Car Hire Brest - Mini guide to Brest

The city of Brest, set in a natural harbour in the region of Brittany, is home to the French national fleet. Even though there are only a few historical sights to be seen, (the town was rebuilt in the 50s after being bombed) there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the famed Breton hospitality, beer and food.

One relic worth seeing in Brest is the old castle; the 15th century building looks quite remarkable and offers a superb panorama of the city. Three of its towers are the home of the collection of the Musée National de la Marine.

Walking around the streets of Brest, you’ll find remnants of just how beautiful the city was before it was flattened. Still remaining of that former beauty is the 14th century Tour Tanguy on the opposite bank of the River Penfeld, with its conical slate roof. It now serves as the Musée de Vieux Brest.

Brest offers a varied range of restaurants to suit all budgets. Rue Jean-Jaur’s, spanning east from the place de la Liberte, has an abundance of bistros and bars, while just to the north, place Guerin is the centre of the busy student-dominated quartier St-Martin.

Brest's newest and hottest attraction is Oceanopolis, a couple of kilometres east of the city centre beside the Port de Plaisance du Moulin-Blanc. This futuristic complex currently is made up of three distinct aquariums and a 3-D cinema. It’s also possible to see all kinds of different species of sea life.

There are nine flights per day from Paris to Brest, either from Charles de Gaulle or Orly Airports. The flight time is about one hour. There is a shuttle bus from the airport into the city, as well as taxis.

There are about nine TGV trains from Paris (Montparnasse train station) to Brest. The station is located downtown.