Tregana — 80 m
Eighty metres from the house, along the path. Golden sand, granite coves, water so clear you can see your feet on calm days. The closest beach, and one of the finest in the area.
Local guide
Things to do near Les 4 Mouettes
What we tell our friends when they come for a week: the good places, the tide times, the shoes you'll actually need. The guide that won't fit on a booking listing.
Book the houseMap
Everything around the house
Every place mentioned in this guide, on one map. Click a category to show or hide it.
Walking
The GR34 from the front door
The GR34, the long-distance coastal trail (and the longest in France), runs right past the garden. You step onto it as easily as you step out for fresh air. Head west and you drop down to Tregana first, then on to Porsmilin, Le Conquet and the Pointe Saint-Mathieu lighthouse. Head east and the trail follows the Brest channel towards the Minou.
The terrain is not flat. Granite breaks through underfoot, and the sections close to the water can be slippery after rain. Closed walking shoes are essential — sandals will not see you through a full day.
Check the tide times before heading off towards the coves. At high tide some passages require wet feet; at low tide the foreshore opens up for miles, and you can walk round entire bays. Tide tables are posted in the house, and available online from the SHOM, the French naval hydrographic service.
For trail runners and seasoned hikers, the stretch between Sainte-Anne and the Pointe Saint-Mathieu is the route of the Trail du Bout du Monde, regularly ranked among France's most beautiful trail races.
And yes — even in August, the water is cold. This is the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean. Always pack a windbreaker.
Beaches & ocean
From Tregana to Les Blancs Sablons
Six beaches on foot, or nearly, linked by the GR34 coastal path. The Atlantic stays cool even in August — but the sand is among the finest on the peninsula, and every cove has its own character.
Portez — 300 m
More sheltered and more family-friendly. A bar and restaurant a stone's throw away — the Mille Sabords and its sea-facing terrace. The sensible choice with children.
Sainte-Anne du Trez Hir — 2.5 km
Two and a half kilometres along the GR34: the walk is as good as the beach. At high tide the sand cuts off from Le Trez Hir and becomes a small cove all to yourself. Our favourite.
Le Trez Hir — 4 km
The local seaside resort, four kilometres along the GR34. A large fine-sand beach, with shops and restaurants within towel's reach.
Bertheaume — 15 min
A sandy cove at the mouth of the Brest channel, at Plougonvelin. Calm turquoise water, sailing boats at anchor, a slipway. Fifteen minutes by car.
Les Blancs Sablons — 10 min
A very large fine-sand beach above Le Conquet, ten minutes by car. A kilometre and a half open to the Atlantic: surfing in winter, swimming in summer.
Surf, tides and swell
To the east, on the way to Brest, Plage du Minou opens onto the Brest channel and the ships heading into the bay. The spot itself is a well-known factory of Breton bodyboarding talent; in summer, paddleboards and kayaks are available for hire, and a small converted bunker serves as a sunset bar.
To the west, on the road to Le Conquet, Porsmilin is a beach break that works year-round. The Minou Surf School, open from April to October, teaches beginners from six years old. The waves are consistent — neither too strong nor too weak — which makes it the right spot to learn, or to come back to.
Here, the sea sets the pace. Before a walk on the foreshore or going in the water, always check the tide: tide times at Le Conquet (SHOM), the nearest reference port.
For surfing, five spots around the house. On the map, each marker shows the recommended level and a link to the swell forecast.
Fifteen minutes by car
Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Le Conquet
This is the end of the world. The Pointe Saint-Mathieu lines up its lighthouse, the ruins of its abbey and a full 360° view over the Iroise Sea. On a clear day you can pick out the Pierres Noires; in a storm, you understand why the Bretons built so many lighthouses.
Five minutes away, Le Conquet is one of those Breton ports that didn't need restoring to stay beautiful. Fishing boats come in each morning, the auctions still take place, and the Tuesday market is worth the trip. Park at the top of the village and walk down through the lanes.
Le Conquet is also the ferry port for Ouessant and Molène. Penn ar Bed runs the service year-round, several times a day in high season. Allow a full day for Ouessant — the island deserves the time.
The whole area is part of the Iroise Marine Nature Park, the first in France. Grey seals can be spotted from the shore; with a little luck, dolphins too.
Twenty minutes
Brest, and everything it adds
You can also get there along the coast. The trail drops down from the house, skirts the Dellec cove with its moored boats, then opens onto the channel and the bay. Twenty minutes by car along the inland route; an hour and a half on foot along the GR34.
Brest doesn't have the postcard look of other Breton towns — it was rebuilt after the war — but it has everything else: the bay, the harbour, the bars along the Vauban district, and a feel for the open sea you find only here.
Océanopolis remains a classic outing for children: three pavilions (temperate, tropical, polar) that easily take half a day. On the other side of the harbour, Les Capucins — a former workshop of the Brest naval arsenal turned cultural quarter — is reached by urban cable car, the only one of its kind in France.
Practically speaking, Brest concentrates everything you might need: the TGV station (3h30 from Paris), the airport ten minutes from the centre, and major supermarkets if you've forgotten something at home.
Local favourites
A few favourite spots
The addresses we pass on to friends who come for a week.
Eating out
Crêperie La Cormorandière
CrêperieA short walk from the house, in a former fisherman's cottage. Buckwheat galettes, sea-side feel.
Read on TripAdvisor →
Mille Sabords restaurant
Brasserie300 metres from the house. Sea-facing terrace, handy for an impromptu lunch.
