Discover Local Brittany Countryside: What to Do Around Mercure Brittany Countryside

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Brittany Countryside, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Brittany Countryside in 5 picks

Rennes

Brittany's capital, where half-timbered houses in Vieux Rennes stand a few streets from the grand stone Parlement de Bretagne. Come for a market day and you'll see the city at its most local.

Josselin

The Rohan family's castle — flamboyant Gothic towers rising straight out of the River Oust — has stood here since the 11th century, and the same family still lives in it. Walk the riverbank opposite for the classic view.

Forêt de Brocéliande

Brittany's largest forest, and the one Arthurian legend claims as Merlin's. Base yourself in the village of Paimpont and follow trails to the Val sans Retour and Merlin's tomb — as much myth as geography, which is the point.

Vitré

A fairytale silhouette of a castle above a town of stone cottages and cobbled streets. Small enough to see in an afternoon, atmospheric enough to want longer.

Fougères

One of the largest fortified medieval castles in Europe, ringed by thirteen towers and still moated. The old town climbs the hill above it, half-timbered and quiet.

Where to eat
This is galette and crêpe country — buckwheat galettes for savoury fillings, wheat crêpes for sweet, and cider poured from a bolée bowl rather than a glass. Look for kouign-amann, the butter-and-sugar pastry that originated in Brittany, and far breton, a dense prune-studded custard cake, at any proper bakery.
Where to wander
Brocéliande's forest trails around Paimpont are made for slow, unhurried walking, whatever you make of the Arthurian legends attached to them. The old Nantes-Brest canal towpath through Josselin is another good option — flat, shaded, and quiet.
Getting around
Rennes is well connected by TGV and makes the easiest base, but the countryside towns — Josselin, Vitré, Fougères, Paimpont — are spread across back roads rather than rail lines, so a car makes the biggest difference. Wherever you're staying at one of our Mercure hotels across Brittany Countryside, ask the team for their own loop between the castles.
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FAQ

This is the inland part of Brittany — castles, forests and market towns rather than beaches and ports. The coast (Brittany Coasts) is a separate stretch of the region entirely.

Rennes, thanks to its train connections, though staying closer to Josselin or Vitré suits those who want to be nearer the smaller towns and forest trails.

Yes — the trails around Paimpont are gentle and well marked, and the Arthurian legend angle tends to go down well with kids.

Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Brittany Countryside, ideally placed to explore these picks.

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Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Brittany Countryside, ideally placed to explore these picks

View hotels