Eurostar to Quimper

The town of Quimper in France is a gorgeous, quaint place that lies where the Odet and the Steïr rivers meet. Although it is now the capital of France’s Finistère department, it used to be La Cornouaille’s capital, and has retained a Breton atmosphere. Quimper is one of the destinations available on the Eurostar connection service, so it’s never been easier to get to.

About Quimper

A great place to start your tour of Quimper is in the middle of town, at the Place St Corentin. Here you’ll find the town’s beautiful Cathedral of Saint-Corentin. The building dates back to 1239, and is the oldest building in all of Lower Brittany. The brickwork on the building is stunning, but even more incredible is the stained glass windows, which date back to the fifteenth century.

Just around the corner from the cathedral is the Departmental Museum of Brittany. This is a great place to familiarise yourself with Brittany’s culture and history. Exhibitions include subject matters such as pottery, clothing, and traditions from this fascinating civilisation.

If you’re looking for a bit of culture, head across to the Museum of Fine Arts for a captivating collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings from the seventeenth century.

France is famed for its incredible cuisine, but it’s even more famed in Brittany. Head to one of the traditional Breton crêperie’s for a sweet or savoury snack. And don’t leave without sampling the local cider.

If you time your visit right, you might be able to catch the Festival de Cornouaille. It takes place every summer, and celebrates culture and music from Brittany and from around the globe. The first festival took place in 1923, and since then, famous stars such as Buena Vista Social Club, Sinéad O'Connor, and Joan Baez have played there. And if that doesn’t sound like your kind of music, you could always go to the Quimper Musical Weeks. This festival is famed for its mix of classical, baroque, and modern music.

And if it’s the wide open spaces you crave, spend the day on a boat trip along the Odet River. One of the most popular journeys is to Bénodet, one of the resorts along the seafront. On the way there, you’ll experience some wonderful traditional Breton countryside.

Quimper by Eurostar Trains

You can get to Quimper on one of the Eurostar’s connection services. This means you'll have to change trains at some point. Eurostar trains depart from St Pancras International, a very easy-to-get-to destination in London. Your simplest option of connection services after getting on the train at London is to change Paris Gare du Nord, but you’ll have to take a taxi or get on the metro to catch a connection train from Gare de Montparnasse. Take line four on the metro heading to Porte d'Orléans. Once you are at Montparnasse, there are a number of TGV services going directly to Quimper. All in all, if you travel from London, you can expect the journey time to be about seven hours.

Visit the official Eurostar web site to book your train tickets to Quimper.