Dinan is where we stop next. It’s another historic Brittany town with impressive buildings and alleys and a well-preserved city wall. There are some of the oldest half-timbered houses in all of France here!
If you like historic old towns, you’ll get your money’s worth here 100%. There is something to discover at every corner.

Église Saint-Malo

Funnily enough, we are actually in Dinan but visit the church of Saint-Malo. There we were exploring just one night before (read our post on that here). We can’t figure out why this church is named like that, but of course we stop to have a look at the church from the inside.
The church was built at the end of the 15th century and, as is typical of the time, looks rather dark and a bit oppressive. However, over the years, smaller elements have been added everywhere, for example, the altar is kept quite modern. Not the big church highlight but certainly worth a visit.

Old Town of Dinan

In the old town of Dinan, there are several old half-timbered buildings along cobbled, narrow streets. Beautiful – fortunately many of them are still true to the original.
In the streets Rue de l’Apport and Rue de l’Horloge and on the squares Place des Merciers and Place des Cordeliers you will find most of the half-timbered houses from the 15th to 17th century.
The three oldest half-timbered houses from the 12th and 13th centuries stand at the corner of Rue de l’Apport and Rue de l’Horloge. Imposing wooden pillars support the oriels of the upper floors and form arcades on the first floor from which one can enter the small boutiques and cafes.

Tour de l’Horloge – bell and clock tower

On our way we pass the Tour de l’Horloge – the bell and clock tower. The octagonal tower rises strikingly above the mostly low houses of the city and enriches the historic townscape. With its 45m height, resp. 158 steps, you can enjoy a great panorama over the old town from the top. The clockwork inside the tower is from 1498 and is one of the oldest in Europe.

Basilica Saint-Sauveur

The most important and oldest church in the old town is the Basilica of Saint-Sauveur. It was built at the beginning of the 12th century and continuously expanded and rebuilt. In the 1950s, the church was elevated to the status of a basilica. The basilica houses a total of 14 chapels with smaller altar pieces, in addition to the large high altar. The different altar pieces show that the church has been renovated and extended in different styles over the years.

Porte du Jerzual

On the Rue du Jerzual we pass more neat little houses and come to a gate of the city wall, the Porte du Jerzual. Here we can really imagine how oxcarts and horsemen used to travel in and out of the city through the gate. Normally, it is also possible to climb the city wall from here. Unfortunately, this part of the city wall is currently being renovated, which is why we only have a view of the scaffolded wall from below.

We spend the rest of our visit to Dinan strolling through more alleys and looking at the many historic buildings. Behind every house corner another little treasure opens up and so we can enjoy ourselves wonderfully without many other attractions in Dinan.