A day in Quintin, Petite Cité de Caractère®
Let yourself be transported back in time as you stroll along the alleys, before experiencing an incredible candlelight dinner at the Château de Quintin.
Château de Quintin
Located in the heart of the 'Petite Cité de Caractère®', the Château de Quintin brings together an architectural ensemble from the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries with its archive tower, its ramparts, its two castles and its French garden. Discover the furnished interiors: dining room, living rooms, office or the Duchess's bedroom, and take a look at one of the last granite stoves in France as you visit the kitchen!
Our favourites: the exhibition on 'Tableware', summer candlelit dinners and the 'Murder Party: Lead the Investigation at the Castle!'
The factory and the linen workshop
A lively and interactive visit! Quintin, the main commercial centre for the 'Bretagnes' fabric factory, has preserved the architectural heritage linked to this prosperous past constructed around linen. In the heart of the 'Petite Cité de Caractère', the Factory invites you to test the tools of yesteryear. A thrilling journey! (temporary closed !)
Quintin Lake
In the heart of the city, the Quintin lake offers a pleasant stroll, the chance for a break with family or a picnic with a view of the Castle.
The Quintinaise grocery store
At the heart of this luminous, vintage The Quintinaise grocery store, you'll find 600 wooden apple crates from 1950. The team is at your service to offer advice about their products and offer a varied range of foods, organic and local goods, delicatessen, regional products, flavours of the south, fruits, vegetables, foie gras, teas, beers, wine and more.
Looking for something in particular? Let them know what you're after!
A touch of character for the Petite Cité
The silhouette of the Castle appears, reflected in the lake. This is where Quintin begins, all dressed in stone. This medieval city is a concentration of little gems within a limited perimeter, perfect for strolling on foot. Run your hand over the rough rock, polished by rain and the passage of time, and lightened by the sun. The city's religious aspect is embodied by the 19th century Basilica and the religious district: with its chapel, Ursuline convent and cloister.
The coquille Saint-Jacques scallop, emblematic in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, marks the Passage de Compostelle. "L’œil écoute*", the name of the alleys. "Sonne-sonne" catches the eye, echoing the clogs of the schoolchildren beating the pavement. "Haute-Folie", the most beautiful of alleys, a green and steep-sided secret path. The water returns to refresh the city, in the fountains of the Parc Roz Maria. In the Grand'Rue, wood punctuates half-timbered facades.
The private mansions of canvas merchants stand over the Place du Martray, a symmetry that resonates with the Malouinières – traditional country houses – from which they draw their inspiration. Quintin's story is woven with linen. La Fabrique-Atelier du Lin set sail into the world of weavers and merchants, from importing seeds to exporting 'Bretagnes' fabrics in Latin America, from the 16th to the 19th century.
The coastal path leads to two menhirs, including that of the Roche Longue. Prosper Mérimée references this in his 'Notes from a Trip West of France' as he writes, "Before definitively leaving Saint-Brieuc to go west, I wanted to see a menhir, famous in the country, near Quintin." This is a block of granite reaching twenty-five feet in height. Stones and rocks are still to be found in the Bois de la Perche, around a mill, with silent tanneries under the foliage. Keep an eye out for the carved lizard ...
The walk ends where it started, at the Château, by candlelight – with a cosy dinner accompanied only by the sound of the harp. Reflections, again, in porcelain and silverware.
