Wandering around Concarneau, Brittany, France. An absolute gem of a beautiful, historic walled town

We visited Concarneau in September 2024. It is a gem, a vibrant, historic and fascinating walled town and more; a must see. Concarneau is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in Northwestern France It is the old town, the Ville Close, that stands on a rocky island a few metres off the coast in the harbour and is reached by a drawbridge, that is most interesting part of Concarneau for visitors, with a main street lined by attractive buildings and many shops and restaurants. The origins of the Ville Close date back to the 13th century and for the following centuries it was the centre of activity in Concarneau. This part of the old town is rather given over to tourism and as one of the most visited sites in Brittany can be a bit crowded in the height of summer - it is just 350 metres by 100 metres so there is not much space to squeeze everyone in! It is well worth a visit all the same since it is very attractive, with picturesque paved streets and square, and a mix of half-timbered and granite medieval houses. The fortifications around the Ville Close were already in place before they were substantially added to in the 15th century, and you can now walk around the ramparts, which have nice views across the ports and Concarneau bay. The old town is entered via a bridge and through a large stone gateway. Before the bridge was built the town could only be entered at low tide. This area is the most heavily fortified part of the Ville Close. Inside the Ville Close the main street, Rue Vauban, leads to the square, the Place Saint-Guénolé. This was the marketplace of the town and four of the houses around the square were built by shipowners. The wealth of the houses can be seen in the quality and regularity of the stone and the large facades. One even has two floors, a luxury as staircase construction was expensive! The main street was named in honour of Vauban in 1868 even though he was not involved in the building of the fortifications. There is also a fishing museum in the old town, where you can learn more of the importance of the industry to the town's history. The museum was originally the chapel of the military garrison. The town outside the ville Close is also interesting to explore, with the broad 18th century streets providing an interesting contrast to the narrow streets of the old town.The town expanded beyond the fortifications from 1850 onwards when new canning factories were built at Concarneau. In the early part of the 20th century there were 32 canning factories! Sardine fishing is still very important in Concarneau, however it has now been replaced by lobster fishing as the most lucrative fishing based here. The square tower of the corner of the port is an ice silo and produces up to 40 tonnes a day to keep the daily catch fresh. The fish market is next to the port. Fresh fish is on the menu of many of the Concarneau restaurants and the indoor market in Concarneau is a good source of fish, fruit and vegetables if you are staying and cooking in this part of Brittany. In the town you can walk along the sea front, the fishing port and the pleasure port, then if you would like to learn more about the life beneath the waves you can visit the Marinarium, a chance to discover the surprisingly diverse range of life forms that occupy the sea and coastline of Brittany. If possible, visit Concarneau during the last but one Sunday in August, when a colourful festival - the Festival of the Blue Nets - takes place.