Brest

Set at the far end of a vast roadstead considered one of the finest in Europe, Brest owes its destiny to its strategic position, which since Richelieu has made it the second naval port in France after Toulon. Almost entirely flattened by bombing in the Second World War, the city was rebuilt to a modern town plan centred on the Rue de Siam, while the medieval castle and the Tour Tanguy, among the few survivors of old Brest, recall its older past.

Every four years, the Brest maritime festivals bring together thousands of old rigs and traditional boats from all over the world in the commercial port, one of the largest gatherings of sail in Europe. The Océanopolis centre, devoted to marine ecosystems, completes the maritime character of this city facing the open sea.

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