The Pré des Lavandières route in Vitré

Start at the Tourist Office, Place de la Gare, 35500 Vitré.

Yellow^PR® signposts supplemented by green arrows marked with the number 30.

(S/E) Opposite the Tourist Office, head right towards a roundabout, then go down to the left. Continue until you cross Place Saint-Yves, then go down Rue Rallon.
At the bottom, turn right then left to head down Rue Pasteur until you reach a gateway on the left.

(1) Go under the archway and cross the car park of the young workers’ hostel, heading towards the left-hand corner and following the path until you reach Chemin des Tertres Noirs.

(2) At the top, take a moment to admire Vitré Castle, then turn left and immediately right to join a small path. Follow it to Chemin de la Petite Galiénais, then turn right and take the first path on the left. Continue until you reach a housing estate and turn left at the end of Rue Émile Zola.

(3) At the end of the street, take a path leading off to the left and carry on until you reach Rue du Chemin Champlet. Turn right onto Rue du Rachapt. Walk down this street until you reach the Saint-Nicolas Museum and carry on straight ahead. On your right, you’ll see the archway you passed on the way there.

(1) Carry on straight ahead, then turn left into Rue du Val; follow this for 80 metres, then take the path on the left. Cross the Pré des Lavandières, take the footbridge and continue along the Vilaine.

(4) Cross the River Vilaine, walk up the Promenade du Val, reach Place Notre-Dame and turn right towards the castle.

(5) Walk past the castle, turn left, then right into Rue Baudrairie. Turn left at the next junction, then turn right into Rue Garengeot and walk downhill to reach Place de la Gare (S/E).

The climb up to the Tertres Noirs is quite steep but offers the finest panoramic view of the town.

Car parks, shops, hotels, restaurants, the Tourist Office and toilets are all located near the starting point.

Awarded the ‘City of Art and History’ label, here is what Victor Hugo said of Vitré in *Notre-Dame de Paris*: “An entire, complete, homogeneous Gothic city, of the sort of which a few still remain: Nuremberg in Bavaria, Vittoria in Spain, or even smaller examples provided they are well preserved, such as Vitré in Brittany and Nordhausen in Prussia.”
Let yourself be charmed by this medieval town, whose old streets will transport you to another era.