Image – Mont saint Michel has been inhabited since the 8th century and is one of the most visited sites in France, Copyright Atout France/Nathalie Baetens
The port of Saint-Malo is one of the main ferry ports of Northern France. With its walled ramparts, improved in the 17th century by Vauban and carefully reconstructed after the war, the town centre is full of lively restaurants, cafés and shops whilst it is deservedly famous as an international sailing centre. Opposite lies Dinard with its Belle Epoque villas reminiscent of the popularity the resort enjoyed amongst the aristocracy in the 19th century which still has much to recommend it as a chic resort. Known as the Nice of the North it has a casino, thalassotherapy centre, tennis, Olympic salt water pool and numerous sandy beaches and an enviably mild climate. Cancale on the coast is famous for its succulent oysters.
Towns in the Ille-et-Vilaine
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Combourg
At Combourg the imposing feudal Château overlooks the 22 hectare “Lac Tranquille “ flanked by four towers. One of the finest examples of its kind in Brittany, the Château still belongs to the family of the famous writer Chateaubriand who spent some of his young years there and wrote of the place, thus immortalising it. Inland, the town of Fougères on the banks of the River Nançon has long been a frontier town and its fine fortress remains one of the finest of its type to survive, perched on a rocky outcrop. The town has imposing ramparts. Many of France’s finest writers have been inspired by Fougères, including Chateaubriand, Balzac and Victor Hugo.
Vitré
To the south, Vitré is a charming medieval town with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses and an imposing medieval Chateau overlooking the Vilaine valley. The famous letter writer Mme de Sévigné lived here and a museum exists in her home, the Château des Rochers Sévigné. There is also the Museum of the Living Bee. Bécherel is a book lover’s paradise with a fair every Easter, a market on the first Sunday of each month and a festival in August. There are numerous bookshops, calligraphers and book- binders as well as art galleries. The town itself is pretty and medieval with five of its nine towers still standing and part of its ramparts and keep.
| Title | Address | Description |
|---|---|---|
Ille-et-Vilaine | 15 Allée Abbé Alphonse Jarry, 35700 Rennes, France |
