Day 1
Private tour of Saint Malo Fort La Latte and Dinard le Montmarin
Saint-Malo, named the Corsair City, the base and hometown of the most famous ship owners and “legal pirates” is an amazing fortified city on the Emerald Coast in northern Brittany. You will take a walk on the city walls to understand that it is a former island. Your private guide will take you through the maze of the narrow streets that have their own funny stories such as the “Dancing Cat Street”, “Pelicot Street” one of the tiniest where some houses date from the 16th century and by a miracle were not destroyed during World War 2, and many more.
You will also appreciate the conception of the“belt” of the fort islands such as la Conchée, le Fort National, Harbour, le Grand Bé, le Petit Bé… that were mainly designed by the engineer Garengeau disciple of one of the greatest french engineers Marshall Vauban who especially designed la Conchée Fort. At low tide you can walk to some of these islands.
Saint Malo inhabitants have always been sea oriented, like most of the people in Brittany, because its wealth until nowadays depended on that connection with the ocean.
Saint-Malo was named after Maclow a monk who came from Wales in the 6th century. Your private guide will take you to the original settlement of the monk : Alet area, a beautiful site with an impressive 180° overview of the bay and the Rance river mouth. A very stategic location too with the most recent examples of contruction, the 18th century military fort built under the king Louis the 15th and as a part of the the atlantic wall a German heavy battery artillery dating from World War 2.
Then you will head to Fort La Latte whose construction started in the 14th century. It is an incredible medieval fortress located in the west part of the Emerald Coast. During this visit your private guide will show you all the aspects of the medieval defensive architecture although in the 17th century it was turned into a military fort. You will definitely enjoy to see draw bridges, barbacane, water tank, donjon, canon ball kiln… and of course the view from the cliff and the donjon over the sea.
On the way back you will stop in Dinard to stroll in this former fishermen village turned into an effervescent and entairtaining resort in the 19th century.
The Malouinière of le Montmarin is located on the left bank of the Rance river in a beautiful, peaceful and hidden spot. A Malouinière was a very large secondary home built outside the city walls of Saint Malo by the most prosperous ship owners and where they could have more space and privacy. The Montmarin Malouinière dates from 1760 but is not opened to the visitors unlike the beautiful park and gardens (around 15 accres) by the river. The gardens listed as Historical Monuments are also labeled “Jardins Remarquables”.
The Montmarin atmosphere is magic and enchanting,
During your private visit you will see a very interesting model of the grounds and the shipyard in the 18th century.
By the way, do you guess why they needed such hidden spot ?
After such great day your private guide will take you back to your accommodation.
Day 2
From Beauport Abbey to Perros Guirec, today you will be in the fascinating Pink Granit Coast.
The Abbaye de Beauport is a quiet and spiritual shelter between land and sea overlooking Paimpol bay. Beauport Abbey was founded in 1202. Commissioned by the Count Alain de Goëlo who wanted to ensure his parents to be hosted in heaven and to provide a religious structure to the locals the whole site spreads out up to 300 acres and shelters now an effervescent wildlife.
Before being, on purpose, this evocative ruin, it’s been turned into residential accommodations, stables, city hall, school and a cider press since the 18th century. Cider is still being produced nowadays thanks the orchard in the site.
The Pink Granit Coast is a unique place where the pink stones carved a ragged coast and where future Christian Saints coming from Wales and (Great) Britain arrived as they did all over Brittany. Ploumanach which is an area of the little charming town Perros-Guirec is one of the best example of this mix of splendid nature and history.
Then the Château de la Roche Jagu site will be another stop. In that site there was a fortress since the 11th century but the Castle your private guide will take you to dates from the early 15th century, between 1405 and 1418.
The castle is one of the best examples of the civil medieval architecture in Brittany and a great key to understand these times in France called feudal times that cover most of the middle ages.
The location selected on purpose on a hill over a loop of the Trieux River, the altitude, the wealth…are the main aspects of the power of the local lord whose any other person in the community was a vassal.
It was both a fortress and a lord residence, as you will notice through the main wings of the building.
After such great day your private guide will take you back to your accommodation.
Day 3
Private visit of Dinan with tasting and Rennes and the Parliament of Brittany.
Dinan is one of the most impressive medieval cities in Brittany. It has one of the most preserved central down town with several kinds of timber frame buildings from the 15th to the 17th century. Dinan is located on a 75 meters (220 feet) cliff. From the British Garden near the Saint-Sauveur Basilica you will enjoy the most impressive view of the river Rance and have a very good idea about the trade and the wealth that entered the city from the river port.
Dinan is still surrounded by impressive city walls dating from the 13th century, when it was the Dukes of Brittany territory and you can still notice, in the design of the city, the conception of the society itself that was called feudal society with the three social classes known as the Clergy, the Nobility and the “Third World” (everyone that was not part of the Clergy and the Nobility).
To end this private visit you will enjoy a tasting of local or national products (Breton Whisky, Cider, Calvados or Wine…) with passionate and friendly “caviste”.
Then you will head to Rennes the capital city of Brittany.
You will enjoy with your private guide a walking tour of the historical and classified city center. You will see one of the highest density of timber frame buildings.
You will have a private guided visit of the Parliament of Brittany nowadays used as the Court of Justice designed by Salomon De Brosse the architect of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris known as the Senate.
In 1720 a big fire was set in the streets of Rennes, it lasted 6 days and destroyed 40% of the city. Gabriel, the architect of the Concorde Square in Paris redesigned most of the areas after that terrible fire.
After such great day your private guide will take you back to your accommodation.
