Quimper and the faience

Back in 1690, Jean-Baptiste Bousquet fired up a kiln in Locmaria and kick-started Quimper’s hand-painted faience tradition. By the 18th century, this riverside quarter along the Odet was shipping personalized bowls and Breton folk scenes across the western ports, while Saint-Corentin’s twin spires—completed in 1856—reshaped the skyline. It’s a layered cityscape: timber-framed lanes, footbridges over the Odet, and workshops still turning local clay into deep Nevers blue, copper greens, and antimony yellows.

For this half-day, your driver collects you from the hotel in Quimper and stays at your disposal. You’re dropped at the cathedral square while they handle traffic and parking, then whisked 1.2 km to Locmaria for HB-Henriot and the Ateliers d’Art de Quimper—demos included, shop optional. The route back traces the Odet quays for a coffee-and-kouign amann pause on Rue Kéréon before a smooth pickup, all paced to your preferences.