Saint Brieuc Port on the River Gouët
Saint-Brieuc - The Best Things to See and Do
Saint-Brieuc in the region of Brittany is a wonderful city to explore with a stunning harbour, cobbled streets in the old town and a fortress style church. The wider area around Saint-Brieuc with the spectacular nature reserve and long promenades are very popular with visitors and trekkers. Let me share with you what I think are the best things to see and do in Saint-Brieuc.
Gare de Saint-Brieuc is a large beautiful railway station that's on the direct line from Gare Montparnasse, so it's where we alight from the TGV on our journey from Paris, to then catch a cab to our village house. Saint-Brieuc is my go-to town for car mechanical work and servicing, major electrical appliance purchases, furniture and building materials and garden supplies. It's only 30 minutes from my village and is really pretty with the River Gouët flowing through the town's ravines.
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Saint Brieuc marina with the Viaduc du Gouët overhead
Saint-Brieuc - A Short History
Saint-Brieuc is the capital of the Côtes d'Armor department and lies between the picturesque valleys of Gouédic and the Gouë and has a history dating back to the 5th century. This is when Brieuc, a Gaulish monk, founded an oratory on the site of the present Fontaine Saint-Brieuc in rue Notre Dame (fountain). From this beginning Brieuc continued to evolve as a centre of religion.
Unfortunately the city was torn down in the late 16th century, during the Wars of the Holy League but thankfully stability returned in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Visit Cathédrale St-Étienne
You'll find Cathédrale St-Étienne on Place du Général de Gaulle - just go searching for the fortress looking church. Built in the 14th and 15th centuries, it really does look like a fortress with its central porch and two sturdy towers. The two towers are Tour Brieuc (built in the 14th century and 28 metres high), and Tour Marie (built in the 15th century and 33 metres high). These medieval towers are pierced with openings that allowed defensive weapons to be used.
I love that the organ in Cathédrale St-Étienne was built by Cavaillé-Coll who also built the organ in St-Sulpice in Paris, the second largest cathedral in Paris, and just over 449 kilometres from Saint-Brieuc.
Maison Ribault, rue Fardel, Guingamp (brown house on the left)
Check Out the Oldest House in St-Brieuc
Lots of towns throughout France have old buildings and homes, and Saint Brieuc is another such town. Around the cathedral are the streets, rue Pohel, rue Fardel and rue Quinquaine, and all are lined with charming timber-framed houses. The houses date from the 15th and 16th centuries and the oldest house in the whole of Saint-Brieuc, known as Maison Ribault, is in this area on rue Fardel.
Something else to see here is the Hôtel des Ducs de Bretagne on rue Quinquaine. With scary looking grotesque masks and carved figures, this building built in 1572 certainly has character.
Visit the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Brittany and Côtes d'Armor are responsible for the manufacture and development of a few classic French industries. For example cloth manufacture in Guingamp, fishing in Concarneau, and ship building.
Through models, paintings, objects from everyday domestic life, films and dioramas, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire shows the history of these areas and development of these industries from around the 18th century to modern times.
Saint Brieuc Market on Place du Martray
Enjoy Shopping and Cafés in the Old Town (vieille ville)
Saint-Brieuc has something for everyone when it comes to shopping. There are loads of boutiques with high-end fashion brands, popular franchise stores and some smaller department style complexes.
Quirky cafés, great restaurants and patisseries that are popular with the locals make for a very pleasant day in Saint Brieuc. The Donkey's Coffee Shop is where I head to when I want a cappuccino that tastes just like the ones I enjoy at my local café in hometown Toronto, Lake Macquarie. Speciality shoe stores and a shop that only sells hats (A L'ondée Hat Shop) are my favourite haunts in the old town.
Take a Grande Promenade Along the GR34
If you are up for an invigorating walk, the Sentier des Douaniers (Customs Officers’ Path), otherwise known as the GR34, is a great walk. The path overlooks the sea and you get the best views of the turquoise water, the imposing cliffs, bird life and the dunes.
The promenade takes you from Pointe du Bec de Vir in Tréveneuc to Pointe des Guettes in Hillion, via Pointe de la Béchue in Pordic. You also can see the dunes of Bon Abri, the cove of Martin-Plage and the long Rosaires beach - each new scenery scape is more stunning than the next, and well worth the physical effort.
I love Brittany's beaches
Brittany is famous for its seafood
Buy Fresh Mussels from the Beds of Bon Abri
As you progress towards the Pointe des Guettes, past the Pointe du Grouin and the Lermot beach, the dunes of Bon Abri appear with their pale blonde sand rising up against a backdrop of vegetation. It's really quite spectacular. This is a picturesque scene so take your camera along for this adventure.
You might even be lucky enough to see horses as they gallop along the sand as it's often used for exercising them. Also look out for the amphibious vehicles as they negotiate their way to and from the mussel beds - they make an awesome photo with their modern brutish design contrasted against a tranquil natural backdrop.
Bouchot mussels are one of many types of mussels. Brittany is known for its “bouchots”, which have an identifiable taste and recognised quality. Bouchot mussels are grown in Mont Saint-Michel bay, Saint-Brieuc bay, Brest bay and the Vilaine Estuary. You can find out more about mussels on the official Brittany Tourism website here.
The Bouchot mussel is grown only in France on wooden poles in the sea so that it is out of reach of predators. These poles are called bouchot. This is the ultimate quality mussel: it is meaty and the flesh can take a yellow-orange color and its taste is unmistakable. - Cultimer Producteurs Associés
Bon Abri sells a whopping 13,000 stakes of red-label bouchot mussels in summer, loads of which end up in delicious mussel dishes. Get our recipe for Mussels in White Wine and Garlic - its scrumptious and perfect for summer evenings.
Bar Les Mouettes in Port du Legue in Plerin, Saint Brieuc, Brittany
Walk around the Pointe du Roselier
Saint-Brieuc is only a skip and a jump from the ocean being just 3 kilometres inland. It's linked by the port of Légué on the Gouët estuary. Walking around the port you can see colourful shipowners's houses, some of which are now inviting cafés and ship chandleries. Take an ice cream break at a café or glass of chilled rosé and then follow the footpath that runs around the Pointe du Roselier. You can see the whole bay, from Cap d'Erquy in the east to the Île de Bréhat in the northwest.
Réserve Naturelle of Baie de Saint-Brieuc
Go Bird Watching on the Largest Nature Reserve in Brittany
I've taken to a spot of bird watching as I grow older and luckily I live on the edge of Lake Macquarie, NSW and my French village has a lake in the middle of it, both which attract birds. If you enjoy bird watching, the Bay of Saint-Brieuc which opens onto the largest Nature Reserve in Brittany, will delight you.
It's a protected area to save the exceptional vegetation and the 40,000 birds that call the area home in winter.
Winter is the birdwatching season and arriving just a little before high tide is best - this is when you'll see the ducks, geese and waders come up to the shore.
Useful Addresses:
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Saint-Brieuc: Pl. Général de Gaulle, 22000 Saint-Brieuc, France
Donkey's Coffee Shop; 27 Rue Charbonnerie, 22000 Saint-Brieuc, France
A L'ondée Hat Shop: 1 Rue Saint-Guillaume, 22000 Saint-Brieuc, France
Tourism Office of Bretagne:
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