Dinan

We stopped over at Dinan and walked into the city down the river La Rance and was amazed by its medieval charm. Dinan is a town that overlooks the Rance river and has a 14th-century castle and ramparts. It also has many half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets that make you feel like you’re in a fairy tale.

We enjoyed walking along the Rue du Jerzual, which is a steep street that connects the town to the port. Also, we visited the Saint-Sauveur basilica, which has a mix of different architectural styles and contains the heart of Bertrand Du Guesclin, a famous knight who fought against the English. Dinan is an enchanting place to visit, but I have to warn you… it’s not very friendly to people who have bad knees, hate stairs or steep hills. The town is built on a hill (a big hill) and you have to walks up some pretty steep inclines to get around. We learned that the hard way when we tried to reach the Tour de l’Horloge, a 15th-century belfry that offers a great view of the town. Almost gave up halfway, but I’m glad we made it to the top. It was worth it, even though we had to rest for an hour afterwards (we called it lunch).