Dine in front of the boats, sleep in Le Conquet above the sea, stroll on the Cours Dajot, cross the Penfeld by the Recouvrance bridge, make a jump to Landerneau… Brest, the proof by five.
Entering the navy … and the Château de Brest
The Château de Brest is located on the old castellum Roman. Reinforced by Vauban, it is still the headquarters of the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, a protected and impenetrable military site. The only way to access the castle is therefore the fantastic National Maritime Museum, which occupies the civilian part of the fortress. The permanent collection – paintings, old models, figureheads – is fascinating and perfectly illustrates the importance of Brest as a port city from the Ancien Régime to the present day. The new rooms devoted to the 1960 furniture of the first nuclear submarines make the link with modernity. Leaving the castle, you can stroll along the Cours Dajot, which overlooks the harbor, go up to the Siam district, cross the Penfeld by the Recouvrance bridge (by tram or on foot), and walk through the small streets to Capuchin workshops.
Take the pulse of the city at Les Capucins
Sometimes a place transforms a city on its own. This is the case with the Ateliers des Capucins in Brest. If the media library, cinemas and shops are mainly intended for residents, you have to go to the Capuchins when you visit Brest to capture the energy of this vast covered public square. Free dancers everywhere (Le Fourneau, Center national des arts de la rue, is installed there), families who settle down to meet, the colossal machines that recall the industrial past of the workshops, the magnificent canoe of the emperor , which served thirty minutes to Napoleon III in the harbor in 1858, or even the brand new project of Oceanopolis outside the walls, 70.8 (the percentage of the surface of the globe occupied by the ocean), which offers an oceanic course of the depths on the surface, there are many reasons to stop. Main mode of access to the Capuchins from the city center, the cable car, which crosses the Penfeld by air, adds a little thrill to the experience.
Sleep above the water in Le Conquet
The Sainte-Barbe was not always the splendid four-star hotel it has become. Former military house built in the 19th centurye century, installed on a rocky outcrop above the beach and the port, this raw concrete vessel thrown towards the sea is a splendor. It was in the 1990s that the “Bauhaus” part of the building was added. Very much criticized at first, this daring gesture is today the price of the Sainte-Barbe: the rooms seem to float above the water, the roof terrace – with its breathtaking view of the sea – is a call to contemplation, and the restaurant and bar vibrate with all these good energies. In addition to its beaches very popular with Brest residents, Le Conquet, a real end of the world, is located on the lighthouse route. Taking the ledge to the south, the majestic Saint-Mathieu lighthouse appears below. From the port, we can leave for Ouessant. The village is teeming with artisans and good little restaurants. A Breton Eden.
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