- DepartmentFinistère
- Distance apart~15 km
- Best forArt, seafood, beaches
- Stay1–2 nights
This stretch of the south coast is softer and sunnier than the north, with sheltered bays, wooded river estuaries and sandy beaches.
Concarneau
Concarneau is one of France's leading fishing ports, but most visitors come for the Ville Close, a walled town on an island in the harbour, reached by a short bridge. Walk the ramparts, visit the Musée de la Pêche (fishing museum), and eat seafood on the quays. A little passenger ferry crosses the harbour, and boats leave in summer for the turquoise waters of the Îles de Glénan.
Pont-Aven
Pont-Aven is a small town on the River Aven, once famous for its watermills. In the late 19th century it drew artists from around the world, and Paul Gauguin and Émile Bernard developed a bold new style here that became known as the Pont-Aven School. Today the town is full of galleries. Don't miss:
- The Musée de Pont-Aven, devoted to the painters who worked here.
- A walk along the river to the Bois d'Amour, the woods where Sérusier painted The Talisman.
- The Trémalo chapel, whose wooden Christ inspired Gauguin's Yellow Christ.
- The famous Pont-Aven butter biscuits, sold in tins all over town.
Nearby
Port-Manec'h and Kerfany beaches lie at the mouth of the Aven, and the Belon river is known for its flat oysters.
Stay in Concarneau & Pont-Aven
Compare prices and free-cancellation rates.
Top sights near Concarneau & Pont-Aven
Ville Close, Concarneau
A walled town on an island in a busy fishing port, with a walk around the ramparts.
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Locronan
A perfectly preserved granite village, once rich from sailcloth, now a film-set favourite.
Read guide →Header photo: Photo: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0
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