Vitre

Vitre stood on the eastern march of Brittany when Brittany was a separate duchy, and its castle is built to a triangular plan on a spur above the Vilaine, with pointed towers and a gatehouse that has appeared on a great many book covers. The town below kept an unusual density of timber-framed houses, including the Rue de la Baudrairie where leatherworkers lived and the long arcaded galleries called porches on the Rue Poterie. Vitre grew rich on hemp cloth exported through Saint-Malo. The Chateau des Rochers-Sevigne outside town was the country house of Madame de Sevigne, who wrote many of her letters there.

What you actually see

• The triangular castle - pointed towers on a spur above the river.
• The Rue de la Baudrairie - a dense street of timber-framed houses.
• The arcaded porches - covered galleries along the old trading streets.
• Les Rochers-Sevigne - Madame de Sevigne's country house nearby.

When to go

April to October; the castle museum closes some days in low season. The town is quiet even in summer compared with coastal Brittany, which is part of its appeal.

Honest expectations

The castle interior is largely a municipal museum rather than furnished rooms. Les Rochers-Sevigne is a few kilometres out and needs a car. Some timber-framed streets are short.

Nearby

Fougeres lies north; Rennes is west.