Audio Guide Dinan

Dinan

Places researched in this city

A selection of the 25 places we've researched in this city. The full set is in the Parroo app.

• Medieval ramparts
• Gothic basilica
• Clock tower
• Cobbled medieval streets
• Riverside port
• Equestrian monument

• 01

  Ramparts of Dinan

  At 3.2 kilometers long and enclosing 30 hectares, Dinan's medieval walls once made it one of the three largest fortified places in Brittany, alongside Rennes and Nantes. Initiated by Duke Jean I in the 13th century and later upgraded for artillery between 1476 and 1488, they remain one of the most complete medieval circuits in western France.

• 02

  Dinan Castle

  The ducal tower, completed in 1393, climbs 45 meters and combines a fortress with a residence in a single structure, reflecting the ambitions of the Dukes of Brittany who rebuilt it after supporting the losing side in the War of Breton Succession. It later served as a prison before the town of Dinan acquired it in 1906 and turned it into a museum.

• 03

  Clock Tower

  Dinan's 43-meter granite clock tower was built by the town's wealthy bourgeoisie in the late 15th century as a municipal hall and fire-watch point, then elevated to a belfry in 1507 when Duchess Anne of Brittany had a clock and a bell installed. The bell, named "Anne," had to be recast in 1906 and still rings today.

• 04

  Basilica of Saint-Sauveur

  The basilica's nave dates to the late 12th century, its Gothic additions began in 1480, and the building ended up mixing Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance elements across several centuries of construction. Inside, it holds the cenotaph of Bertrand du Guesclin, the Breton constable who became one of the most celebrated commanders of the Hundred Years' War.

• 05

  Jerzual Street

  For centuries this 500-meter cobbled lane with a 35% gradient was the only route for goods moving between Dinan's port on the Rance and the fortified upper town, a daily ordeal for carts and livestock that ended only when the viaduct opened in 1852. The half-timbered houses lining it date from the 15th to the 18th century and were largely the homes of the merchants who profited from that trade.

• 06

  House of the Harp

  This ornate Renaissance timber-frame building was not originally from Dinan at all: it was constructed in 1559 in Lanvollon, near Saint-Brieuc, suffered a fire there in 1933, was dismantled in 1934, purchased by the town of Dinan in 1936, and then reassembled here with its facades reversed so the carved decorations face outward. It now houses a museum dedicated to the Celtic harp.

• 07

  Artist's House of the Grande Vigne

  The site began as a monastic vineyard documented in the 11th century, became a girls' school under a Miss Mac Callum in the late 19th century, and was transformed from 1937 onward by the artist Yvonne Jean-Haffen into a studio and gathering place for painters. She eventually donated the house and its 5,000 works to the town, and it opened as a museum in 1994.

• 08

  18 more places to discover

  In the Parroo app