Quimperlé | Brittany tourism

A historical town at the confluence of three rivers, the gateway to the Southern Finistère

The Isole and Ellé rivers come together under the stone arches to form the Laïta, a tidal river. Originally based around the quays, the town peacefully expanded by moving upwards. Religious monuments, medieval streets and evidence of port activity and commercial life blend together. Discover the history from the floral bridge to the Ursuline chapel!

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Discover Quimper Cornouaille

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Discover Quimperlé

The three rivers hug the cradle of the town. On this peninsula, the Benedictine monks founded the Holy Cross Abbey in the 11th century. The church, which is a jewel of Romanesque art, has a striking circular plan, similar to that of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Around it are examples of religious and civil history: half-timbered houses (from the 15th to 17th centuries), the medieval floral bridge with its humped deck, the rich hotels in the dignitaries’ quarter. On the quays, beautiful stone residences demonstrate the thriving port activity of the time. The indoor market, built in 1887, animates and brings colour to the historical centre.

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Couvent des Ursulines Quimperlé
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PORIEL Thibault

Mont-Saint-Michel of the land

As the town needed space, it moved up to the hills that watch over it, thus creating an upper town crowned by Notre-Dame church, known as « Mont Saint-Michel of the land ». There are many exceptional buildings in the shade of the Gothic steeple: Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption (13th and 15th centuries), the Ursuline convent and chapel (16th century) with its magnificent gold-leaf ceiling, Saint-Eutrope chapel next to the medieval hospital.

Did you know

In the very beautiful crypt in the Church of the Holy Cross, the recumbent figure of Saint Gurloës features strange gaps. It is said that putting your back or head inside cures many illnesses!

A gentle lifestyle

For everyone who has lingered here, from Brizeux to Flaubert, Quimperlé is the image of a gentle lifestyle. At the gateway to Cornouaille, this centre of Breton culture was home to Matilin an Dall, the most famous Breton bagpipe player of all time, Dom Morice, historian, father of Breton literature, and Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué, poet of « Barzaz Breiz », a work that revealed the quality and power of Brittany’s oral literature. A few kilometers away, in Le Pouldu, Gauguin – l’Atelier du Pouldu invites visitors to relive the artistic effervescence of 1889, within the faithful reconstruction of the Buvette de la Plage where Paul Gauguin and his friends once settled.

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A la terrasse du café Quimperlé
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PORIEL Thibault

Prepare your stay

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Hotels, B&Bs, campsites, gîtes, holiday lets, holiday villages, unusual accommodation… Good night, sleep tight!

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Do you like the outdoors and adventures? Hanging from the branches, navigating on the water, going to the zoo, visiting a museum or exhibition? Find your thing!

Quimperlé Terre Océane Tourist Office

Unmissable places

The Church of the Holy Cross (11th and 19th centuries) (listed monument)
The Présidial and the mansion houses from the 16th and 19th centuries
The ruins of the former Saint Colomban church (10th – 16th centuries)
Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Gothic church (13th – 15th centuries) (listed monument)
The Floral Bridge from the medieval period
The half-timbered houses (15th – 17th centuries)
The chapel of the Ursuline monks (17th century)
The former Frémeur Hospital and Saint-Eutrope chapel (16th century) (listed monument)
The portal of the former Dominican abbey (15th century)