Dinan
Dinan, medieval, overlooking its port and its river Rance, surprises with its authenticity.
Dinan, medieval city but not only...
Dinan is surrounded by 2.7 km of rampart (the longest in Brittany). Come and walk the streets and become an expert on the timber frame. The city has no less than 130 half-timbered houses. Close your eyes and immerse the time of your visit in another era, medieval music, knights, cobblestones and picturesque streets...
After meeting Bertrand Duguesclin...
... in its square, do a 360° and see the houses around you. Perhaps you will meet the Dinannais bourgeois »? Light is a highlight of these buildings but also of the city of Dinan. Why ? Because …. You will never have a feeling of confinement in the city and this one opens on the Rance river and its valley.
Let yourself be carried away by sweetness of life dinanne!
Its historic center, its city center and its shops: just enough to take care of if you lack imagination. Go through the door of our many "bars...sorry, I got carried away by Dinan life..." artists of course, sculptors, glassblowers, painters, photographers...
The walks are within walking distance,
go down the Jerzual and hop you will find the towpath... To the left, to the right (here we are talking about left bank and right bank) and you are no longer in town, but in the forest at the water's edge. Hush…. You hear ? Well no, nothing, just the silence and calm of the valley.
Our own must-haves!
Jerzual Street
If you want to let off steam, don't hesitate any longer and come and “walk” this typical street. A pretty drop which owes its difficulty only to its beauty. There is even a race named after him “Jerzual Challenge” and no, these Gauls are not crazy!
For history, the street has linked the port to the upper town since 10 centuries.
The port of Dinan
First a commercial port in connection with Saint Malo, then a marina in the XNUMXth century. Imagine the Dinannais trading scenes that made the city prosperous. From the XNUMXth century, the port of dinan was animated with exchanges towards Northern Europe (England and Flanders) then Spain and the Americas. Cozy atmosphere in the early morning and livelier on the terraces during the day and evening. The port is a place for strolling at the foot of the Medieval City.
The walls
I've already told you a little about it, but it's worth a look so a little reminder never hurts:
- a belt of 2.7 km of curtain walls,
- 10 towers
- 4 doors
just that to discover the evolutions of military architecture. And think about guided tours, our tour guides will be able to tell you all about this story with bonus anecdotes.
Half-timbered houses
Where to look in Dinan when you walk? One thing is certain, not his feet at the risk of missing no less than 130 half-timbered houses. This architecture so typical with varied colors will amaze you. They were built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries and they give all its authenticity to the historic center. These beautiful "damsels" can be corbelled, porches or windows.
The clock tower
Or the breathtaking view ! The climb also by the way with the few hundred steps but the icing on the cake will erase all this “suffering”. Highest point of the city of Dinan, it symbolizes the power of the bourgeois against the clergy and the ducal power. We also owe a bell to Anne de Bretagne, sorry! … Which makes the tower a belfry.
The Tower will also host municipal meetings until the Revolution. By the way, be careful when it starts ringing, especially if you are at the very top... it may come as a surprise.
It rings every 1/4h, 1/2h and hour, so you will know!
The Castle
A new scenography has emerged dealing with 2 themes:- The art of War
- Daily life in a princely residence
Emblematic monument of the city, ducal residence, you benefit from an impregnable view (normal you will say to me, it is none other than a castle) on Léhon and the ruins of its mysterious castle. Come and soak up the place by taking yourself sometimes for the Duke, sometimes for the cooks or sometimes for the guards.
