Fougères Travel Guide

 
by balhannah
 
  •   Fougères
    by balhannah
  • Fougeres Castle
      Fougeres Castle
    by balhannah
  •   Things to Do
    by balhannah
  • Notre Dame Gate
      Notre Dame Gate
    by balhannah
  • Notre Dame Gate
      Notre Dame Gate
    by balhannah
 

Explore Fougères

Things to Do  

FOUGERES CASTLE

FOUGERES  CASTLE, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  WOW! This Castle has impressive walls is what I thought when I first saw it. The castle is Europe's largest fortress. The castle was first built just after 1000 AD in this part of the Nançon river valley to defend the frontiers of Brittany from Norman invasion. The castle... 

VIEWS FROM CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD

VIEWS FROM CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  A MUST DO, when visiting the Church, is to wander around the back to where the balustrades are.From here, there are fantastic views over the old part of the city and the gardens.You can see the Castle and all the ramparts from here.Pity I was facing the sun, the photo's... 

VAL NANCON GARDENS & CITY PARK

VAL NANCON GARDENS & CITY PARK, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  From the Place aux abres which is a public garden giving a terrific view of the castle of Fougeres and the medieval town way down below the gardens, there is a footpath which starts here and goes down to the medieval quarter below. The cliff has been terraced and gardened... 

THE TOWN BELFRY

THE TOWN BELFRY, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  Between Fougeres and Dinan towns belfries, the one at Fougeres is the oldest. This tall granite tower, built with stones and having a gothic balustrade, houses a bell which has been there since 1397. 

CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD

CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  High on the hill is the Church of Saint Leonard, the second oldest Church in Fougeres. It has been modified many times between the 12th and the 17th centuries, including being enlarged in the 19th century. The northern facade is decorated with balustrades and wonderful... 

TROMPE L'OEIL [Optical Illusion]

TROMPE L'OEIL [Optical Illusion], Fougères

 balhannah Says:  What an amazing sight was coming around a round-about at the bottom of Rue du Tribunal and seeing this giantic mural on the side of the building. It was so life like!The mural shows the architecture of Fougeres, including the glass roofs in place Jean Guehenno, the... 

STATUE OF GENERAL de le RIBOISIERE

STATUE OF GENERAL de le RIBOISIERE, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  The Statue of General de le Riboisiere (1759-1812) was of interest, because would you believe, THE ORIGINAL STATUE WAS MELTED DOWN IN 1942 TO BUILD CANONS!In 1999, they found the original plaster mould and a new statue was made and returned to its original site.He was born... 

ST. SULPICE CHURCH

ST. SULPICE CHURCH, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  This is an old Church, actually Fougeres 1st parish. It was built in gothic style in the 14th & 15th centuries, with the nice wooden chancel being added around the 16th - 18th centuries. Of importance here, was the discovery of the lost statue of Notre Dame des Marais [Our... 

NOTRE DAME GATE

NOTRE DAME GATE, Fougères

 balhannah Says:  There used to be four city gates that led into the City of Fougeres. Now, only one is left, and that is the Notre Dame Gate. It looks very sturdy like it will be around for a long time. Pedestrian's have a walk through area, and only one Car can pass through the gate at a... 

Chateau de Fougères

Chateau de Fougères, Fougères

 Carmanah Says:  When I first went to France, I spent about three days in the town of Fougères in Brittany. Like most French towns, Fougères has a medieval past, and many architectural structures still exist from this age. The Chateau de Fougères is just one of these remnants from the... 

Office de Tourisme

Office de Tourisme, Fougères

 grayfo Says:  Tourist Office that welcomes over 35,000 visitors per year that is a good source of maps and tourist information. Also available for sale within the office are the usual postcards, guides and books, gift ideas, regional specialities and local arts and crafts.November to... 

See the Church of St.-Sulpice

See the Church of St.-Sulpice, Fougères

 hquittner Says:  If you have time to see the old town (we did not), start by walking across the river tand in the valley is the church of St.-Sulpice start in 1410 and completed over 200 years later. There is a carving of the fairy Melusine on the South doorway (bot the side we could see... 

Hotels  

Balzac Hotel

 1 Review and 29 Opinions  A nice hotel to stay in.. We came to Fougeres late and hadn´t arranged a place to stay. We found... 

