9 Favorite Places I Found in Vannes France
The Roman ramparts of Vannes as well as its cobbled streets are just two aspects that make this a charming town to explore. We stayed in the Patern neighborhood, not far from Saint-Patern church. This neighborhood and its church are first in my list of favorite places in Vannes France.
The True Heart of Old Vannes
I had no idea we had located our stay in the true heart of « old Vannes » but later discovered that Julius Caesar settled a town in this neighborhood in 56 B.C. The fortified city followed in the Middle Ages . Everywhere where you look, the half-timbered houses are brightly painted!
Second in my List of Favorite Places : Portes in the Ramparts Around the City
Walled cities, their ramparts and gates always fascinate me. The wall here in Vannes dates from the 3rd century and has two gates that particularly caught my attention.
Porte Prison (Prison Gate)
From our hotel we wandered past Saint-Patern church to Porte Prison, or Prison Gate. This granite gate is the oldest gate and was originally called Saint-Patern Gate in the 13th century. Looking at its proximity to the neighborhood by that name, it is easy to see where the name originated.
However, during the Revolution this porte housed in the adjacent tower suspects and convicts , thus earning it the name Prison Gate.
From Porte Prison we explored intra-murs (inside the walls) and exited via Porte Saint-Vincent on the opposite side of the ville. This gate, also in granite, is Baroque in style. Erected in 1620 at the head of the port of Vannes, it provides a majestic entrance into the walled city from the port.
The statue of Saint-Vincent de Ferrier above the gate faces the port. Just below the statue is the coat of arms of the city of Vannes.
Porte St-Vincent
Exploring the Streets Between the Medieval Portes
The streets between the Porte Prison and Porte Saint-Vincent are not only a traveler’s delight but also a photographer’s delight! The half-timbered buildings fascinate me.
Lovely view as we entered Square Henri IV
Third in my list of favorites is rue Bienheureux Pierre René Rogues.This medieval street is just one half-timbered house after another. Look up in search of Vannes et sa Femme (Vannes and his wife) at the intersection of this street and rue Noé. This is a 16th century stone sculpture that probably served as a shop sign according to France Today.
Vannes and his wife
Fourth in my list would have to be the preponderance of half-timbered houses and the colorful façades. Keep in mind, my list is in random order because my #1 favorite changes from moment to moment! I’m not fickle, it’s just that there is so much to love here.
The Cathédral Saint-Pierre dates from the 15th century.
With its interesting mix of architectural styles it is definitely fifth on my list. The altar would be my favorite part of the interior. The angels are lovely and remind me of the angels that support a tomb in the cathedral in crypt of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Cathédral Saint-Pierre
Close-up of altar
The Hôtel de Ville
Located on Place Maurice-Marchais, the Hôtel de Ville was constructed in the early 1880s in Néo-renaissance style. It is a majestic building and if you think it looks familiar, it does! The architect mimicked the façade of the Hôtel de Ville of Paris but on a smaller scale. It is number six in my list of favorites.
Where do I place the Château de l’Hermine?
It is literally part of the remparts, so neither within nor beyond the walls. The building we see today was built on the site of the former Château of the same name built at the end of the 14th century for duc Jean IV of Brittany.
Today it is the museum of fine arts but don’t confuse it with The Museum of Fine Arts La Cohue, Musée des Beaux Arts. It would be my seventh favorite place as it makes a majestic backdrop for the remparts gardens.
Just Beyond the Wall is ….
If this list were in order of importance to me, the Jardins des Remparts along with the ramparts themselves definitely would rank higher than eighth on my list! Taking a walk along rue Francis Decker , outside of the ramparts, treated us to wonderful views of the ramparts, the city within the walls, and most importantly the gardens ! I give this walk through The Jardins des Remparts 5-stars as it is so very lovely.
One of the rare moments of sun vs rain
In general I preferred our view from the street level looking down/across into the gardens as well as actually walking through the gardens themselves as they are framed by the ramparts and the city within. However, the photo above, taken from the ramparts, brings back a favorite memory.
