistic event, open to all and extremely popular, in the heart of which street arts and varied concerts mix.

It is called the capital of the island, it must be said that, with its fishing houses flooded with flowers, its modest, magnificent and precious church of the th century, the Bourg brings rest and calm particularly in its small cafés whose doors have been pushed by many artists.

There are two beautiful granite houses. One of them, called the house of the Hanged because of the ten different masks with cleistothecium eyes, which are carved on its facade, has a large gate stone. The other, dated 1604, was perhaps that of a wealthy merchant before becoming the king's house.

City of Art and History, Quimper is also a green city where there are many natural spaces. It is around these gardens that the tourist office has set up a new discovery circuit called My city is a garden. The circuit starts in the retreat Garden and Garden of Peace. Here you will find trees and plants from all over the world! You will then follow the course from the Odet to the Theatre Garden, before leaving the centre to go to the Priory Garden. Other green spaces, such as the woods of Mount Frugy (where you can admire an overview on Quimper), the wild spaces of the St. Lawrence River and the park of Creac'h Gwen surround the city, but it will take a good day to explore them.

Tariff: the brochure is visible free of charge on the Office's website; the paper version is available free of charge at the tourist office.

Duration: 2 h; However, time passes quickly if you want to visit the parks in depth, so plan to segment the walk so that you don't have to hurry.

Difficulty: .

City of legends, Quimper sheltered many illustrious characters: kings, princesses, browsers, robbers, scientists… These are all stories that still speak of walls and monuments, which take life to the stories of these adventures. This is what the tour My City is proposing is a legend. From St. Corentin Cathedral, the legend of King Graldon, founder of the city, will be told. The saints will then be presented before passing through the beautiful quimperk residences to reach Max Jacob's birthplace. Finally, you will discover the places of penance and their secrets, finally a discovery of the legends of the Odet.

Tariff: the circuit and comments are available free of charge on the Internet, or in paper form at the Tourist Office.

Duration: 2 h.

Difficulty: easy.

Every Saturday, the city of Vannes offers one of the «1001 town walks». Centered on Art and History, the themes are as diverse as many. Sometimes urban, sometimes rural, the walks follow but do not look alike. The places of visit are as varied as possible and push the city's borders back when the theme so requires. It is up to you to choose the topic that interests you most: architecture? Nature? And why not the manors? The program is available on the Internet and City Hall websites.

Tariff: € 5,80 (€ 3.60 for adults under 25).

Duration: 2 h.

Difficulty: easy.

Facing the Rance dam, this marine cemetery is rich in discoveries. Sailors, artists and illustrious characters of the Malouin history rest facing the sea. You will discover the stele of Armand de Chateaubriand (cousin of the famous writer) or that of the painter and mosaicist Geoffroy d'Auvergne. We will also pay tribute to the Magon family, an illustrious Malouin family of shipowners and soldiers. The tombs are richly decorated with shells and marine symbols.