Paimpont: holiday apartments and holiday homes

Paimpont combines a historic abbey with traces of ironworking and the Forest of Brocéliande. The immersive scenographic attraction “Brocéliande, La Porte des Secrets” about the Forest of Brocéliande is located in the former outbuildings of Paimpont Abbey. The landscape also includes the Étang de l’Abbaye de Paimpont, an artificial pond covering around 50 hectares, fed mainly by streams from the adjacent forest. Kingfishers, grey herons and mallards are among the species found there.

Culture and history

Paimpont Abbey contains woodwork dating from the 17th century. Its sacristy also houses a 15th-century reliquary of Saint Judicaël.

The Paimpont forges are considered an exceptional testament to two industrial revolutions. The part of the forge complex located in Paimpont includes most of the buildings, including a derelict rolling mill and a village consisting of several residential buildings. In 1857, the forges contributed to the introduction of rail transport in Brittany by manufacturing rails.

Paths and activities

A walking trail leads around the Étang de l’Abbaye de Paimpont from 1 April to 30 September. The complete circuit takes around two and a half hours; bicycles are prohibited there. The Circuit des Landes de Gurwan circular route is an 11-kilometre walk starting in Paimpont.

Brocéliande, Les Marchés Enchantés organises craft markets in Paimpont every summer, featuring more than fifty craftspeople. Les Marchés Enchantés take place on Fridays in summer from 11:00 to 20:00 on the esplanade of Paimpont Abbey.

The Circuit équestre de Paimpont Les Forges riding trail (No. 13) starts in Paimpont and is open year-round. Brocéliande Bike rents mountain bikes and electric bicycles for exploring the Forest of Brocéliande.

More local pages: Saint-Grégoire, Saint-Jacques-De-La-Lande, Saint-Thurial, Guignen, Cancale, Saint-Méloir-Des-Ondes, Plesder, Dourdan.

To the higher-level travel overview: Ille-Et-Vilaine.