The Port of Brest, France
ABOUT
Brest is located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton Peninsula. It is an important harbour and the second largest French military port after Toulon. During the Middle Age its history was seated in the Castle, then Richelieu made it a military harbour. Brest grew around its arsenal until the second part of the 20th century. Nowadays it is an important university town.
Population is estimated at 150,000
Currency is the Euro
THINGS TO DO
At the mouth of the Penfeld, overlooking the harbour, is the National Navy Museum, housed in the medieval Château de Brest. Across the river stands Tour Tanguy, a medieval tower. To the northeast are the National Botanical Conservatory and the Océanopolis aquarium.
There are plenty of walks that you can do in and around the town and there is also a Botanical Garden and marina to stroll around.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
It was a Sunday when we visited Brest during our cruise on Oceania Riviera. We took the shuttle from the ship into the town and were surprised to see how quiet the roads were. Then we found out that little, if anything is open on a Sunday! We were dropped adjacent to the Square Mathon which is a nice place to stroll around. A little way along we found, quite by chance, the local Sunday market. This is obviously where the local residents come to buy their fruit, vegetables and other items. Although it was late in the morning there were still stalls to wander around and tasters available from the very friendly stallholders. It was a shame that we could visit some of the sites such as the maritime/naval museum – but perhaps that is something for another day.
To check out our experiences in Brest just click the video below – and if you enjoy the content simply ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’ to see more (subscription is free)