Audierne travel guide

Visit Audierne (Brittany, France)

Audierne is a harbour resort and active fishing centre on the Cap Sizun peninsula of south-west Finistere, a short distance south-west of Pont-Croix. The main port and centre of the town are on the estuary of the River Goyen

The town is a popular harbour and leisure resort with visitors to western Brittany, both for the town itself and for the easy access it provides to beaches and the impressive coastal scenery of western Finistere.

Explore Audierne

Within Audierne the centre of activity, and the focus of your visit, is around the estuary, the harbour and the sea front, lined with impressive 17th-18th century houses built by the merchants who once supplied arms to the French navy.

Guided tours of the town are available during the summer - ask for details of times at Audierne tourist office (on Place de la Liberté, next to the harbour). Other times of year they can provide a leaflet showing a suggested route for exploring the highlights.

Highlights here include the walkway known as the 'Chemin de halage', a pathway to the south of the town that crosses a section of the harbour and makes for a lovely promenade in the early evening.

Of course, at some point during your visit you will want to go to the beach! Audierne has a lovely and very long sandy beach called the Plage de Trescadec where various activities are available. The beach is supervised during the summer.

Away from the harbour you can explore the streets of the historic town, and also find plenty of shops and restaurants. You can also see the sturdy granite Church of Saint Raymond, built in the 17th century on the site of an ancient castle - see which of your children can be first to find all three of the carvings of boats that decorate the outside of the church.

The natural environment can further be appreciated in the Parc des Capucins, a well-maintained and well planted park area towards the south of Audierne, and the more extensive wooded area to the north of the town.

Near to Audierne

The highlights around this remote part of western Finistere are largely based around the chance to enjoy the lovely coastal scenery. Particularly notable near Audierne is the Pointe de Raz, a listed 'Grand Site of France' and a dramatic section of coast jutting out into the Atlantic, at the western end of Cap Sizun.

The Reserve de Cap Sizun is a section of coastline that is now protected and features beautiful and dramatic coastline, and a wide variety of flora and fauna, especially sea birds.

Away from the coast it is very pleasant to cycle or canoe along the Goyen river towards Pont-Croix, and a little further west we also highly recommend a trip to the town of Quimper, one of our favourite historic towns in Brittany.

Explore elsewhere in the Brittany coast. You can find more travel ideas in the Finistere guide and the Brittany guide.

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Hotels in Audierne

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Map of Audierne and places nearby

Visit near Audierne with France This Way reviews

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