Description:

Douarnenez, known as Land of the Island in Breton, has a long history with a fishing port established here in the Gallo Roman times.  The actual town of Douarnenez is as a result of the merging of Treboul Ploare and Pouldavid in 1945.

The town has a rich history of tradition and folklore with the legendary Breton city of Ys is believed to lie beneath Douarnenez Bay.  Douarnenez is also linked to the medieval story of Tristan and Isodel for whom Tristan Island, in the bay, is named.

Douarnenez was a busy fishing port, especially sardines, until the early 1980s and although in decline fishing is still important to the town.  Douarnenez has three distict ports Rosmeur which is the current fishing port, Port Rhu and the modern marina Treboul.  Port Rhu is home to many traditional wooden boat makers whilst more modern fishing boats are made at Port Rosmeur.

Douarnenez is now most famous for its quaint cobbled streets, coloured houses, fabulous beaches and the local speciality cake, Kouign Amann Scordia, which was invented in 1860 and made from bread dough covered with a butter sugar mixture.

Douarnenez is situated in the Douarnenez Bay to the south of Crozon peninsula in the department of Finistere.  The town covers an area of 24.94 km² and is one of the 17 cantons of Quimper.

Douarnenez has a market every weekday morning in the Halles de Douarnenez Center.  There is also a smaller market every Monday morning in the Resistance Square as well as a larger market every Wednesday morning.  For all other groceries there is are Lidl, Marche Plus, l'Eclerc, Intermarche and Leader Price supermarkets in the town.

Douarnenez has numerous clothes, shoe, home & garden, pet and food shops as you would expect in a large town.  The town also benefits from its position on the coast with over 6 fresh fishmongers.

Douarnenez has three Ecole Primaires et Maternelles, two Colleges and two Lycees.

Douarnenez has all the facilities and services you can expect from a large town including a post office, library, hair and beauty salons, garages,  banks, pharmacies,  vets, dentists, doctors and opticians.

The town has a centrally based Pompier and gendarmerie as well as a good size hospital and a popular Thalassotherapy centre.

For entertainment Douarnenez is filled with lots of lively bistros,  bars, cafes and restaurants especially along the road at the sea front at Port Rosmeur which has lots of restaurants specialising in the locally caught seafood.

Alternatively you could visit one of the three cinemas or the swimming pool.

Douarnenez has a good choice of visitor accommodation with over 20 hotels, 6 campsites and lots of Chambre d’Hotes and Gite complex's. 

There is a wide and exciting calendar of events in Douarnenez throughout the year such as carnivals, regattas, sport competitions and Fetes.  A highlight is the maritime festival, Temps Fete, which is held every two years in July and celebrates all types of traditional sailing with up to 2000 boats, 17000 sailors and 30 countries taking part.  The next festival will be in 2010.  During August Douarnenez is home to the popular Film Festival and a Festival celebrating Breton traditions.

Douarnenez has five sandy beaches dotted around the coast which are great for sunbathing or watersports.

In recent years Douarnenez has defined itself as a living maritime museum focused mainly around Port Rhu which has a Port Musee where visitors can walk around restored fishing boats dating back to the early 20th century as well as an indoor museum celebrating the sea, its history and its challenges.

Worth a visit:

• Following the Chemin de la Sardine (Sardine route) which is a walk through Douarnenez based on 19 panels at key points along the route detailing the history of the town in particular its sardine trade.
• Take a boat trip around bay
• Walk across to Tristan island - only at low tide
• Explore the Roman archaeological site on the coastal path from Douarnenez at Plomarc'h

Due to its location  on the coast Douarnenez is fantastic for water sports such as sailing and wind surfing.

Douarnenez has some great sports facilities for football, table tennis, martial arts, cycling, swimming, athletics and tennis as well as over 40 associations catering to every hobby and leisure  preference.

Surrounding Douarnenez there are also facilities for golf and hiking.

Check out Guide2Brittany for Douarnenez property, Douarnenez accommodation, Douarnenez events, Douarnenez news and classifieds in Douarnenez.