Things to Do in Vannes, France: Walking Guide

Vannes is a historic city in Brittany, France, known for its medieval houses, religious landmarks, museums and reminders of the Dukes of Brittany. Exploring its old town reveals an unusually rich collection of buildings and details, from the Gothic Vannes Cathedral to the colourful carving of Vannes et sa femme. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Vannes with 26 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Vannes

The best things to do in Vannes are concentrated around its historic centre, where grand townhouses, churches, former market buildings and half-timbered façades follow one another along the streets.

Château de l’Hermine

The Château de l’Hermine was originally a small fortress built into the city walls. Between the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it served as the main residence of the Dukes of Brittany, who governed their duchy from Vannes before moving their court to Nantes.

The original fortress was dismantled after falling into ruin in the seventeenth century. The building standing there today is an eighteenth-century townhouse known as the Hôtel Lagorce, but the name Château de l’Hermine remains attached to the site.

Vannes et sa femme

One of the most distinctive details in the old town is a polychrome stone carving set into the façade of a half-timbered house. Known as Vannes et sa femme, or “Vannes and his wife”, it depicts the busts of a couple.

The carving probably dates from the sixteenth century. Its small scale and position among the historic façades make it an easy detail to miss, so it is worth looking closely as you walk.

Château-Gaillard and the Maison de Saint-Vincent

Château-Gaillard is an elegant early fifteenth-century townhouse, originally built as a private mansion, or hôtel particulier. It later served as a residence of the Parliament of Brittany and has housed the Museum of History and Archaeology since 2000.

The building belongs to the Société polymathique du Morbihan, a learned society dedicated to preserving the region’s heritage. Its collections cover the history and archaeology of Vannes and the surrounding Morbihan region.

Nearby, the Maison de Saint-Vincent adds another example of medieval domestic architecture. This traditional half-timbered house contributes to the character of the surrounding historic quarter.

Musée de la Cohue

The Musée de la Cohue is Vannes’s Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a building that dates from the thirteenth century. The structure originally served as a market hall belonging to the Duke of Brittany. The name “La Cohue” is traditionally used in western France for this type of market building.

Its functions changed over the centuries: it became a courtroom and later served as the seat of the Breton Parliament. In the seventeenth century, massive pillars and vaulting reinforced the structure. After renovations, it opened as an art museum in 1982. The building has been listed as a historic monument since 1929, and the museum has the official Musée de France label.

Vannes Cathedral

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter. It is the seat of the Bishop of Vannes and also holds the title of basilica minor.

The present Gothic church was built between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its history reaches further back: a Romanesque bell tower from the thirteenth century was preserved and incorporated into the later building, making the cathedral the result of seven centuries of construction. Inside are a nave with ten side chapels, a transept with unequal arms, and a choir surrounded by an ambulatory with an axial chapel.

Chapelle Saint-Yves

The Chapelle Saint-Yves is a seventeenth-century Catholic chapel in the centre of Vannes. It was built as the church of the Jesuit college next to it, giving the site a direct connection with the city’s religious and educational history.

Place Maurice-Marchais and the equestrian statue of Arthur III

Place Maurice-Marchais brings together two prominent civic landmarks. The Hôtel de Ville, or city hall, was constructed between 1880 and 1886. It houses part of the city’s municipal services, while other services are located at the municipal administrative centre on Rue Joseph Le Brix.

Across from the city hall stands a bronze equestrian statue of Arthur III of Brittany, also known as the Constable of Richemont. Created by the sculptor Arthur Le Duc, the statue was completed in 1903 and inaugurated in 1905.

Hôtel de Limur

The Hôtel de Limur, also called the Hôtel des Douves, is a historic private mansion near the former moats of the city. It is an example of an hôtel particulier, the type of grand urban townhouse associated with French aristocratic life.

Église Saint-Patern

The Église Saint-Patern stands in the neighbourhood that bears its name. This Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Saint Patern, identified as the first bishop of Vannes in the fifth century. Its connection with this foundational figure gives the church an important place in the city’s religious history.

Chapelle Saint-Guen

The Chapelle Saint-Guen is a former priory chapel. Today, what remains is a ruin, but the site once belonged to a small religious community attached to a larger abbey.

Calvaire du Rohic

At Le Rohic, on the outskirts of Vannes, the Chapelle Notre-Dame du Rohic stands beside the Calvaire du Rohic. The calvary is a traditional Breton religious monument located immediately next to the chapel, forming a small but distinctive pair of sites.

Other religious landmarks

Vannes also preserves several quieter religious buildings. The Couvent des Dames de la Retraite was founded as a place of prayer, contemplation and retreat. The Église protestante unie de France de Vannes represents the city’s Protestant tradition, while the Maison de Saint-Yves is a historic house in the centre.

A Vannes Self-Guided Walking Tour with Neywo

A Vannes self-guided walking tour is an easy way to connect the city’s landmarks without following a group or a fixed timetable. Neywo has two walking tours in Vannes:

• Dukes, Market Halls and Half-Timbered Faces: 1.34 km, 106 minutes and 12 narrated stops. It includes Château de l’Hermine, Vannes et sa femme, Château-Gaillard, the Musée de la Cohue, Vannes Cathedral, Chapelle Saint-Yves, the equestrian statue of Arthur III, the Hôtel de Ville and Hôtel de Limur.
• Through the Saint-Vincent Gate: Port, Convent and Patron Saints: 1.72 km, 58 minutes and 6 narrated stops. Its stops include Maison de Saint-Yves, the Église protestante unie de France de Vannes, the Couvent des Dames de la Retraite and the Église Saint-Patern.

Download Neywo and Explore Vannes at Your Own Pace

Download Neywo to explore Vannes with two walking tours, covering 3.06 km in total, with 18 tour stops. The app has 26 narrated places in the city, and each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Vannes is in Brittany, in France. If you are planning a wider trip through the region, you can also continue to Saint-Malo or Rennes.