# Pointe du Raz The tip of the Cap Sizun, a spur of rock facing the Île de Sein and its lighthouse, with currents you can see from above. Half a day is enough; Locronan and the Pointe du Van complete the day. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/brittany/pointe-du-raz · Revisado: 2026-11-11 ## What is the Pointe du Raz? The end of the Cap Sizun, in western Finistère, with the Grand Site de France label. From above you see the Île de Sein, the Vieille lighthouse and the raz, the channel of currents between the point and the island. Breton is on every sign: penn is point and enez, island. ## How do you get there and what does it cost? By car: about 50 km from Quimper, which has a TGV station. From the border it is about 860 km, free from Nantes onwards. From April to the end of October the car park costs €8 a day per vehicle. From there to the point it is about 800 m: twenty minutes on foot or, by shuttle, €1 each way; free for under-10s and people with reduced mobility. ## How much time do you need? Two hours for the point. Half a day if you add the Baie des Trépassés and the Pointe du Van. A whole day with Locronan, about three quarters of an hour by car. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Customs Officers' Path (GR 34), Brittany Coast - Cerca: Crozon Peninsula (a 29.4 km) ## Qué hacer - **Walk to the Pointe du Raz** (1 h 30 · 1.6 km · All ages · Parking €8 a day · shuttle €1): What it is The Pointe du Raz is the rock spur at the far west of the Cap Sizun, in Plogoff, and one of the emblematic landscapes of Finistère. It holds the Grand Site de France label and is a natural site of the Finistère département. From the point you see opposite the Île de Sein, the La Vieille lighthouse on its rock and, further off, Ar-Men. Between the point and the island runs the Raz de Sein, a passage of currents that can be seen breaking from above and which gives the place its name. On the way there is a statue of Notre-Dame des Naufragés, the semaphore, a small fort and viewpoints over the heath and the cliffs. Parking and shuttle You leave the car in the Maison de site car park. From April to the end of October you pay: Car or motor vehicle: €8 a day. Night in the car park, any vehicle: €18. Annual pass for a car: €20. From the car park to the point it is 800 m. You can walk it along the central path, in about 15 minutes, or take the electric shuttle, which runs regularly from 10:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:30, from April to the end of October. It costs €1 per trip and is free for under-10s and people with reduced mobility, who have priority. There is also a secondary path of 1.7 km, about 30 minutes. What to do at the point The walk to the end: the central path is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs as far as the viewpoints. The last stretch over the rocks is not. The loop of the point on the GR 34: 4 km, an hour and a half, difficult level. Guided visits from the Maison de site: "Au Raz de la Pointe", of 1 hour, leaves from the semaphore at 14:00 and 16:00 (Monday to Friday in April, May and October; every day from June to September). It costs €5, €2 reduced and is free for under-10s. The sunset visit, of 2 h 30, leaves the Maison de site on Tuesday afternoons from April to October, and also on Thursdays in July and August: €9 and €6 reduced. Book at the Maison de site or the tourist office. Maison de site and facilities The Maison de site is open from April to the end of October, every day from 10:00 to 18:00, and until 19:00 in July and August. It has free information and exhibitions. Next to the car park there are restaurants, shops, toilets and left-luggage. For cyclists, the site has direct access to the véloroute La Littorale (V5/V45), bike racks and a repair kit. When to go In good visibility: in fog you cannot see Sein or the lighthouses. In May, June and September there is heather, long light and fewer people. In August, from mid-morning, the car park and the shuttle have queues. In winter, in a storm, the sea is the show; outside the season the car park is not charged and the Maison de site and the shuttle do not run. With children or with a dog With children, the shuttle is free up to age 10 and the central path allows a pushchair. Hold them at the viewpoints. With a dog, keep it on a lead and on the paths. To round it off From the point, the GR 34 goes down to the Baie des Trépassés in 2.5 km and continues to the Pointe du Van; it is all in the