Brest

(A text read on the “Ready2board” magazine in February 2024)

A quintessential maritime city, Brest overlooks the northwestern shores of France.

Brest is a city with a strong Breton maritime tradition. It's the second-largest military port in France, housing the Naval Academy and the shipyard where the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was built. The city was heavily fortified in the 17th century; however, during World War II it suffered significant destruction, leading to its reconstruction with an interesting combination of modernist, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco buildings.

The aquatic element leaves its mark, whether through the sea or via the Penfeld River. The left bank is dominated by the National Botanical Park and the castle, home to the City's Naval Museum (musee-marine. Fr/nos-musees/brest.html).

Nearby is the Remorkeur (leremorkeur.fr), a relaxed restaurant with a high-quality wine list. The perfect experience to get a panoramic view of the city involves taking the cable car to the Capucins area; full of life, it is adjacent to Saint-Malo Street, lined with retro houses. Two old ships, the Recouvrance and the Abeille-Bourbon, are the pride and glory of the locals, and you can admire them from the waterfront. Lastly, there's Oceanopolis, a huge marine life aquarium that houses seals, penguins, sharks, and other sea creatures (oceanopolis.com).