Josselin Castle

Josselin presents two entirely different faces. From the Oust, it is a defensive wall of grey schist with three round towers rising straight out of the water, the surviving fragment of a much larger medieval castle that Richelieu had partly demolished in 1629. From the courtyard behind, it is late Gothic and Renaissance work in granite, carved so finely around the windows and balustrade that the stone reads like lace. The Rohan family has held it since the fifteenth century and still lives in part of it, which is why only some rooms open. The stables house a museum of dolls from the family collection.

What you actually see

• The river front - three round towers rising from the Oust.
• The carved courtyard - late Gothic granite worked like lace.
• The furnished rooms - the parts of the family house that open.
• The doll museum - several hundred dolls in the old stables.

When to go

April to October; the castle closes in winter apart from occasional dates. Guided tours are the only way into the interior and run at set times. The canal towpath is pleasant in summer.

Honest expectations

Only a few rooms are open because the family lives here, and entry is by timed guided tour, in French unless an English tour is scheduled. The doll museum is a separate ticket element.

Nearby

Rochefort-en-Terre lies south; Vannes is southwest.