What to see and do in Brest

Set at the mouth of the River Penfeld and overlooking the Rade de Brest – a vast natural bay providing enough safe anchorage to accommodate an entire fleet – Brest is both the capital of Brittany’s Finistère region, and the second largest naval base in France, after Toulon. Rudolf Abraham explores what to see and do in Brest.

Brest is not your typical Breton town, brimming with pretty half-timbered houses (head to nearby Quimper for a suitably splendid dose of these). Aside from the stupendously impressive castle, Brest is almost entirely modern – having been more or less completely levelled by Allied bombing in WW2. But it’s a town with stacks of character, and plenty of culture – think an unexpected mix of naval heritage, urban regeneration and a sprinkling of surfy aesthetics – and there’s more than enough in and around Brest to fill a few days of exploring, with plenty of delicious local seafood and other good Breton fare, from street food to Michelin-starred fine dining.

It might be set towards the far-flung western tip of Brittany, but Brest is a still a doddle to reach from the UK, just 4 hours from Paris by train, or 12km from Brest Bretagne Airport. More enjoyably, I took the ferry, travelling overnight to Saint-Malo with Brittany Ferries, and continuing by train via Rennes – arriving in Brest just in time for lunch.

What to see and do in Brest

The Château de Brest sprawls above the left bank of the River Penfeld – enormously imposing, it will probably leave you wondering why you haven’t seen photos of it plastered all over the place. One reason is that at the centre of the massive castle walls, stand the rather handsome buildings of the Maritime Prefecture of the French Navy – so photos pointing in that direction are prohibited. Never mind, there are plenty of other parts of the castle to snap at.

The Romans built a fort on the site of the present Château – a section of Roman walls can still be seen at the base of the medieval walls. It passed back and forth between France and England during the Hundred Years War, became a key fortress of the Dukes of Brittany from the 15th century, before Vauban was commissioned to bolster and elaborate its stupendous defences when Brest became a naval port in the 17th century. The Château also houses the excellent Musée National de la Marine. One of the highlights of the large collection is a group of genuinely spectacular wooden statues which once decorated ships, the work of local 18th century sculptor Yves Etienne Collet.

*View from the ramparts of the Château de Brest*

From the ramparts you get a bird’s eye view of the mouth of the River Penfeld and the bridge which spans it, the Pont de Recouvrance. And it’s the bridge, not the castle, which is actually the most iconic sight in Brest.

The Pont de Recouvrance is a vertical-lift bridge, its central section able to be raised by four massive motors to allow tall ships to pass underneath, and allowing access to the huge naval dry docks just upstream from the bridge. Built to replace the old 19th century bridge which was destroyed in the Allied bombings of 1944, it was designed to make an impression, appropriate for a town emerging from the ashes of war. And it’s quite a sight. With its 70m-high concrete pylons, it was at the time of its opening in 1954 the tallest vertical-lift bridge in Europe (that title now goes to the Pont Gustave-Flaubert in Rouen, completed in 2008). ‘It always reminds me of a guillotine,’ a local said to me, and I have to admit the comparison is a very appropriate one.

*Fanny de Laninon and Jean Quéméneur at the Pont de Recouvrance which ‘looks like a guillotine’ © Rudolf Abraham*

At the near end of the bridge, you’ll find L’arbre Empathique, a 12m-high metallic sculpture of a tree by Spanish architect Enric Ruiz Geli. Or rather, it’s only a shell – look closer and you’ll see living plants growing inside and sprouting through the lattice-like surface. And at the far end of the bridge, you can’t miss the rather fun sculpture of Fanny de Laninon and Jean Quéméneur, characters from two popular old sailor’s songs which are here combined in a single moment, with Fanny grabbing Jean’s shirt-front to stop him from toppling backwards over the wall. Nearby and dominating the right bank of the Penfeld at this point is the Tour Tanguy, a 14th century tower, home to the Musée du Vieux Brest.

Just upriver from the bridge on the right bank, stands Les Ateliers des Capucins – a former Vauban-built convent site, later a naval barracks and then ship repair workshops, now transformed into a vibrant cultural centre with galleries, workshops, a cinema, bars and eateries. The terrace along the side, where tables spill out into the sunshine, is perhaps the al fresco drinking spot in the city. On my first evening in Brest, I settled myself in at Fabrik 1801, ordered some street food, and made the most of the extensive list of Breton craft beers (never, ever miss an opportunity to try a glass of Duchesse Anne Triple).

*Brest is home to France’s first urban cable car © Rudolf Abraham*

Getting to the Atelier des Capucins is half the fun. The cable car or Téléphérique de Brest crosses the Penfeld between the Ateliers des Capucins and the left bank, passing high above the river – opened in 2016, it was France’s first urban cable car, and the views are fantastic.

I mentioned that apart from the castle very little of Brest survived the bombings of WW2. That ‘very little’ is Rue Saint-Malo, a narrow, cobbled street hidden away down some steps near the Atelier des Capucins, with oversized potted plants, artist’s ateliers a few contented-looking cats.

From the Château it’s also worth heading along the tree-lined Cours d’Ajot to the imposing WW1 Naval Monument, which overlooks the Port de Commerce – the latter revealing another completely different face of Brest, where you’ll find street art and bustling cafés facing the port area across Quai de la Douane.

The town’s lively Sunday market, the Marché Saint-Louis, is definitely worth a morning stroll. Stalls fill the streets around the Église Saint-Louis (whence, obviously, the name) – indulge in some hearty local sausages and potatoes, or stop at Coquillages Salomé for fresh oysters and a crisp glass of Muscadet. I recommend you bring a bag to carry off some fresh produce for a picnic!

Finally, Brest is the gateway to an incredibly beautiful stretch of coastline – and if you fancy a swim, jump on the number 2 bus and head out to the popular Plage de Sainte-Anne. From here I followed a section of the famous Brittany Coast Path, walking above cliffs and past forts, to the iconic Petit Minou lighthouse, next to a popular surfing beach where waves curled in below rugged cliffs. Then it was back to Plage de Sainte-Anne, where the Du Bois made for a welcome watering hole at one end of the beach, with a nice, sun-soaked terrace.

Brest sees far fewer visitors than better-known cities like Saint-Malo or Rennes – but it’s a wonderfully rewarding corner of Brittany which is well worth exploring.

Information symbol brest-metropole-tourisme.fr

Rudolf Abraham is an award-winning travel writer, photographer, author of over a dozen books and has contributed to many more, and his articles and images are published widely in magazines. rudolfabraham.com