A bridge between two shores
The bridge straddles the Léon and Cornouaille regions
A bridge with 1000 lives!
It once housed a mill and a prison: the miller was also a jailer!
A miraculous bridge
It almost collapsed more than once, a victim of abandonment and fires.
A beautiful escape on Landerneau's inhabited bridge
Want to surprise your other half with a romantic getaway in Finistère? Take her for an evening on the Pont de Rohan in Landerneau, one of the last inhabited bridges in Europe, and one of the last 3 in France. On the menu: stroll, discoveries, sunset and local gastronomy. We tested it for you... and tell you all about it!
In the center of Landerneau, 15 minutes from Brest, the Pont de Rohan, one of the last inhabited bridges in Europe, spans the River Elorn.
Visit the Pont de Rohan with the tourist office
To make sure we didn't miss out on any of the history of the inhabited bridge, we opted for the "flash" guided tour with the Landerneau tourist office. With over 500 years of history, this bridge has so much to tell us! It has seen abandonment, several fires and the threat of collapse. The stories told by Mathieu, our guide, took us straight back to the 16th century, when the Pont de Rohan was the only way to cross the River Élorn in Landerneau!
And in the middle flows a river
To the east, the river; to the west, the sea! Not only does the Pont de Rohan mark the border between Cornouaille to the south and Léon to the north, it's also here that the River Elorn becomes an arm of the sea. In fact, the landscape changes every 6 hours with the tides. Perfect timing: we plan to spend a few hours here...
Did you know?
When the bridge was built, a toll was charged to finance its upkeep. Until 1930, those who didn't want to or couldn't pay had to cross the Élorn by boat!
Browse the stores on the inhabited bridge
The 67-meter-long bridge is home to a few houses and a dozen shops. We push open the door of the bookshop to perhaps unearth a few nuggets. Behind the shelves, the large bay window overlooking the river lets in the sunshine on this fine winter afternoon. I opt for a photo book on Brittany, and have a fascinating chat with the bookseller about the history of the bridge and how it's sometimes submerged during high tides.
Afterwards, we settle down on the terrace to sip hot tea and enjoy this unique moment.
Admire the sunset over the River Élorn
It's 7pm and the sun is slowly declining. From our wooden terrace, snugly bundled up, we have a front-row seat for a blazing sunset, typical of winter days in Brittany. The moon is full tonight, and the moment couldn't be more romantic! A beautiful day is in store for us tomorrow: we'll cross the bridge in the early hours to watch the sunrise from the east.
Did you know?
Landerneau is nicknamed "the City of the Moon". The name comes from a coat of arms depicting the sun and the moon.
Dine on the Rohan bridge and taste a Finistère speciality
We booked a table at the Le Goéland restaurant on the deck. The restaurant is famous for its Pesked Ha Farz, an ocean variant of Kig Ha Farz, a specialty of northern Finistère. The land and sea flavors of buckwheat and the various fish blend perfectly: it's a real treat!
Spend the night on the Rohan bridge
To get the full experience, we chose to rent a studio apartment on the 2nd floor of a building on the bridge. Sleeping on an inhabited bridge was a first for us! We take a last look out of our window to admire the lights on the city as it falls asleep, and the perfectly round red moon. And despite the chill of this winter's night, I can't resist cracking open the window to listen to the sound of the water flowing under the bridge's arches!
Our good addresses
Restaurants, accommodation, shops, exhibitions near the Pont du Rohan and the quays...
Landerneau, heading for Brittany!
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