entry on the GR 34 from the Raz to the Van. To sleep nearby, the Hôtel de la Baie des Trépassés. - **Locronan** (1 h 30 · All ages · Paid parking in summer): What it is Locronan is a village of grey granite with about 830 inhabitants, between Quimper and Douarnenez, at the foot of the Locronan "mountain". Its main square, facing the church, is surrounded by fourteen granite houses with slate roofs built in the 17th and 18th centuries by the sailcloth merchants, the business that made the town rich: Locronan's hemp cloth was already sold in the 15th century and left through the port of Pouldavid, in Douarnenez. It holds the Plus Beaux Villages de France and Petite Cité de Caractère labels, and has been protected as a historic monument since 1924. It has been the set for more than thirty films, among them Polanski's Tess and Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement. The name joins lok, holy place, and Ronan, the Irish saint who according to tradition founded his oratory here. What to see The church square, with the former Bureau des Toiles, from 1669, where the quality of the cloth was checked before it was sold, and the Compagnie des Indes house, from 1689. The church of Saint-Ronan, flamboyant Gothic, built between 1424 and 1480 with gifts from the dukes of Brittany and listed in 1845. Inside, the Rosary altarpiece and, on a pillar, the coat of arms of the weavers' guild. The Pénity chapel, attached to the church, from the end of the 15th and early 16th century, with the recumbent figure of Saint Ronan. The rue Lann, down which the cloth was carried towards Douarnenez. The Locronan mountain, Menez Lokorn, 289 m, with a view over the Bay of Douarnenez, the Cap Sizun and the Menez Hom. Among the façades craftspeople and makers work, some with their workshop in view. Guided visits The tourist office, on the place de l'Église, runs guided visits in summer of 1 h 15, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 15:00, from 7 July to 20 August. They cost €4, €8 for the family rate, and are free for under-12s. For groups there are visits all year with booking on 02 98 53 30 98. The Archi Kurieux run puzzle visits for families; they are booked on their website. Festivals The Petite Troménie: a 6 km procession every year, on the second Sunday of July. In 2026 it was on 12 July. The Grande Troménie: every six years it follows the 12 km of the old Celtic sacred enclosure, climbing the mountain. The next will be in 2031. The Marché aux étoiles: a night market of some sixty craftspeople and traders, on Thursdays from 18:00 to 23:00 from 16 July to 20 August, in the streets of the centre. How long and when to go An hour and a half for the square, the church and the streets; half a day if you climb the mountain. In July and August go early or at the end of the afternoon, when there are fewer people in the square. Outside summer it is quieter. Getting there and parking Locronan is about three-quarters of an hour by car from the Pointe du Raz and close to Quimper. Park in the signposted car parks at the entrance to the village, paid in summer, and walk into the centre. For motorhomes, the CAMPING-CAR PARK area in Locronan is about 100 m from the centre. Eating and sleeping On the square, the Crêperie Ty Coz, opened in 1952; if it is full, the Crêperie Les 3 Fées, on the rue des Charrettes. To sleep, the Camping de Locronan, within walking distance of the village. - **Baie des Trépassés** (2 h · Families, surfers · Independent visit · free): What it is The Baie des Trépassés is the long sandy beach linking the Pointe du Raz and the Pointe du Van, at the far west of the Cap Sizun, between the communes of Plogoff and Cléden-Cap-Sizun. It faces due west, to the open Atlantic, and gets strong wind and swell almost all year: it is one of Brittany's known surf spots. Behind the sand is the Laoual pond, with its wash-house and its fountain. The name, "Bay of the Dead", comes from a legend: the currents of the Raz de Sein and the west wind brought the bodies of shipwrecked sailors here. There are two other explanations, a mistranslation of the Breton Bae an Avon, "bay of the spring", and a Celtic tradition according to which dead druids set out from here for the Île de Sein. Popular belief says that on Christmas night the songs of souls in torment can be heard in the bay. Getting there and parking You get here by car from Plogoff or Cléden-Cap-Sizun, driving down to the sea between the two points. There are spaces near the