France – Dinan (En)

Dinan is a town in Brittany, northwest France. It’s known for its medieval ramparts, cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses. It was founded in the 10th century and 14th century it was one of the most prosperous cities in Brittany and listed as one of the most beautiful towns in France.

Where to stay

We stayed at the Municipal Camping (48.447201, -2.04611 lat, long) which is just a 5-minute walk to the historic centre, going out for a door in the camping next to our plot. The campsite is pretty good, the facilities are simple but clean, with hot water in showers and taps for washing the dishes. It is easy to fill and empty the black water, but we couldn’t find any place to empty the grey water. We paid 18 euros per day with electricity included. The plots are big and grassy, good for Asha to play. We really recommend it to see this beautiful medieval town.

What to see

The first thing we found was Dinan Castle or Château de Dinan, a medieval fortress and former residence of the dukes of Brittany. The Coëtquen tower, from the 15th century, and its fourteen defensive towers stand out. You enter the historic centre through the Gate of Guichet, a 12-meter wide entrance between two towers.

Passing through the gate you reach the Square du Guesclin, where in 1806 in the southern part of the square called du Campo a duel took place, and there is the statue of the knight Beltrand du Guesclin. You leave the square and you find the 46-meter-high Clock Tower from the 15th century. You can climb the tower and take its 158 steps. We didn’t go up because we had Asha with us. There are only two clock towers left in Brittany, Dinan and Fougères.

We toured the historic center where you find half-timbered houses everywhere. There are more than a hundred half-timbered houses in the historic centre of Dinan. They were built from the 15th century to the end of the 18th century. One way to recognize their era is that those from the 15th century usually have overhangs, those from the 16th century have arcades, and those from the 17th and 17th centuries have large windows. One of the houses is the Mansion de la Mere Pourcel, built at the beginning of 1458. We toured the Squares des Merciers and des Cordeliers, considered the heart of the historic centre, where many of the wooden houses have been transformed into shops or restaurants.

We find the Les Halles Market, a craft market, and the Franciscan Convent, which moved to Dinan between 1247 and 1249, and in the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries, a monumental porch decorated with twisted pilasters was built. Then we saw the 15th-century Gothic church of Saint-Malo, whose Renaissance porch was built at the beginning of the 17th century, with both porch arches marked by three fluted columns. We were able to go in to see it.

Then we saw the Town Hall and its square where there were several restaurants and we returned to the old town to have lunch. We decided to eat at La Lycorde Restaurant where the typical dishes were giant meat or prawn skewers. We shared the pork and bacon, which came with fries, salad, ratatouille and three sauces (cheese, mustard and pepper), all for 18 euros.

We finished our tour by seeing The Beaumanoir Palace, a model of 16th-century aristocratic life with a Renaissance porch. The Basilica of San Salvador with a 60-meter bell tower from the 12th century. On the outside, its portal is Romanesque and its large window is Gothic. We were able to visit it inside, which is beautiful and there was very beautiful music, with different chapels each sponsored by a guild, and each one had its altar with its relics. And finally, we took a look at the English Garden, behind the Basilica of San Salvador, originally a cemetery. It is called the English Garden because, in the 19th century, many English people went to Dinan in search of its hot springs, which were said to combat the malaria they had contracted in India.

And we went to Rochefort-en-Terre, a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany. This town is called “the small town of character” and is considered one of the most beautiful towns in France. Which you can see in the next post!