City guide
What to do in Saint-Brieuc: the complete guide
The fortified cathedral, the old town, the port of Le Légué, the Pointe du Roselier, the bay and its nature reserve, Binic and Art Rock: what to do in and around Saint-Brieuc.
6 min read
The prefecture of Côtes-d’Armor, Saint-Brieuc is built on a plateau above its bay. People come for the old town, and above all for the coast around it, from Binic to the Pointe des Guettes.
The cathedral and the old town
The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, with its massive towers, looks like a fortress: it also served as a refuge. Around it, the Rue Fardel and Rue de Gouët keep their half timbered houses.
What to see in town
MuseumSaint-Brieuc Museum of Art and HistorySaint-Brieuc · 1 h 30 to 2 hours to see the three floors and the temporary exhibitionA free museum devoted to the Côtes-d’Armor: deep-sea fishing, underwater archaeology, rural life, linen, photography and how clichés about Brittany were built.- MarketGrand marché de Saint-BrieucSaint-Brieuc · 1 to 2 hoursOn Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 8 am to 1 pm, the big Saint-Brieuc market fills Place de la Résistance, Place du Martray and Place de la Grille: more than 100 stallholders on Saturdays.
FestivalArt Rock FestivalSaint-Brieuc · One evening to 3 daysArt Rock in Saint-Brieuc: music, dance, visual arts, street shows and food in the town centre. 44th edition: 14, 15 and 16 May 2027.
The port of Le Légué and the Tour de Cesson
At the bottom of the Gouët valley, the port of Le Légué lines up its shipowners’ houses along the quays. Above, the ruins of the Tour de Cesson watch over the entrance to the bay.
The bay and the Pointe du Roselier
The Bay of Saint-Brieuc is home to the largest nature reserve in Brittany, where thousands of birds spend the winter. The Maison de la Baie, in Hillion, offers nature outings. The Pointe du Roselier, in Plérin, has the finest view over the whole bay.
The bay and its viewpoints
ViewpointPointe du RoselierPlérin · 45 minutes for the view, 1 to 1 h 30 for the 3 km loop.A 360-degree view over the bay of Saint-Brieuc, with a viewpoint indicator, the GR34 and views of the Anse d’Yffiniac, the capes and the Goëlo coast.
ViewpointPointe des GuettesHillion · 45 minutes to 1 h 30.A lookout in the heart of the Baie de Saint-Brieuc Nature Reserve, with a viewpoint indicator and an exceptional panorama over the whole bay, its tidal channels and mussel farms.- WalkLa pointe du RoselierPlérin · 2 hoursA 7.6 km loop in Plérin around the Pointe du Roselier: the bay of Saint-Brieuc, a cannonball furnace, Martin-Plage and the Argantel chapel.
BeachPlage de la BancheBinic · 3 hours to a full dayIn Binic, La Banche is the town’s largest beach, with fine sand, a seawater pool, a beach club, games, pétanque, lifeguarded swimming, showers, drinking water and wheelchair access.
Art Rock, at Whitsun
Every Whitsun weekend, the Art Rock festival takes over the town centre with concerts, shows and exhibitions.
Around Saint-Brieuc
Binic and its Banche beach are a quarter of an hour away, Saint-Quay-Portrieux just after. To the east, Cap d’Erquy and Cap Fréhel are less than an hour away.
Less than an hour away
Natural siteCap d’ErquyErquy · 1 hour to half a dayPink sandstone cliffs, gorse and heather heathland, the Lacs Bleus and four wild beaches: 170 protected hectares on the bay of Saint-Brieuc, crossed by the GR34.
ViewpointCap FréhelPlévenon · 1 to 2 hours, more if you walk to the fort or along the GR34.One of Brittany’s great panoramas, with cliffs, heathland, an emerald sea and sweeping views over the north coast of Brittany.
VillageMoncontour-de-BretagneMoncontour · 2 hours to half a dayPerched on a height in the Côtes-d’Armor, Moncontour keeps ramparts, cobbled lanes, old houses and the church of Saint-Mathurin with its remarkable 16th-century stained glass.
VillageQuintinQuintin · 2 hours to half a dayQuintin packs a castle, a basilica, merchants’ houses and old lanes into a town whose history is deeply tied to the wealth of the linen trade.
Where to stay in Saint-Brieuc
Stay in Saint-Brieuc
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
Partner link: a booking made from this map may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Going further
Saint-Brieuc, in the journal
Our other city guides
- What to do in Saint-Malo: the complete guide
- What to do in Rennes: the complete guide
- What to do in Nantes: the complete guide
- What to do in Brest: the complete guide
- What to do in Vannes: the complete guide
- What to do in Quimper: the complete guide
- What to do in Dinan: the complete guide
- What to do in Carnac: the complete guide
- What to do in Concarneau: the complete guide
- What to do in Perros-Guirec: the complete guide
- What to do in Quiberon: the complete guide
- What to do in Dinard: the complete guide
- What to do in Lorient: the complete guide
- What to do in Saint-Nazaire: the complete guide
- What to do in Cancale: the complete guide
- What to do in Pornic: the complete guide
- What to do in Douarnenez: the complete guide
- What to do in Paimpol: the complete guide
- What to do around Rennes: 10 day trips
- What to do around Nantes: 10 day trips