Dinan

Dinan sits about seventy-five metres above the Rance behind nearly three kilometres of ramparts, among the most complete medieval walls in Brittany, with a fourteenth-century keep and a viaduct crossing the valley. The upper town is dense with half-timbered houses, several with overhanging jettied upper floors carried on posts over the pavement. The rue du Jerzual and rue du Petit Fort run down from the walls to the old port on the river, a steep cobbled descent lined with craft workshops, and the climb back is the part people remember. Bertrand du Guesclin, the fourteenth-century constable of France, fought a judicial duel here and his heart is buried in the town.

What you actually see

• The ramparts - nearly three kilometres of walls with a walkable circuit.
• Rue du Jerzual - a steep cobbled street of workshops down to the port.
• The keep - the fourteenth-century tower, climbable for views.
• The jettied houses - timber frames overhanging the street on posts.

When to go

April to October; the medieval festival in even-numbered years fills the town in July. The port is pleasant in the evening. Winter is quiet with reduced opening.

Honest expectations

The descent to the port is steep and the return climb harder than it looks. The town is crowded in July and August. Rampart access is partly restricted in places.

Nearby

Saint-Malo lies north; Dinard is northwest.