Things To Do in Dinan

Dinan’s ramparts, which include 14 watchtowers and four gates, extend for almost 3.5km (2 miles) around the town. The tourist office provides a printed walking guide.

An authentic and appealing street is the sloping rue du Jerzual, flanked with 15th-century dwellings and shops with craftspeople selling their wares. In the middle is the Porte du Jerzual, a 13th- and 14th-century gate—you can still see traces of its drawbridge in the stone. In the direction of the river the street becomes rue du Petit-Fort and leads to the town’s small port and its Gothic style bridge.

Dinan has attracted craftspeople and artists for at least 20 years. The densest concentration of studios is along the rue du Jerzual, rue de la Chaux, and the rue l'Apport, where art objects are crafted from glass, wood, silk, leather, and clay. Our favorite shopping street is Jerzual. Other good streets include place des Merciers and place des Cordeliers. You may be able to buy an item directly from the artisan, but it's more efficient to visit galleries that sell objects by an assortment of the artisans. Check out Galerie Bleu Sonatine, 15 Grande Rue (tel. 02-96-39-38-26), where a wide cross-section of paintings and crafts helps provide perspective on the arts in Dinan.

The densest concentration of cafes and bars in Dinan lines the rue de la Cordonnerie, nicknamed la rue de la soif ("the street where you go when you're thirsty") by long-ago sailors.