medieval walled town of guerande

JPN73

Charming nice city, also typical of french charm. Do not miss it. Take the time to walk throuigh the small streets

MarcioRosa

The medieval walled town of Guerande is one of the best preserved in France and the wall built between the 14th and 16th centuries with more than 1,400 meters long is in perfect state of preservation. There are 10 towers and four gates around the walls, and the main access is through "La porte de Saint Michel" and can be seen at his side, remnants of the moat that protected the city. The oldest building in the city is the "Chapelle Notre Dame de La Blanche" built in Gothic style in the 14th century but the main attraction is the church of Saint Aubin with its beautiful stained glass windows. Furthermore, you can find some souvenir shops, a few restaurants and patisseries along the way. The nearest city is Saint Nazaire.

Pollux23

In the City of Guerande is a walled medieval city which seems to be as a few hundred years ago. Sure, there's a lot of tourism, tourists and high prizes for dining, but the architecture is great. If you are there, pay a visit. Entrance is free of charge.

204PaulR204

Guerande is just a wonderful walled town near the Brittany coast. If you have ever been to Carcassonne then this is a smaller better version of it. The walled town itself has all the usual gift shops and really good restaurants (see my review for the Au Gre des Marees. Guerande.) Down side if you need it, is no ATM's in the walled part but tourist information pointed us in the right direction.Plus side, a lot of the parking in the area is free and the visit itself is really interesting and worthwhile the effort of going there. A lot of the shops also sell the local salt from the salt marshes, but to be honest it is much better to do a trip to them and get it there and see how they get it!

Roos_Biddulph

Guérande is a very special medieval city. Just don't go there when a festival is going on. Too crowded. Plus sides: parking is free, you'll find nice restaurants and delicious icecreams, and of course the striped t-shirts that are sort of mandatory in this area :-)

rswoods

Prized from our holiday complex on one of the few cloudy days we had, we decided to drive out and visit the local area in search of a suitable attraction. Finding Geurande on the map we headed off not knowing what we would find but with a plan b, c, and d if the location was disappointing. What a surprise, a wonderful authentic medieval walled town to while away a few hours, lots of photo opportunities and a large number of eateries to rest and soak up the atmosphere.

705TonyW705

This is a superb walled town, so interesting, with lots of nice shops most of them selling salt in various forms.

aroperofmischief

If you get the chance, do visit this quaint medieval city. It has a lovely atmosphere and has many small shops of all sorts and a church set on the centre. We stopped on our way through and we're not disappointed, even the tourist information were helpful too sorting out our postal query. Would we visit again, well in fact we did for dinner the following evening in a small restaurant doing just fish and it was a lovely evening.

FreshEire

Authentic features and worth a visit although the businesses located inside the city walls almost all are aimed at taking advantage of the tourist passing trade...

ger_in_clare

A fabulously preserved medieval wall encloses this lovely little town, complete with a moat and multiple entry-points. It's quite touristy, but very pretty, and the French do touristy so well that touristy is OK :-)

Mikael_C_N

This is a gem of a place which reaches back in time, inside the walls things have gotten modern with all sorts of both tourist traps and real good shops and restaurants. Crowded in summer. packed at holiday times just because it is so real. You can walk right around the partially moated water filled with fish, city walls in less than 1/2 hour taking in the sights that must have confronted the raiders from the sea, in those days not far away. It is one of the only completely walled cities in France and well worth your visit to see how people used to live in such a city.

Eliza50

Enjoyed our off-season visit to Guerande (October ) and we were pleasantly surprised to find the walled city to be so lovely. The shops were varied and fun. Of course, a great place to purchase your sel de Guerande. Beautiful church and ramparts!

liatigger

It depends on how many of these little fortified villages you've visited. This one is lovely to stroll about but it is small. I rated it average because I've visited many with more charm, and some truly exceptional. If this is your first, enjoy.

retired-ish

As other reviewers have noted, this is a magnet for tourists so out-of-season is a good time to go. Even in high season, you can get away from the crowds in the back streets which are well preserved or sit outside a cafe on the main square and just watch the world go by.Guerande is handy for the salt pans in the surrounding area. If you're buying Fleur du Sel or gros sel, it's slightly cheaper at a roadside stall.An easy half-day excursion to Le Croisic is worth the trip. Again, it's busy and geared to the tourist trade but it's a pretty harbour with some easy walks along the headland (and a little supermarket which opens Sunday morning).

140EricW

Guérande is a beautiful town that lives from tourism and its salt marshes. Expect the typical streets where every shop sells the same type of souvenirs. The Walls can be walked upon but there is a 3€ fee. Great market, fresh vegetables and local fruits on saturday.