Description:

Dol de Bretagne was founded in the 6th century by Bishop Samson who was originally from Wales.  The village is thought to be the original birthplace of the Royal House of Stuart who became the future kings of Scotland.

Dol de Bretagne is still a pretty medieval village with streets of half timbered houses.

Dol de Bretagne is in the department of Ille et Vilaine and covers an area of 15.53 km².

The village stands on the edge of the Polder which makes the bay of Mont Saint Michel and is one of the 9 cantons of Saint Malo.

There is a busy market in central Dol de Bretagne every Saturday morning as well as an organic market on a Tuesday morning.

Dol de Bretagne has several  grocery stores, two bakeries, a fishmonger, a butcher and three tabacs.  It also has two wine caves, two bookstores, a hardware store and several clothes and shoe shops.  For all other groceries there is a Super U, a Carrefour, an Intermarche and a Lidl supermarket in the village.

For clothes shopping and larger chains visit Saint Malo which is only 25 km away.

Dol de Bretagne has three Ecole Primaires et Maternelles, two Colleges and two Lycees.

The village has a post office, several hair & beauty salons, numerous garages, three dentist practices, five doctors practices, two banks, three pharmacies and three opticians.  There is also a vets practise, a town library and a centrally located Gendarmerie. 

The nearest Pompier is 3 km in Baguer Pican whilst the nearest hospital and Ophthalmologist is 20km away at Saint Malo.

Despite its small size Dol de Bretagne has over 25 restaurants, creperies and cafe bars many specialising in locally caught fresh fish.  The town also has a small disco, Mazurais.

Other entertainment in Dol de Bretagne includes an indoor swimming pool with slides, a cinema and a bowling centre.

Dol de Bretagne has three hotels and 2 campsites, however, in the nearby area there are also numerous other accommodation options including more campsites and Chambre d’Hotes and Gites.

It is worth taking a stroll around Dol de Bretagne taking in the following local highlights;

• Cathedral of Saint Samson - A large 12th century cathedral.  There is a new presentation available which explains the construction and significance of all medieval churches which is in French.
• The Promenade des Douves - offering great views across the marshes and out to the sea

• Old village ramparts - only a small stretch remains of the original 1.5 km of ramparts and 12 towers

• Les Petits Palets - the oldest stone built house in France
• Musee Historique de Dol - a small but astonishing collection of items rescued from local churches
• Menhir du Champ Dolent - a Neolithic menhir which is one of the tallest and most impressive in Brittany at 9.3 metres tall

Dol de Bretagne has some lively associations and clubs for both sports and leisure activities such as crafts.

The area around Dol de Bretagne has some great sporting facilities including for golf, horseriding, sand karting and cycling. 

Check out Guide2Brittany for Dol de Bretagne property, Dol de Bretagne accommodation, Dol de Bretagne events, Dol de Bretagne news and classifieds in Dol de Bretagne.