View of the Castle Marina

This street is one of Brest’s main thoroughfares, offering a superb view of the Castle Marina – one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Over 700 boats are moored here! Every four years, Brest’s marina also hosts major international maritime festivals, as well as transatlantic races, much to the delight of the locals. From here, you can also see Brest’s castle towering above the many vessels moored in the marina. It offers a glimpse of the city’s past, back when it was still fortified. Ever since its construction in 2009, the Château Marina has been a major city landmark, attracting countless visitors. But the port’s history goes much further back. It was built in 1631 on the orders of the Cardinal  Richelieu, as a military port. Due to its strategic position, the city soon began to build a number of military installations here to protect the city. In the 19th century, it became a commercial port, seeing an increase in maritime traffic. You could even take a ship from Brest all the way to New York! Over the years, the port has continued to develop. Today, it’s a commercial port, a marina, a passenger port, an industrial port and the largest military port on the Atlantic coast. It’s also one of the largest in France. It has been part of the Brest harbor –one of the largest in the world– for many centuries. If you care to see more, you can take the small street to the left to get to the Lapérouse dyke, to see the marina from a totally different vantage point.