Vannes

Around 900 metres of preserved 13th-to-16th-century walls, Brittany's best-preserved enceinte on a Roman foundation. The complete walk takes 45 minutes with sweeping views down onto the Jardin des Remparts. Leashed dogs welcome year-round.

15,000 m² French-style garden nestled between the ramparts and the Marle river, planted with 30,000 flowers a year, cherry trees in spring and views onto the medieval towers. Free entry year-round, the most photographed garden in Vannes.

Vannes' emblematic Gothic cathedral, begun in the 13th century and completed in the 19th, with a Renaissance Italian chapel of the Rosary. Free entry every day morning to evening; interior reserved for assistance dogs, but the Place Saint-Pierre outside is dog-friendly.

Half-timbered square at the heart of the Vieille Ville, lined with 15th- and 16th-century corbelled houses, the most photographed square in Vannes. Rue Saint-Salomon and Rue des Halles nearby preserve some of Brittany's best-kept medieval architecture.

Wooded peninsula 4 km south of central Vannes on the Gulf of Morbihan, with a coastal walk, pinewood and beach. The supervised bathing zone bans dogs year-round, but the rocky shores and the peninsula walk are leashed-dog accessible.

17 km dog-friendly coastal loop around the car-free Île d'Arz in the Gulf of Morbihan, reached in 30 minutes by Bateaux Bus du Golfe from the Parc du Golfe in Vannes. Inland-sea beaches, oyster beds and quiet rural lanes.