Vannes Old Town, a Historic Centre Between Harbour and Ramparts, Brittany France

Vannes outdated town is fortified by the Romans in the medieval moments. The town is a gateway to the Gulf of Morbihan by the Marle estuary south of Brittany. Staying the capital of Morbihan, Vannes previous city has a fairly port, medieval architecture, attractive gardens, squares, meals scene, etc., to find out.

Following various days of character exploration next our street trip itinerary for Brittany, we felt fatigued and longed for a leisurely outing. As a result, the go to to Vannes previous city was a excellent tour to fit our timetable.   

We strolled into the previous city from the harbourside. The highlights of the Vannes outdated city are:

• Port de Vannes
• Spot Henri-IV
• Fifty percent-timbered properties in Breton style
• Jardin des Remparts
• Saint-Patern historic centre
• Significant properties
• Community retailers and shops

Port de Vannes

Vannes Harbour

Proper phase outside of the Q-Parking, we discovered ourselves facing the semi-round plaza Location Gambetta direct in front of the Vannes port. The walkway to the south alongside the harbour is extended and sheltered with planted avenues of trees. It reaches the peninsula at Conleau.

Several boats and yachts docked on the port, future to just about every other without having any gap. Reduced-mounting apartment properties neatly surround the smaller port.

Position Gambetta

Going for walks in the direction of the key entry gate of the previous town from the port, we passed the Put Gambetta, a fast paced trafficking location the place most autos also push by way of the square. Position Gambetta has many modern eating places and cafes with in depth outside the house seating places and wonderful views.

St Vincent Gate(Porte St Vincent Ferrier)

The historic monument Saint-Vincent Gate at the northern conclusion of the harbour is a former town gate in Vannes. Moving into via the medieval gate, we received dropped in the medieval architecture and the winding medieval alleys of Vannes previous city.

Location Henri-IV

People medieval alleys link many plazas in the aged town. A person of them is specially worth observing, the Put Henri-IV. It is a historic strolling space that showcases 16th-century properties and intriguing museums.

La Cohue – Musée des Beaux Arts de Vannes

La Cohue is residence to the Vannes Wonderful Arts Museum. Inside the building, the corridor teems with lifestyle from medieval periods, the stone, archways, and the passageway. La Cohue utilized to residence numerous stalls on the ground floor and the ducal courthouse on the very first flooring.

I dropped in and was curious about the white paper-shaped objects hanging all around. Afterwards, from a number of details boards outdoors we uncovered the answers. That was an exhibition presenting the outstanding techniques of sophisticated folding and structure crumpling. The artists experienced created organic styles utilizing sheets of baking paper.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter’s Cathedral)

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, right reverse the Museum of Great Arts, is a Basilica crafted on the remains of an historic Romanesque cathedral. The cathedral is a mix of architecture, such as the tomb of the town’s patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer.  

Porte Prison (historic landmark)

Strolling towards the east guiding the cathedral and along the Rue Porte Prison is a fortified Jail Gate, a single of the oldest entrances to the walled city. It connects to a beautiful fifty percent-timbered property that attracted far more of my interest.

50 %-timbered properties in Breton style

Fifty percent-timbered properties have common Breton architectural developments. Those people residences boast three or four flooring with corbels jutting out from a wall. The greater flooring of the 50 percent-timbered houses are broader than the floor floor, enabling a large passage on the public street while expanding the floor location on the higher flooring.

The ground floors of the properties have an in depth collection of retailers, boutiques, and cafes. It is also so effortless to uncover a location for a split.

Jardin des Remparts

A portion of the initial ramparts is however intact and is composed of a big part of the battlement walls, strong towers, and arched entrances. 1 of the towers was at first portion of the courtyard of the Chateau de l’Hermine.

Upcoming to the ramparts is a properly-preserved backyard garden. A number of strolling paths neatly divide the backyard into patches. The backyard is a tranquil location to rest just after a lengthy walk as a result of the previous city. The pretty little buildings subsequent to the river are the primary washhouses for Vannes. By all suggests, It is really worth going for walks the duration of the partitions and using in the views of the gardens and the Vannes old city.

Saint-Patern historic centre

All-around the church of Saint Patern is an additional charming historic centre. The church was named following the to start with acknowledged bishop of Vannes. While it is not a ought to-see place, the watch of the church from the Jardin des Remparts is appealing.

The Saint-Patern quarter is total of little restaurants and cafés. Its total neighbourhood sits on the slopes of the Boismoreau hill. And, it is also the oldest part of Vannes with pretty homes. 

Essential properties

Vannes Hôtel de Ville

Remaining the outdated city at the northwest corner is the majestic town hall, the Lodge de Ville on Maurice-Marchais square. The opulent developing is next to an remarkable previous school. 

The town hall framed by north and south wings has a façade that is specially rich in decoration. There are square pillars on the aspect wings, semi-columns on the central tract, alternating triangular and gables, cartouches and busts, and volutes.

I admired the wonderful symmetry and wished to have a glance within. But because of to the pandemic problem, it was shut to the public. Afterwards, I have discovered that the constructing has a monumental double staircase illuminated by a large skylight.

Préfecture du Morbihan

The Préfecture du Morbihan, built on a U-formed approach, is an administrative constructing positioned in Vannes, money of the French section of Morbihan. The decoration refers to Breton record with representations of Nominoë, Depend of Vannes, and Alain Barbetorte, two heroes of Breton independence. And the building is surrounded by a 5-hectare park that mostly resembles an English Back garden.

Local retailers and suppliers

Suitable at the rear of the major gate, St Vincent Gate, are all very well-preserved medieval streets & 50 percent-timbered residences, whose ground floors are outlets and outlets offering the specialties of Brittany. I popped in many outlets as we handed by way of the Vannes previous city and could not resist the temptation of the baked products. Some suppliers specialize in one particular type of goods, these types of as wines and ciders. Other individuals offer common Breton items, from baked sweets, canneries, Breton Enamel with blue and white designs to the regular Breton rain jackets. I lingered in one retail outlet and bought several sweets and baked items that had caught my eyes. 

Travel ideas for Vannes Outdated Town

Wherever to remain

Considering that Vannes is a great foundation to discover southern Brittany, France, it also has various accommodations in the outdated town.  Below two accommodations are straight in the centre of the town:

How to get there

The TGV educate from Paris to Vannes normally takes much less than 3 several hours. In general, there are quite a few scheduled trains a working day. Vannes coach station is about 700 metres to the edge of the Vannes Aged City.

The big roads E60 and N166 arrive at Vannes. There are plenty of parking sites straight exterior the outdated town, and the closest one particular is up coming to the harbour, Q-Park Port, about 100 metres to the principal gate of the old city.