The garden of the ramparts, a public park, with the old city behind the walls in Vannes, France.

© Pascale Gueret/Getty Images/iStock

Ramparts

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Vannes' old town is surrounded by imposing ramparts and gates, which are in turn lined by a moat and, on the eastern edge, simply spectacular flower-filled gardens. Tucked away behind rue des Vierges, stairs lead to the accessible section of the ramparts from which you can see the black-roofed Vieux Lavoirs (Old Laundry Houses) along the water. Or walk rue Francis Decker, on the wall's eastern exterior, to take it all in.


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