Fougeres
Fougeres is a town of two halves with the Chateau de Fougeres and the Medieval Quarter being the lower town and quite high above is the upper town which has been largely re-built following a fire in the 18th century.
If you start your visit in the upper town head first to the Tourist Information Office on the Place du Theatre. Here you can get a leaflet with a route to make sure you see all the main sights.
The Place du Theatre was formerly called the Place du brûlis (burnt) following the fires which destroyed a lot of the upper town. This was then rebuilt in granite using the style recommended by the then architect to the king - similar to the style of Rennes. The theatre itself has a more ornate, Italianate style and was inaugurated in 1886. The main street is the Rue Nationale and its granite austerity is softened by the paved floors and wrought iron balconies and by the sight of the Church of St Leonard and its attractive bell-tower at the end of the road. Down a side street from the Rue Nationale is the Belfry. In fact Fougeres and Dinan are the only two towns in Brittany which have a separate bell tower. That of Fougeres is the oldest and was built in 1397.
Also on the Rue Nationale is the Emmanuel de la Villeon Museum housed in a half-timbered building rare in the Upper Town. The museum contains paintings by Emmanuel de Villion, an Impressionist painter born in Fougeres.
Scattered around the town are the houses of various of Chateaubriand’s sisters, and he himself was a common visitor to the town. (He was considered to be the founder of Romanticism in French literature and was born is St Malo and grew up in Brittany).
The church of St Leonard was started in the 12th century, and later completed in an exuberant gothic style.
Now make your way to the Place aux abres which is a public garden and gives a terrific view of the castle of Fougeres and the medieval town way down below the gardens. There is a lovely footpath which starts here and goes down to the medieval quarter below. The cliff has been terraced and gardened along the way and so it is a lovely walk to do.
In the medieval quarter the castle dominates. The Chateau de Fougères is an imposing medieval castle with 13 towers. The castle is said to be the largest in Europe - it is certainly one of the most attractive. The ramparts originally were crossed by four gates but now only the Notre Dame gate remains. This is near the castle.
The medieval quarter has lots of beautiful half-timbered buildings. The Place du Marchix is where the cattle market used to be held in medieval times. The houses here date to the 16th and 17th century. The Rue des Tanneurs as the name implies was where many of the tanners lived and they used the water of the river Nancon for their work. The church of St Suplice is built in Flamboyant Gothic style in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Nearby is the Rue de la Pinterie with more half-timbered houses. This used to be the main street between the castle and the upper town. Make sure you admire the views of the chateau and the medieval quarter from the Jardin des Ramparts which is on this street. Take the Ruelle des Vaux on the left to the ramparts.
The forest on the edge of town (Forest de Fougères) is an 'ideal' woodland, with attractive pathways passing by various neolithic monuments. A lovely place for a walk and a picnic!
See more pictures of Fougeres
Photo contributed by Larraine Williams
Visit Fougeres (Brittany, Ille-et-Vilaine) travel, gites and hotels
Best Price Guaranteed
Reserve online, pay at the hotel
The Fougeres hotels listed feature descriptions, guest reviews, ratings, location maps, online booking etc. as well as the 'best-price' guarantee. The search for hotels in Fougeres is provided by booking.com. General holiday / vacation options- See Brittany gites for Fougeres gites - Holiday villages in Brittany Holidays nearbyLooking for something close by? See a wide choice of hotels, holiday villages and holiday rentals at: VisitSee Visit Fougeres for places to visit near Fougeres including: a detailed map, villages in bloom and most beautiful villages Find distances from Fougeres to other places in France and plan your route at France driving distances Airports near FougeresAngers airport at 125 km Dinard airport at 95 km Nantes airport at 133 km Nice airport at 1,012 km Rennes airport at 63 km Fougeres property for saleSee Brittany property for sale
|
|
||||||||||||
Tourist Classifications for Fougeres
- Listed as "Ville d'Art et Histoire" (ie focus on preserving the town heritage)
- Town is "Ville Fleurie category 4" (ie good attention to gardens and flowers)
Places to visit near Fougeres, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Fougeres.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
25 km: Vitre (Medieval town)
See also Fougeres (version Francais)