My Favorite Memory
While taking a picture of Porte Prison, a local gentleman approached us. He asked if we had been up on the wall yet to view the town and the gardens. Discovering that we had not, he then led us to the stairs and up to the top of the wall, all the while recounting a bit of local history. Such a kind gesture! From the top of those stairs to the ramparts, I had a wonderful vantage point to take the above photo.
On this side of the wall there are several towers, one of which is Tour Poudrière. This historical and mark once held munitions powder (poudrière=powder keg).
Last, but definitely not least, is number nine on my list. From this side of the ramparts we had a panoramic view of The Lavoirs of the Garenne. These wash houses served as laundry facilities as well as for the local tanners. I found this interesting post about the lavoirs if you want to know more.
Locating my favorite places I found in Vannes France
Other Walled Cities We Have Explored
We have visited several other walled cities that have fed my passion for history.
Saint-Malo is a port city in Brittany and easy to visit if you go to Mont-Saint-Michel.
Guérande, in the Pays de la Loire, is only about 55km from Vannes.
Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Hauts de France absolutely stole my heart!
This post will give you a brief overview of all three! One thing you will notice is that each fortified city is always my favorite at the time.
How did I discover Vannes?
During the time of Covid-19 restrictions when we could not travel, Véronique Savoie, a delightful and knowledgeable tour guide made many wonderful virtual tours of France on her facebook page. Her virtual tours were and still are a delight! This virtual tour of Vannes became the seed for my travel plans.
Mon histoire de Vannes (en bref) en français…
Pendant le temps quand nos voyages étaient interrompus par les restrictions de Covid-19, je rêvais de voyager et je suivais les tours virtuelles avec France with Véro. En sa compagnie, j’ai découvert la ville fortifiée de Vannes.
En avril 2022 nous nous y sommes bien amusés à Vannes même si le climat n’était pas toujours agréable ! Notre hôtel était situé dans le cœur du vieux Vannes ou Jules César, en 56 avant J-C, a établi une ville. Ce quartier se nomme Saint-Patern. Il est charmant avec ses gaies maisons à colombages.
Nous venions et allions de la ville fortifiée par ses vieilles portes. Les remparts datent du troisième siècle. La Porte Prison est la plus vieille porte de la ville. En plus, la Porte Saint-Vincent, qui est en granite comme La Porte Prison, ouvre vers le Port de Vannes.
Je garde un excellent souvenir de la Porte de la Prison. Pendant que je prenais une photo de cette porte, un local nous a approchés. Il nous a parlés des remparts et nous a amenés à l’escalier où nous pouvions monter en haut du mur. Il était un vraiment gentil homme.
Entre les deux portes
Entre les deux portes nous avons trouvé plus de maisons à colombages colorés. Il y avait aussi une sculpture intéressante, sur un mur, intitulée « Vanne et sa femme ». Elle est du 16ème siècle et était probablement un signe de magasin selon la revue France Today.
L’autel de la cathédrale Saint-Pierre avec ses anges m’a fait penser à une tombe dans la crypte de la cathédrale de Boulogne-sur-Mer qui a des anges similaires. J’aime ces anges! C’est un de mes endroits préférées ici.
Selon moi, la mairie ici est plus belle que leur château. L’hôtel de Ville ici était conçu par le même architecte que l’hôtel de Ville à Paris. Donc il y ressemble un peu.
Dehors les murs
Dehors les murs, nous nous sommes promenés parcours les beaux Jardins des Remparts. Ce sont des jardins de 5 étoiles. Ils sont très spéciaux à cause de leurs fleurs, les tours de remparts, la vue de la ville au-delà des remparts, et aussi les Lavoirs de la Garenne. Ils sont des anciens lavoirs publics de Vannes et ils ont été construits entre 1797 et 1807. C’était un point intéressant pour moi que les tanneurs travaillaient dans un part du même bâtiment du lavoir. C’est parce que les tanneurs à cette époque utilisaient de l’urine dans leur travail qui coulait dans l’eau où les femmes lavaient le linge.
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