ILLE-ET-VILLAINE

GENERAL INFORMATION

Ille-et-Vilaine is a département in the région of Bretagne and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan, and Côtes-d'Armor, as well as the English Channel on the north.  Its major rivers running through it are the Ille, the Vilaine, the Rance and the Couesnon.

Ille-et-Vilaine has a relatively short coastline known as La Côte d'Emeraude (the Emerald Coast), which stretches along the north coast of Brittany, from St. Malo to the Bay of Mont St. Michel.

HISTORY

Ille-et-Vilaine was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Brittany.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

The old walled town of St.Malo is one of the country's great attractions. The rampart walls conceal a charming town known for good restaurants and pavement cafés.

Cancale, on the Emerald Coast, first became famous for its oysters which were supplied to royal tables in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Today, the seafront of the "oyster capital" is packed with restaurants offering the pied de cheval flat variety, sometimes so substantial they are eaten with a knife and fork. The town is not as pretty as some, but the scale and variety of the seafood make a very pleasant lunchtime visit.

Dol de Bretagne is the first town of note when travelling from Normandy and is a good base for exploring the countryside, forest and historic towns nearby. St Samson cathedral is a bit of a hotch-potch of styles externally but inside it is simple harmony with superb 13th century stained glass in the choir. Grande Rue and Rue Lejamptel form the heart of the town with some fine medieval houses.

A short walk along the Promenade des Douves gives good views over the Dol marshes. Towards Vivier sur Mer. Le Mont Dol is a dome like lump of granite which rises out of the marshland to 65 metres. It was an ancient Druid ritual site but its summit is now popular for picnics.

The château in Fougères is one of the best preserved in France and is open from June to September. The nearby forest of Fougères is good for walkers and has marked trails along the river bank or by St. François lake.

The walled town, Intra Muros, is packed with atmosphere with its colourful pavement cafés and chic boutiques. Out of season is more enjoyable for strolling along the ramparts before choosing one of the numerous restaurants in Rue Jacques Cartier or Rue Sainte Barbe.

The fort national, built by Vauban, is accessible at low tide, it is open when the French tricolor is flying above the fortifications. This is a great centre for water sports, including sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and scuba diving.

The walk from the famous Cancale rock up to the Pointe du Grohin gives superb views of Mont St Michel on a clear day.

Rennes is considered the rock capital of France, and with a large student population, the atmosphere is young with a huge number of bars and a very lively nightlife. A walk around old, pre-fire Rennes is recommended: Les Portes Mordelaises (the 15th century ramparts), St Pierre cathedral and the 16th century architecture of Place des Lices.  The Saturday morning market is one of the largest in France and a real spectacle.