Maison André Breton

In 1950 the surrealist writer André Breton bought a riverside auberge in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and named it the Auberge des Mariniers. He summered here for the rest of his life and made the village a meeting point for surrealist friends — Joan Miró, Yves Tanguy, Robert Benayoun, and others passed through.

The house is now a centre dedicated to the surrealist movement, with a small library, exhibition rooms, and a programme of summer events and readings. The interior is small but lovingly kept; the visit is for people who care about Breton or about surrealism specifically, rather than a general sight. Look across the road for the modest plaque marking the site; opening hours are limited and vary by season, so check before climbing back up to it.

things to do sight
A story
Breton wrote that he had finally "ceased to wish himself elsewhere" — a remarkable claim from a man who had spent his life in Paris cafes inventing surrealism. He returned every summer for the last seventeen years of his life and died in Paris in 1966.