Around Douarnenez

Circuit along Port-Rhu, the port museum and marina, continuing along the greenway.
Return via the protected natural site of Plomarc'h and along the fishing port.

Details

105073
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.59 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 102 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 100 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 71 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Douarnenez (29100)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.096066° / W 4.334989°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 0518OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure: car park near the MJC, Boulevard Camille Réaud, by the sea.

Yellow andGR®®34white and red markings

(S/E) Turn left onto Quai du Port-Rhu and follow it. Pass the footbridge on the right and walk along the port museum. On the left, you will see Place de l'Enfer, where the fishing museum and media library are located. Pass under the road bridge connecting Douarnenez to Tréboul. You are now on Boulevard du Général De Gaulle, which runs alongside the marina.

(1) On your right, on the other side of the river, you will see the old boat graveyard. Continue straight ahead.
When you reach Rue Louis Pasteur, turn right and then left before the petrol station.

(2) Take the greenway (former Quimper-Douarnenez railway line) and follow it for about 3 km. Cross the D7 at the pedestrian crossing, then the D57 at the pedestrian crossing, and walk along the Lannugat industrial estate. You will see a bridge which you will need to cross. At the end of the long warehouses on your left, shortly after a fallen tree trunk withGR®® markings on the left, look for a staircase leading to a company car park about 200 m before the bridge.

(3) Turn right to climb above the greenway and reach this bridge. Turn left and follow the road carefully to the next intersection (no real shoulder).

No signposts

(4) Turn left and follow the road that leads to the D39. Continue on this road and pass the water tower on the left.

(5) Take the path on the right that descends steeply towards the sea and leads to the D7.

GR®®34White and Red Markings

Cross this road at the pedestrian crossing (take care) and follow it on the left on a wide pavement. On the right, there is a beautiful view of Ris Beach and Douarnenez Bay.

(6) At the three-way junction, turn right to descend to the Plomarch site and follow this path which leads to the archaeological site of Plomarc'h Pella (salting vats dating from the 2nd century).

(7) Turn left and follow the Sentier des Plomarc'h.

(8) Turn right and follow the path overlooking the sea, going around the old fishing village, the stopover lodge and the municipal farm.
Continue right along Rue des Plomarc'h, which overlooks Port du Rosmeur and its colourful houses. Turn right twice at a building site to reach the quay that runs along the port.
At the end, turn right to go to the end of the embankment, which offers a view of the harbour.

(9) Retrace your steps and go behind the fish market (you are no longer allowed to walk along the harbour).

(10) At the end of the buildings, turn right towards the shipyard, then left towards a low wall. Follow this wall to the left, walk alongside the fuel storage centre for boats to reach Boulevard Jean Richepin. Follow this boulevard, walking on the wide pavement on the right overlooking the sea. Pass Plage des Dames and look out for Île Tristan on your right, then Tréboul marina on the other side of the harbour. This boulevard will take you back to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 5 m - Car park near the MJC, Boulevard Camille Réaud. - Port Rhu (fleuve)
  2. 1 : km 1.03 - alt. 5 m - Cemetery of old boats.
  3. 2 : km 1.79 - alt. 12 m - Start of the greenway
  4. 3 : km 4.86 - alt. 48 m - Fork in the road
  5. 4 : km 5.65 - alt. 66 m - Intersection. Turn left.
  6. 5 : km 6.79 - alt. 67 m - Path on the right leading down to the sea.
  7. 6 : km 7.7 - alt. 62 m - Plomarc'h trail on the right
  8. 7 : km 8.29 - alt. 18 m - Plomarc'h archaeological site
  9. 8 : km 8.83 - alt. 20 m - Fork in the road
  10. 9 : km 10.07 - alt. 4 m - View of the harbour
  11. 10 : km 10.59 - alt. 5 m - Fork in the road
  12. S/E : km 11.59 - alt. 5 m - Car park near the MJC, Boulevard Camille Réaud.

Notes

Bars and restaurants at the port museum near the starting point.

Stopover lodge in Plomarc'h located on theGR®®34, which follows the Brittany coastline.

The greenway is also very popular with cyclists: please be careful.

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
pasant
pasant

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very well

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User 25639823

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike despite the slightly threatening weather.

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pascal6208
pascal6208

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely route for exploring Douarnenez Bay

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mcplomeur
mcplomeur

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The stretches along the coast, from Port Rhu on the way there and from Ris beach on the way back, are superb, with the passage through Rosmeur, which is always lively.
We found the greenway a little long and monotonous, but it is possible to shorten it by turning left a little earlier, which also avoids part of the route on the road.
There are indeed a lot of cyclists on the greenway.
Thank you for introducing us to this route.

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Emmanuel.B
Emmanuel.B

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The weather was on our side, with a variety of landscapes, countryside, town, seaside, harbour..
What a wonderful hike!

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for this review.
I devoted another hike to Tréboul, which is why I didn't go into detail here.
Kind regards

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isalil
isalil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike along the entire coastline, the greenway is also pleasant, but the section through the industrial area is completely uninteresting, even though I understand that it was to make a loop. I actually shortened the route a bit by taking the small hiking trail that passes in front of the waste disposal centre (no more interesting, but a little shorter).
I also regret that the route completely "forgot" the Tréboul side, which is also interesting (I extended the hike by crossing the footbridge and walking along the coastal path on that side as well).
On the other hand, the ancient sardine salting site was interesting to see; I could have completely missed it if it weren't for the hike. I also really liked the port of Rosmeur and its colourful houses.

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crisg29
crisg29

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Wonderful hike.
Highly recommended and worth repeating, but preferably at the weekend to avoid the hustle and bustle of the craft market
I've just read the various reviews above. Some people really are "difficult".
Frankly, the smell of fish and slippery paths are part of life in Douarnenez for some and part of country life for others.
Thank you, sir, for your excellent description. It's certainly not easy to do, and I appreciate it.

PS / Perhaps specify that you should carry an air freshener in your pocket

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for this feedback.
I will be able to adjust my description.
Kind regards

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Cat29
Cat29

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike that allows you to discover the daily life of the locals: the port, the canneries... and never mind if the smell of fish bothers some people!
The descent to the Plomarch trail is muddy at this time of year, so be careful...
Otherwise, you can no longer walk along the harbour quay, as it is now reserved for professionals (between points 9 and 10).
It can be a little tricky to find the path on the right to leave the greenway, but it's well before the bridge.
Be careful between points 4 and 5 as well, as there are no pavements. We walked along this road at the time when the factories were closing, and it was dangerous.

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gaston16
gaston16

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This tour was done in good weather. A wonderful discovery of the Douarnenez area. The only downside was the section along the old railway line, where there are several places with unpleasant odours.
However, this does not detract from the appeal of this route, which allowed us to discover the area.
We are very satisfied with this tour.

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cecel 29
cecel 29

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

apart from Plomarc'h and the coastline, there isn't much else of interest

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phpinson
phpinson

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

the beginning, which runs alongside a canning factory area, is not very interesting in winter; similarly, at this time of year, the farm tracks leading to the coast are full of mud, so we avoided them. In this case, plan an alternative route through the town.

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hellie29510
hellie29510
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike in glorious sunshine. Setting off early in the morning, I was able to enjoy the light....
An easy hike with beautiful scenery

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chogui
chogui

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Well done on the route!!!!!!
I never got lost... lol...
To make sure I saw everything in Douarnenez, I combined
this hike with one called "Douarnenez and Port-Rhu .
Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you for this wonderful discovery.

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