City guide
What to do in Dinan: the complete guide
The ramparts, the Rue du Jerzual, the clock tower, the castle, the port on the Rance and the Abbaye de Léhon: what to do in Dinan, a beautiful medieval town in Côtes-d’Armor.
6 min read
Dinan is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Brittany. Perched above the Rance, it can be visited in a day, and deserves a night to see it in the evening, once the streets empty.
The ramparts
Nearly three kilometres of walls still surround the old town, with their towers and gates. The Jardin Anglais, behind the Basilique Saint-Sauveur, offers the finest view of the Rance and the viaduct.
The Rue du Jerzual and the port
Dinan’s most famous street runs steeply downhill, between half timbered houses and craft workshops, to the port. At the bottom, terraces line the Rance; head back up via the Rue du Petit-Fort, just as beautiful.
What to see in Dinan
VillageDinan, historic centreDinan · A full day recommended, half a day minimumDinan unfolds more than two kilometres of ramparts, half-timbered houses, a castle, a basilica, the Rue du Jerzual and a port on the Rance, in one of the most spectacular medieval ensembles in Brittany.
CastleChâteau de DinanDinan · 1 h 30The Château de Dinan is a 14th-century tower palace where “ghost” furniture and experimental archaeology bring the life of a princely residence back to life.
VillageLéhonDinan · 1 hour 30 to 3 hours, half a day with the banks of the Rance or DinanOn the edge of Dinan, Léhon brings together a Benedictine abbey, an old bridge, flowery lanes, a hilltop castle and a walk along the Rance in one of the most harmonious villages in the Côtes-d’Armor.- MuseumMusée 39-45, Dinan-LéhonLéhon · 1 h 30 to 2 hours, longer to read the documents and look at the collectionsIn Léhon, on the edge of Dinan, more than 20,000 Second World War objects displayed over about 1,000 m²: uniforms, vehicles, artillery, the Resistance and a life-size reconstructed blockhouse.
The clock tower and the castle
The clock tower is climbed by a narrow staircase: at the top, the panorama over the roofs is the finest in town. The castle, with its keep known as Duchess Anne’s, houses the Dinan museum.
Léhon, along the towpath
From the port, the towpath follows the Rance to Léhon, a small town of character with its stone bridge and abbey. A flat walk of half an hour.
The markets of Dinan
- MarketGrand marché de DinanDinan · 1 to 2 hoursOn Thursdays from 8 am to 1 pm, the big Dinan market, voted the most beautiful market in Brittany in 2024, fills Place Duguesclin and Place du Champ-Clos.
- MarketMarché du samediDinan · 1 to 2 hoursSaturday market in Dinan, on Saturdays, Rue Carnot and Rue de l’Horloge.
The main market takes place on Thursday morning, on Place Duguesclin and Place du Champ-Clos.
Around Dinan
Saint-Malo and Dinard are half an hour away, at the mouth of the Rance. On the way, Saint-Suliac, one of the most beautiful villages in France, looks out over the estuary.
Less than half an hour away
VillageSaint-SuliacSaint-Suliac · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with the Mont Garrot and the peninsula trailSaint-Suliac gathers its granite houses and flowery lanes around a small harbour on the Rance, overlooked by the Grainfollet oratory and the Mont Garrot.
Heritage siteSaint-Malo Intra-MurosSaint-Malo · A dayA walled city entirely encircled by 1,754 metres of granite ramparts, facing the Channel, to the rhythm of the highest tides in Europe.
CastleChâteau de la HunaudayePlédéliac · 1 h 30Surrounded by water and forest, La Hunaudaye is a great ruined fortress where towers, curtain walls and traces of living quarters tell seven centuries of history.- MuseumArchéoMusée CoriosolisCorseul · 1 h 30 for the museum, 3 hours to half a day with the three ArchéoSitesIn Corseul, the former capital of the Coriosolites, a museum fully renewed in 2026 to understand the Roman city through excavated objects, models, interactive displays and virtual reality. Three major archaeological sites complete the visit.
Where to stay in Dinan
Stay in Dinan
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