Treguier travel guide

Visit Treguier (Brittany, France)

Tréguier is a town in the Cotes d'Armor department to the north of Brittany, a little way inland from the scenic 'Cote de granit rose'.

A small town on a hill above the River Jaudy at its confluence with the river Guindy, Treguier has an attractive historical centre, a consequence of the trade in flax and hemp which brought wealth to Tréguier in the Middle Ages and a trade made possible by the river port in the town, which gives easy access to the English Channel.

Explore Treguier

France This Way review: the main square in Treguier, with its medieval houses and cathedral, is the principal reason to visit the town.

Your visit to Tréguier will focus mostly in the streets between the Place de la Republique (parking available) and the pleasure port on the Gaudy river, with Place Martray (next to the cathedral) in the centre of the old district. The tourist office is on the Place de General de Gaulle near the pleasure port at the end of Rue Renan.

In the town centre you can see numerous 15th and 16th century colombage houses, as well as some suitably imposing granite townhouses - the historic centre of Treguier is now a protected zone, and contains many individual listed historic monuments, especially in rue Colvestre, Rue des Perdreries and rue Ernest Renan.

As you explore, take a look at the decorative elements of the houses, and the way the upper stories of the half-timbered houses often overhang the lower stories - a technique for providing shelter to the lower parts of a building.

One of the best known - and perhaps the most beautiful - of the half-timbered houses in Treguier was birthplace to the reputed (and controversial) 19th century writer Ernest Renan, and is now a museum celebrating his life, including a recreation of his work studio. The building is listed as one of the 85 French National Monuments.

There are also cafes in the town centre where you can take a pause as you admire the houses and cathedral.

Tréguier is also well known for its gothic style cathedral. The 14th century Cathedral Saint-Tugdual is an imposing architectural masterpiece, best known for having three towers running above the transept, each a different style. One of the towers is a remnant from the roman style cathedral that previously stood here. The cathedral also has a lovely cloister dating from the 15th century: see Treguier cathedral.

To the south of the town centre on Rue Gambetta, the Chapelle des Paulines has been restored and is now used, during the months of summer, as a temporary exhibition space.

After exploring the town centre you can head back to the east to explore this part of Tréguier with a stroll around the pleasure port.

Although the port is rather less impressive than we had expected - the town centre is the main attraction in Treguier - there are a lot of pretty medieval houses along rue Ernest Renan, including some imposing houses at the bottom of the street, so we recommend you follow the road to here.

Market day in Treguier is wednesday.

Activities close to Tréguier

Boat trips from Tréguier port are a popular way to explore the river, whether on organised boat trips of by hiring a canoe for the afternoon.

Tréguier is also a good place for exploring the surrounding coastline, enjoying the scenery along the Coast of Pink Granite, and for excursions to the Isle of Bréhat.

You can find more travel ideas in the Cotes-d'Armor guide and the Brittany guide.