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The Château des Tesnières is very close to the medieval city of Vitré and of Brittany’s capital Rennes. The charm and rich history of this area make a stay at the Château des Tesnières extra special.
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| We know Brittany very well and will be pleased to help you plan excursions for you. Also we have many books on the region for you to consult. |
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Close by |
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| The village of Torcé |
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5 minutes from the château you’ll find the village of Torcé, which dates back to 1093. Its name comes from the Latin Turris Caesaris (Tower of Caesar). The church of Saint Médard is well worth seeing and dates from the 15th century. |
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| The Tour de Madame de Sévigné |
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The 80 kilometer Tour de Madame de Sévigné leads to many castles and churches. In the beautiful countryside of Brittany you’ll see the river Vilaine, numerous parks, gardens and lakes. |
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| Vitré, City of Art and History |
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According to the Guide Michelin « One of France’s Loveliest Detours »
This is the best preserved old world town in Brittany ; its fortified castle, its remparts and its small streets have remained just as they were 400 or 500 years ago and make a picturesque and evocative picture which is long remembered. There are many good restaurants and, in summer, nice terraces. |
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| Musée des Rochers-Sévigné |
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The Breton house of Madame de Sévigné where she wrote a major part of her famous Letters. Her memory is preserved in the castle which keeps her life size portrait. In the typical French Garden and in the park, you can walk the paths she loved and which bear the names she gave them. The castle is still privately owned but parts of it can be visited.
Also visit : Saint Nicolas Museum, Château Museum and Faucillonnaie Museum |
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| La Roche aux Fées |
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This is one of the finest megalithic monuments in Brittany, dating from the Middle Neolithic period (4th millenium BC). Built in purple schist, it consists of 42 stones, of which half a dozen weigh between 40 and 45 tons each. There is a massive portico entrance and then a low ceilinged corridor leading to a large compartmented room. According to the legend, the movement of the stones was made by fairies who simply put the stones in their aprons. |
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In the vicinity |
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| (Less than 30 minutes)
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 Restaurants Sports |
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| Rennes, Capital of Brittany |
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The regional capital of Brittany has over the past decades, restored its architectural heritage, thus highlighting its dignified elegance. This city of artistic and historical interest, where good food is highly valued, exudes atmosphere from its narrow, winding medieval streets, lined with charming half-timbered houses with carved sills, which happily escaped the ravages of a huge fire in 1720. The stately public buildings and numerous private mansions adorning the two royal squares stand at the very heart of the town. Rennes is also a university city and its many students enhance the lively atmosphere of its terraces and bars. |
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| The gardens of Thabor |
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In the 16th century the Benedictine abbey of St-Mélaine stood on an elevated site, beyond the city walls. The monks called the place Thabor, in memory of the biblical Mount Tabor. The abbey’s former orchards were transformed in the 19th century to their present appearance. The beauty of the different flowers (rose, dahlias, camellias, rhododendrons etc) and trees spread over more than 25 acres, comprising a French garden, botanical garden, rose garden, landscaped garden and an aviary, making them attractive in whichever season. |
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| Fougères, Europe’s largest medieval castle |
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This former stronghold is built in a picturesque setting on a promontory overlooking the winding valley of the Nançon. Below it, on a rocky height almost entirely encircled by the river, stands a magnificent feudal castle whose walls, with their 13 big towers, are among the most massive in Europe.
The lovely garden Jardin Public at the foot of St-Léonard and the town hall, is laid out in terraces on the site of the former town walls and partly on the slopes down into the valley. From the terrace there is an interesting general view of the castle. |
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| Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne |
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In this superb park, which has been in existence since the 19th century, a dozen wonderful, elegant gardens have been laid out, perfect for walks, strolls and quiet contemplation. Persian garden, city of antiquity, city of Knossos, Valley of the Poets. Beautiful camelias, rhododendrons and hydrangeas. |
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A little further away |
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| Restaurants Sports |
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| Mont Saint Michel |
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Mont Saint Michel has been called the Marvel of the Western World owing to its island setting, its rich history and the beauty of its architecture ; at all times of year it leaves an indelible impression. The rock and the immensity of nature around it, the bay with both sand and grassy flats are all parts of a magical whole, which made it among the first sites to be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The abbey’s origin goes back to the early 8th century, when the Archangel Michael appeared to Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, who founded an oratory on the island, then known as Mont Tombe. In the Carolingian era, the oratory was replaced by an abbey and from then until the 16th century a series of increasingly splendid buildings, in the Romanesque and then the Gothic styles, succeeded one another on the mount. |
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| Gardens of Château de la Ballue |
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Listed as Historical Monument, la Ballue garden is marked intrinsically by a sense of « wonder », a series of garden rooms, each with its own atmosphere, were designed in harmony with the château. Variety and liveliness as characteristics of the baroque garden is achieved in all the structural elements, colour, appearance and sound and in the contemporary statues.. |
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| Château de Craon |
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Two styles of gardens surround this 18th century château. An elegant and restrained French style garden created in 1930 encircles the château. Further on the swan pond prolongs the linear perspective. All around, magnificent old trees of the landscape garden take visitors to the enclosed kitchen garden with its three greenhouses, its vegetable drying room and its orangery. The château was once inhabited by a Countess de Langle, relative of the count who built Château des Tesnières. You will recognise the arms above the front door. |
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| Château La Bourbansais |
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Château and site class as a historic monument since 1959. The gardens and park were laid out in a French-style at the beginning of the 18th century. Château tours, botanical walk, forest walk and display of hunting dogs and falconry. Also you can visit the zoo. |
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| La Forêt de Brocéliande |
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The forest of Paimpont is the ancient Brocéliande where, according to the songs of the Middle Ages, the sorcerer Merlin and the fairy Viviane lived. The Valley of No Return is one of the places most heavily steeped in legend in the Forêt de Paimpont. Legend has it that Morgana the witch, jealous of a knight who had been unfaithful to her, cast a spell over the valley preventing anyone leaving it. Only Lancelot, who remained faithful to Guinevere, was able to break the spell. |
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