Bécherel, Cité du Livre
Bécherel
One of France's first 'book towns,' with more than a dozen secondhand bookshops in the stone houses of a hilltop village, overlooking the surrounding fields.
Bécherel is one of the smallest towns in Brittany. In the Middle Ages, it prospered from the linen trade and left behind many granite stone houses. Since 1989, it has been reinvented as a 'City of Books.' More than a dozen secondhand bookshops, bookbinding workshops, and book cafés line the old street on the hilltop. There is a large book fair on the Easter weekend, and a book market on the first Sunday of each month. The Château de Montmirault is nearby. Bécherel is about 30 km from Rennes, roughly 35 minutes by car, and it's ideal for a relaxed half-day visit.
Opening hours
Bookshops mostly 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; some closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Nearby sights
- Tombeau de Merlin
- Portes Mordelaises
- Marché des Lices
- Rennes Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre)
- Château de Comper (Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien)
- Place Sainte-Anne & Rue Saint-Michel
- Basilique Saint-Sauveur
- Rennes Old Town