Locronan

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.