beach and some visitors park on the verge; respect the signs and, in summer, arrive early. On foot, the GR 34 goes down from the Pointe du Raz in 2.5 km (about an hour and a half) and continues to the Pointe du Van for another 3 km. Swimming and safety The tourist office does not publish the beach's supervision calendar on its website: ask at the Maison de site at the Pointe du Raz or at the Audierne tourist office before swimming. Surfing Next to the beach a surf school operates, which appears on the official map of the natural site. In big seas, surfing here is for experienced people; if you are starting, go with a school and on days of small waves. Bring a wetsuit: the Atlantic water in Finistère is cold even in August. When to go In summer, for surfing and a walk on the sand; sunset, with the sun falling between the two points, is the best time. In winter, in a storm, the waves are impressive from above. Check the tide: at low tide the beach is much wider. With children For playing on the sand it works well, but keep an eye on the children in the water: it is not a calm beach. With a dog, respect the signs at the entrance. To round it off The beach is the natural stop between the Pointe du Raz and the Pointe du Van; if you want to do it on foot, see the entry on the GR 34 from the Raz to the Van. To sleep next to the sand, the Hôtel de la Baie des Trépassés. - **Pointe du Van** (1 h · All ages · Independent visit · free): What it is The Pointe du Van is the other point at the end of the Cap Sizun, in Cléden-Cap-Sizun. It closes the Baie des Trépassés to the north and faces south, to the Pointe du Raz, with the Île de Sein on the horizon. Between the point and the open sea is the Tévennec lighthouse, on its islet. It is part of the Grand Site de France of the Pointe du Raz and the Cap Sizun. It is wilder and has far fewer people than the Raz: heather heath, cliffs and, near the point, the small stone chapel of Saint-They, alone on the heath. West of the chapel is the rock called Morgan's. Getting there and parking By car, from Cléden-Cap-Sizun follow the signs to the Pointe du Van. There is parking near the point; guides do not agree on whether it is free or paid in season, so check the signs on arrival. From the car park to the chapel and the viewpoints there is a short walk across the heath. On foot, the GR 34 arrives from the Baie des Trépassés in 3 km (about an hour and a half) and from the Pointe du Raz in about 5.5 km. In July and August, the Maison de site at the Pointe du Raz runs a shuttle between the two points; ask there for the times. What to see The Saint-They chapel, on the way to the point. The viewpoints over the Baie des Trépassés and the Pointe du Raz. The Tévennec lighthouse and, in good weather, the Île de Sein and the lighthouses of the Raz de Sein. Allow an hour for the walk, the chapel and the viewpoints. If you want more, the official map suggests a Pointe du Van loop of 11 km and about 3 h 45. Guided visit From April to October, the Maison de site at the Pointe du Raz runs on Tuesdays at 9:00 a guided nature route around the Pointe du Van: 3 hours, 5 km, starting from the car park at the point. It costs €9, €6 reduced (ages 11 to 17, students and jobseekers) and is free for under-10s. Book at the Maison de site or the Cap Sizun tourist office. When to go At the end of the afternoon, with the sun going down over the sea and the Pointe du Raz silhouetted opposite. In May, June and September, with the heather and few people. In fog you see nothing: check the forecast. In winter, in a storm, the sea breaks against the cliffs. With children or with a dog The walk from the car park to the chapel is short and suitable for children, always away from the edge. With a pushchair, the heath path is uneven. Dogs on a lead: the heath is fragile. To round it off Combine it with the Pointe du Raz on the same day: the Raz in the morning, with more facilities, and the Van in the afternoon, quieter. To do it on foot, see the entry on the GR 34 from the Raz to the Van. To sleep between the two points, the Hôtel de la Baie des Trépassés. - **GR 34 from the Pointe du Raz to the Pointe du Van** (3 h · 5.5 km · Reasonably fit · Independent visit · free): What it is The stretch of the GR 34, the customs officers' path, that links the two points at the end of the Cap Sizun: it goes down from the Pointe du Raz to the Baie des Trépassés and climbs to the Pointe du Van across cliffs and heather heath. It is short but among