Brest Audio Guided Walking Tour 3h30 and 27 Audio Comments

At the bottom of these stairs, you will arrive on a road in which the shelter Sadi Carnot is located. A great place of memory in Brest, this bomb shelter was built during the Second World War, between 1942 and 1943.

As you cross the Penfeld, look to your right. You have a great glimpse of one of the city’s historic monuments, the Lions Building. It is the building that is located in the recess, which is recognized by its military stone architecture and its nine round arches.

We are on Freedom Square, the real central square of the city of Brest! However, it was not always: in the past, it was even located outside the city fortifications, until the end of the 19th century.

It was in 1877 that this neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic church was born in the heart of the Saint Martin district. It was named after the mayor of Brest at the time, Hyacinthe Martin Bizet.

This park in the heart of the city is a privileged place for Bresters who come to enjoy a quiet moment to picnic on the green lawns of the Kennedy Garden.

Between the Place de la Liberté and the Pont de Recouvrance, the Rue de Siam is one of the busiest streets in Brest and for good reason, the multitude of shops it has makes it an unmissable shopping artery in the city center!

Saint-Michel Church was built in the 20th century, when Saint-Martin Church became too small to accommodate the many faithful in the neighbourhood. Designed with a Gothic style, it was inaugurated in 1913 and has experienced some misfortunes throughout its history: it was particularly badly affected during the Second World War.

It is a nice view of the port and the harbor of Brest that offers you the Cours Dajot, built in 1800 according to the plans of Louis-Lazare Dajot, director of the fortifications of Brittany.

Here, I draw your attention to one of the elements that make up the panorama you have before you. On your left, overlooking the buildings on the water’s edge, stands a large crane recognizable by its yellow color:

Make way for local specialties! The Saint-Louis Halls will delight the most gourmet of you by offering stands of local products all more enticing than the last. And the list goes on in Brest!

Just a stone’s throw from the market halls, Saint-Louis is the largest church in France built during the post-war period. The old one was completely destroyed by the bombing, which forced the city to rebuild one in the original location from 1955.

This street is an emblematic passage of the city of Brest, as it allows to enjoy a superb view of the marina of the Castle, one of the most beautiful bays in the world. No less than 700 boats are moored there in the marina of Brest,

It is on this small square, called Square l’Herminier, that we find the door of the Guépin Barracks, vestige of a former 17th century barracks that was destroyed during the Second World War.

More than 300 years of history shape this square designed in 1694 by the famous architect Vauban. Originally used as a manoeuvring field for Navy guards, it was once called the “Battlefield” and then Freedom Square at the time of the Revolution.

Symbol of Brest, and of Brittany in general, this fortified castle testifies to the power of the city in medieval times. Built on Gallo-Roman ramparts from the 3rd century, the castle as seen today is the work of Vauban, the architect of King Louis XIV, who decided to redesign it in the 17th century.

The quay Commander Malbert is certainly one of the places where you can feel all the soul of this port city. Already by its name, which refers to Commander Louis Marie Malbert, a Brester who became captain of a tugboat based in Brest from 1924.

Here you are on the Recouvrance lift bridge, which connects Brest city centre to the Recouvrance district, a historic district on the other side of the Penfeld, the river that crosses Brest before flowing into its harbor.

You are here in front of the entrance of the castle. We will talk about this unmissable monument of the region a little further, at the next point. This is also where you can access the National Marine Museum, one of the most interesting museums in the city.

This 4 m high bronze statue owes its origins to the Brest sculptor Jérôme Durand. It features two emblematic characters from the city, who are in fact the two heroes of two songs by sailors, known by the Brestois for many years.

Built in the 14th century, the Tanguy Tower is one of the oldest monuments in the city. Unfortunately, this is not the original you have before you, because it has been rebuilt twice in its history.

It is one of the oldest houses in Brest! Built in yellow Logonna stone, black kersantite and pink granite, this house was built in the 18th century, but nothing is certain: some plans of the city dating from the 17th century show that a building was already here a century earlier.

It is certainly the most emblematic view of Brest that you can see here, in the heart of the Jardin des Explorers, which pays tribute to these men who left for the Brest Sea in the 18th century to discover new lands: Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, Philibert Commerson, Jacques-Julien Houton de la Billardière or Etienne Raoul.

As you may have already noticed, the city of Brest is crossed by a cable car that crosses the Penfeld to connect the city center to the Capuchin district, located on the right bank of the river.

On your left now stand amazing remains, composed of an arch and four columns. It is the remains of a former Navy barracks that had been built in the 1870s, following the Franco-Prussian War.

It was in 1877 that this neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic church was born in the heart of the Saint Martin district. It was named after the mayor of Brest at the time, Hyacinthe Martin Bizet.

The Jesuit style characterizes this church built between 1740 and 1749 on the site of an old chapel built in the 17th century.

Fashion boutiques, bars, restaurants and cinemas are on display in Rue Jean Jaurès, one of the most commercial streets in the capital of the oceans.