Clustered with beautiful buildings, Roscoff is a coastal commune and an important port for the transport of Breton agricultural produce to the United Kingdom. It has long been the traditional departure point for “Onion Johnnies”, local farmers who travelled by bicycle as far as Wales to sell their onions door-to-door.
Things to do in Roscoff
Follow the well-marked tourist trail that leads through the centre of Roscoff, passing by the house that Alexandre Dumas stayed in and the Eglise Notre-Dame de Croaz-Batz. Dating from the 16th-century, this charming church combines Renaissance and Gothic architectural styles and houses a collection of beautiful medieval wooden carvings. A highlight is the ornately decorated, tiered tower.
Dominating the coastline is the Phare de Roscoff, a 24-metre-high lighthouse that dates back to 1914. It features a square, pyramidal tower that can be visited during guided tours and offers magnificent views across the English Channel. On the other side of the port are the historic buildings of the Station Biologique de Roscoff, an important centre for the study of oceanography and marine biology.
Green thumbs shouldn’t miss a visit to the Jardin Exotique de Roscoff, which encompasses 1.6 hectares in the commune’s east. Established in 1986 by Daniel Person, it displays around 3,400 plants from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and China, as well as South America and the Canary Islands. Stroll between the water features and through the giant rockeries that offer panoramic views across Morlaix Bay.
Getting around Roscoff
Roscoff is around an hour’s drive from Brest and Brest Bretagne Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. Buses connect from towns and cities across Brittany to the historic Roscoff railway station while the town centre is small enough to explore on foot.