Citotel Les Voyageurs

 24 Opinions

Restaurants  

La Terrasse: more ice cream
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4.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

sue_stone 2318 reviews
just a small treat
1 more image

After a visit to the fabulous medieval castle, we wanted to relax for a while before moving onto our next destination. A café located just by the castle entrance/exit beckoned us with its shaded terrace - unsurprisingly it was called La Terrasse.

La Terrasse has a large terrace area at the front, plus more tables inside (and clean toilets!). Service was nothing great, but we were only here for afternoon tea so it didn't matter.

Favorite Dish: It was a warm day so it seemed the perfect time for ice cream! We all had a couple of scoops. The coffee and pistachio flavours were particularly tasty.

Alex & Chris also had a coffee, while I stuck to an icy cold Perrier.

Written Jul 26, 2006

Address: Place Pierre Symon, 35300 Fougeres

Phone: 02 99 94 28 05

Related to:
 Road Trip
 Castles and Palaces

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Transportation  

Driving in France
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4.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

sue_stone 2318 reviews
Fougeres street near the castle

In June/July 2006 we had a 9 day driving holiday in France. We caught a car ferry from Dover to Calais, drove down through Normandy, popped into Brittany and then caught the ferry back to Dover from Boulogne-sur-Mer.

We chose to take our own car over, as the cost of the ferry and petrol was significantly cheaper than flying from London and hiring a car in France. I also feel a lot more comfortable travelling in our own car as opposed to a hire car.

The only negative thing about driving our car in France is that it is a right hand drive car, and French cars are left hand drive, which means that tolls/tickets machines etc are on the wrong side of the car for the driver to operate…luckily I was able to assist in these duties from the passenger seat, but I do feel sorry for the solo traveller in these situations.

Driving in France is great. The roads are good and the sign posting is excellent. You can hoon along on the wide tollways/freeways, or travel along pretty coastal roads, soaking up the atmosphere of the French countryside. Just remember which side of the road you have to drive on if you come over from the UK.

Updated Apr 4, 2011

Related to:
 Road Trip

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Shopping  

Street Shopping: Not commercial here
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3 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

grayfo 1252 reviews

Although Fougères is a town without any major high street brands, it has lots of unique shops that help to keep the charm of this delightful town.

July 1990

Updated Feb 23, 2011

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Warnings and Dangers  

Not a danger, and not really a...
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Carmanah 937 reviews

Not a danger, and not really a warning, but if you're a beginner photographer (like I was back in 94 when I was 14) - remember the basic rule: don't face the sun when taking pictures!

Written Aug 24, 2002

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What to Pack  

Packing List
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Carmanah 937 reviews
Map of Fougeres in Bretagne.

Miscellaneous: When you visit each town and city, there are usually information centres where you can pick up free maps. Take one! They'll give you a visualization of the areas you're visiting. Not only that, but you can discover so much more with a map, and you won't get lost! Here's a map of the town of Fougeres in Bretagne.

Updated Nov 6, 2004

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Off The Beaten Path  

See A Megalithic Alignment Near Fougeres
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hquittner 2580 reviews
Close-up of part of Alignment
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As a dividend for our detour to Fougeres we were aware that we would be able to see our first Breton Stones. This whetted our appetite for future visits to this are of France. This is not Carnac of Stonehenge, but it is the real thing and it was our first view of this kind of atrefact. It is called the "Cordon des Druides". It is a line of 80 low quartzite stones about 300 m long in an alley in a birch forest. The tallest stone is about 2m high. It is reached by taking D117 Northeast from Fougeres . After 2.5 km , there is a road right marked "Cordon des Druides". At 0.7km a signpost left shows a footpath to this.

Written Nov 4, 2007

Related to:
 Seniors
 Family Travel

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Favorites  

Gardens with a view

Gardens with a view, Fougères

 sue_stone Says:  There are some lovely public gardens located in the upper town of Fougeres. You will find them just behind the Eglise St-Leonard.The gardens are beautifully maintained and a great place to relax for a while. From here there are fabulous views down to the lower town and... 

Fougères - a charming city in Bretagne

Fougères - a charming city in Bretagne, Fougères

 Carmanah Says:  When you're travelling through France, learn about the towns you visit! Even if you're not a packrat, pick up the free brochures and pamphlets each town and historical site offers to tourists. It usually provides background history on where you're visiting - things that you... 

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Map of Fougères