Guérande is one of those small holiday resorts that packs a big punch. Situated just down the coast from La Baule, it is best-known for two things – salt and its medieval walls.
The two, of course, went together. Because of the importance of its salt trade and its location by the sea, medieval Guérande needed stout defences against invaders. Having been sacked by the Spanish in the mid-14th century, the town built stronger defence walls that took more than a century to complete! Today they are among the best-preserved medieval town walls in France, and are some 1,434 metres long and punctuated by four gates. These are the Vannetaise gate to the north, Bizienne to the west, Saillé to the south and the main gate, Saint-Michel, to the east.
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