Among the many cyclists hailing from Vannes who have competed in the Tour was Robert Asse, a severely facially disfigured veteran from the First World War who participated in ten editions, including the 1925 race, the year the race first featured a stage finish in the Gulf of Morbihan. More recently, the BMC Racing Team averaged more than 52km/h to win the time trial between Vannes and Plumelec in 2015, while, despite hailing from the coast, local rider Jordan Jegat has demonstrated his climbing prowess by securing two top-10 overall finishes in 2025 and 2026.
- Stage town for the 13th time
- Prefecture of Morbihan (56)
- Population: 56,000
- mairie-vannes.fr • morbihan.fr
Vannes and cycling
Among the many riders from Vannes to have competed in the Tour, Robert Asse – known as the ‘disfigured man’ after being severely wounded in the First World War – took part in ten editions, most notably the 1925 race, when the race rode along the Gulf of Morbihan for the first time. More recently, the BMC Racing Team averaged over 52 kph to win the time trial between Vannes and Plumelec in 2015, whilst Vannes-born Jordan Jegat demonstrated his talent as a climber – despite being born on the coast – with two top-10 finishes in the general classification in 2025 and 2026.
2027 will mark the 80th anniversary of Jean Robic’s victory in the 1947 Tour, and Vannes played a major role in this by hosting the start of a time trial that has gone down in history: 139 km to Saint-Brieuc, featuring the climb up the Mur de Bretagne halfway through. René Vietto, then wearing the yellow jersey, saw his last hopes dashed there. Exhausted, ‘King René’ could no longer keep up, losing 14’40” to Belgium’s Raymond Impanis, the day’s winner, and handing the Yellow Jersey to Pierre Brambilla. The rider from the French Riviera had been worried from the start so much so that he had asked his journalist friend Jean Leulliot – future director of Paris–Nice – to keep him regularly updated on the gaps with his rivals. Unfortunately, Leulliot was involved in a motorbike accident, an incident that completely demoralised Vietto. That day, however, another Frenchman posted an excellent time. Jean Robic lay in wait, moving into third place overall 2’58” behind Brambilla. It must be said that the Breton had set off with a magic potion in his water bottle: two-thirds roasted barley and one-third 60-degree calvados. The day before, when the previous stage finished in Vannes, it was the Tour’s lanterne rouge, Swiss rider Pietro Tarchini, who had won the sprint, taking his revenge from the Bordeaux stage when he had been disqualified.
Sights
The ramparts
Built: 3rd to 17th centuries
Features: built between the 3rd and 17th centuries, the ramparts of Vannes are among the few surviving fortifications in Brittany. They have been progressively listed and restored since 1911.
History: Founded by the Romans at the end of the 1st century BC during the reign of Augustus, the civitas Venetorum took refuge behind a castrum at the end of the 3rd century, whilst a major crisis was shaking the Roman Empire. This first enclosure remained the city’s sole defence for over a millennium. It was under Duke John IV, at the end of the 14th century, that the walls were extended southwards. The area of the city within the walls was doubled, and the duke added his Hermine fortress to the new enclosure. The Wars of the League in the late 16th century prompted the town to build several polygonal bastions (Gréguennic, Haute-Folie, Brozilay, Notre-Dame). The Garenne spur was the last defensive structure built in Vannes, around 1630. From 1670 onwards, Louis XIV sold off sections of the ramparts piece by piece to finance his wars. The most significant event was, in 1697, the donation to the town of Vannes of the ruins of the Château de l’Hermine, which were then used for the redevelopment of the harbour and the upkeep of municipal buildings.
Listing: listed as Historic Monuments in 1912 and 1956.
Museum of Fine Arts or the Cohue
Construction: 13th to 17th centuries for the building.
Opening: 1982 for the museum.
Features: its collections, enriched by a loan from the Centre Pompidou and private donations, offer visitors an overview of painting from the second half of the 20th century. The museum is housed in La Cohue (a market and courthouse built between the 13th and 17th centuries), where the Act of Union between Brittany and France was signed in 1532.
History: Built between the 13th and 17th centuries, La Cohue hosted the Estates of Brittany on ten occasions between 1431 and 1703. Having become the property of the city in 1813, La Cohue was converted into a theatre, which remained in use until the 1950s. The dilapidated building was restored from 1970 onwards and, since 1982, has housed the city’s collections of paintings and engravings and hosted major exhibitions.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1929.
Château Gaillard Museum
Construction: 15th century.
Features: the history and archaeology museum is housed in a perfectly preserved 15th-century manor house, Château Gaillard, set against the first rampart of the town, where the Parliament of Brittany sat from 1456 to 1532.
History: built around 1430–1440 by Jean de Malestroit, bishop and chancellor to the Duke of Brittany, this medieval residence passed into the hands of the canons of Nantes before being purchased in 1457 by the Duke of Brittany. It was in this sovereign court that the Duke’s vassals voted on taxes. In 1485, François II entrusted the role of the Estates in legal disputes to a court of justice, the Parliament of Brittany. The château then served as the Parliament’s courtroom and as the residence of its president.
Current use: owned by the Société polymathique du Morbihan, the castle is leased to Vannes Town Council to house the town’s archaeological museum.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1913.
Hôtel de Limur
Construction: 17th and 18th centuries.
History: acquired by the City in 1947, transferred to the State in 1980 and reclaimed by the City in 1991, the mansion – listed as a Historic Monument in 1993 – retains the name of the de Limur family, who owned it from 1820 to 1947.
Features: built during a period of architectural renewal in the town, this mansion is now a venue for events, housing a European institute for early music and hosting exhibitions, lectures, workshops and concerts.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1993.
L’Île-aux-Moines: from Vannes, there are numerous excursions to the ‘Pearl of Morbihan’, famous for its unspoilt natural beauty, its captains’ houses and its history.