Read on TripAdvisor →
Crêperie Louise de Bretagne
CrêperieArtisan crêperie in the heart of Le Conquet, terrace on the cobbled street near the harbour. Buckwheat galettes and cider, in a stone building. Fifteen minutes away.
louisedebretagne.bzh →
Restaurant Sainte-Barbe
SeafoodPanoramic restaurant of the Hôtel Sainte-Barbe, perched above Le Conquet harbour. Full-frame windows onto the Iroise Sea and the boats. Fifteen minutes away.
hotelsaintebarbe.com →
Midtown
BurgersQuality burgers ten minutes away, in the village of Plouzané. Fresh produce, polished setting.
midtown.fr →
Hostellerie de la Pointe Saint-Mathieu
Michelin-starredMichelin-starred chef Nolwenn Corre's refined Breton cuisine, facing the lighthouse and the abbey ruins. A century-old inn, fifteen minutes away. Booking essential.
restaurant-pointe-saint-mathieu.com →Travel & markets
Saint-Renan market
Every Saturday morning, one of the finest markets in Finistère: local producers, cheesemakers, fishmongers. Fifteen minutes away.
ville-saint-renan.fr →
Direct fish sales at Le Conquet harbour
When the morning auction ends, some fishermen sell their catch directly on the quay. Ask for what came in at first light.
Penn ar Bed ferries
From Le Conquet, Penn ar Bed runs ferries to Ouessant and Molène year-round. Allow a full day for Ouessant.
pennarbed.breizhgo.bzh →Things to do
Minou Surf Club
Surf and bodyboard school, with sessions at both Porsmilin and Le Minou. Le Minou itself is a renowned breeding ground for Breton bodyboarders. Lessons year-round, gear hire.
minousurfschool.com →
Aquapark Aventure
Inflatable obstacle course on the Saint-Renan lake: slides, trampolines, climbing frames. Open in summer. Fifteen minutes away.
aquaparkaventure.com →
Saint-Renan wakepark
Cable wakeboarding on the Saint-Renan lake: wakeboard and water-ski pulled by an overhead cable, for beginners and experienced riders alike. Open in summer, fifteen minutes away.
adr-cablepark.fr →
Océanopolis
Brest's flagship aquarium park. Three pavilions — temperate, tropical, polar — that hold both adults and children. Twenty minutes away.
oceanopolis.com →
Les Ateliers des Capucins
A former workshop of the Brest naval arsenal turned cultural quarter, reached by the urban cable car of Brest. Restaurants, climbing wall, cinema, library — all under a striking industrial nave. Twenty minutes away.
ateliersdescapucins.fr →
La Récré des 3 Curés
The family theme park of the Brest area. Rides, slides, treetop adventures — the go-to plan when it rains. Twenty-five minutes away.
larecredes3cures.com →
Musée Mémoires 39-45
Set inside a former Atlantic Wall bunker at Plougonvelin, the museum tells the story of life on the coast during the wartime Occupation. Striking and educational for adults and kids alike. Fifteen minutes away.
museememoires39-45.fr →
Treziroise aquatic centre
Indoor pool in Plougonvelin, open year-round. Slide and paddling pool — perfect when the Atlantic feels too cold. Ten minutes away.
treziroise.fr →
Bertheaume Iroise Aventure
Treetop adventure and a giant zip-line over the sea to the Bertheaume fort. A real thrill. Fifteen minutes away.
bertheaume-iroise-aventure.fr →
Golf de Pen ar Bed
An 18-hole golf course in wooded surroundings, near Saint-Renan. Open to visiting players. About twenty minutes away.
golf-armorique.com →Festivals
Everyone has heard of the Vieilles Charrues in Carhaix (1h20 from the house, in the Monts d'Arrée). Closer in, Finistère has plenty of festivals of its own.
Les Jeudis du port
Every Thursday evening in July and August, free concerts on the Brest harbour. Family-friendly, summer vibe — the Brest summer tradition.
festival-bretagne.fr →
Astropolis
France's historic electronic music festival, founded in 1995. A week of sharp programming in early July, in Brest and at the Keroual manor.
astropolis.org →
Ouestival
An independent festival at Plougonvelin (fifteen minutes away), late June. Music, live arts, local spirit.
ouestival29.fr →Sport
Three clubs worth a ticket
In its stands, Brest has something particular: warm, family-like, on its feet. It's part of what gives the city its reputation. If you happen on a match night, take a seat without thinking twice.
Stade Brestois 29
A Ligue 1 club with a Champions League appearance. Francis-Le Blé stadium, 30 minutes from the house.
sb29.bzh →
Brest Bretagne Handball
Top-flight women's handball, a regular at European level. Brest Arena, 15 minutes away.
brest-bretagnehandball.fr →
Landerneau Bretagne Basket
Women's basketball with a passionate following. 40 minutes from the house.
landerneau-bretagne-basket.fr →Practical
Useful things to know
- Groceries
- Carrefour Contact in Locmaria-Plouzané (5 min). For larger shops, Carrefour Plouzané with a Fnac section (10 min towards Brest).
- Bakery
- Several in the village, open early. Ask for the kouign-amann on Saturday morning.
- Healthcare
- GPs and a pharmacy at the Plouzané health centre. Brest university hospital (CHU) for emergencies.
- Connectivity
- Fibre Wi-Fi in the house. Good mobile coverage across all networks.
- Parking
- Private space on the property. Free street parking nearby.
- Tides
- Tide tables are posted in the house, or available online from the SHOM (see also tides & surf). Always check before a coastal walk.
Ready for Brittany?
Book Les 4 Mouettes and turn this list into your next week away.
Check availability