the most spectacular of the whole Breton coast, always with the Île de Sein and its lighthouses in view. The natural site's official map marks it as a difficult-level GR 34. The route step by step According to the Finistère Département map: Pointe du Raz – Baie des Trépassés: 2.5 km, about 1 h 30. You leave the point and go down the coast to the beach. Baie des Trépassés – Pointe du Van: 3 km, about 1 h 30. You cross the bay and climb the cliff to the Saint-They chapel and the point. One way is about 5.5 km and three hours with stops. Out and back, double that. If you want a loop, the official map suggests two: the Pointe du Van loop, of 11 km and about 3 h 45, and the Pointe du Raz loop, of 10 km and about 3 h 20, which combine the GR with inland paths (PR). For a full day, there are guides that give about 17 km and 6 to 7 hours for the complete round trip from point to point. Waymarking and terrain The GR 34 is waymarked with white and red marks. The terrain is narrow path and rock, with ups and downs beside the cliffs. Wear hiking footwear. It is not suitable for pushchairs or bikes. Where to park At the Pointe du Raz: parking costs €8 a day from April to the end of October. If you are going to walk all day, it is the most convenient option: it has toilets, restaurants and the Maison de site. At the Pointe du Van: there is parking next to the point. Some guides give it as free and others as paid in season; check the signs on arrival. To do only the outward leg, the Maison de site runs in July and August a shuttle between the Pointe du Raz and the Pointe du Van; ask there for the times. Guided visits From April to October the Maison de site runs a guided nature route at the Pointe du Van (3 hours, 5 km, on Tuesdays at 9:00, from the Van car park) and a discovery route at the Pointe du Raz (3 h 30, 9 km, on Thursdays at 9:00, from Lescoff, for experienced walkers). They cost €9 and €6 reduced; free for under-10s. Book at the Maison de site or the tourist office. When to go and what to bring From April to June and in September: heather in flower, long light and fewer people. In August, set off early. There is no shade or fountains on the path: bring water, a hat, sun cream and a windcheater. With children or with a dog With older children used to walking, the stretch from the Raz to the Trépassés is manageable. With little ones, better just the central path at the Pointe du Raz. Dogs on a lead. To sleep halfway along, the Hôtel de la Baie des Trépassés is on the beach. ## Dónde comer - **Crêperie Ty Coz** (Restaurant, Locronan, €). Qué pedir: a savoury buckwheat galette and cider in a bolée. - **Crêperie Les 3 Fées** (Restaurant, Locronan, €). Qué pedir: a savoury galette and a sweet crêpe for dessert. ## As a family: A point with a shuttle and a beach next door The Pointe du Raz is easy with children: the path is short and the shuttle is free for under-10s. Then, a beach at the Trépassés. ### What works best The Pointe du Raz with the shuttle The Baie des Trépassés for the sand Locronan, small and with no cars on the square ### Sleeping Hôtel de la Baie des Trépassés Camping de Locronan ### Eating Crêperie Ty Coz in Locronan A picnic on the Van heath ### Bear in mind There is no railing at the point: hold hands on the rocks There are currents at the Trépassés: swim only with supervision The wind chills a lot: bring a coat even in summer ### Qué hacer as a family - Walk to the Pointe du Raz - Locronan - Baie des Trépassés - Pointe du Van ## Consejos ### Go in good visibility In fog you can see neither Sein nor the lighthouse. Check the forecast first. ### Stay on the marked paths They protect the heath, which is fragile, and the edge has no railing. ### Arrive early in summer From eleven the car park fills up and the shuttle has a queue. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Do I have to pay? The point itself is free. You pay for parking from April to October: €8 a day per car or motorhome. ### Can I go with children or a pushchair? Yes. From the car park to the point there is an 800 m path and an accessible electric shuttle. The last stretch over the rocks is not for a pushchair. ### What is nearby? The Baie des Trépassés, a big beach between two points; the Pointe du Van, wilder; and Locronan, one of the prettiest granite villages in France. ### Can I go in winter? Yes, and in a storm it is impressive. The Maison de site closes from November to the end of March and parking is not charged in those months.