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Roscoff is regarded as “the most British of Brittany’s ports”, and is steeped in charm and character to enchant travellers and prolong their stay. Well-built houses of cut-stone granite reveal the prosperity of former times when the town’s mainstay was cross-Channel maritime trade. Their characteristic dormer windows look like extra eyes that peer out and survey the activity of the harbour, while the sloped cellar entrances prompt images of smugglers hurriedly storing their goods on thick foggy nights. The strangely named Onion Johnny Museum celebrates the cross-Channel trade link, and is well-worth a visit. Onion Johnnies were Bretons who crossed seasonally to the UK and sold their distinctive pink onions door to door from strings on their bicycles (in the early 19th century it was easier to sail to the UK than to take the roads to Paris). Other notable attractions around the town are the Jardin Exotique which contains over 3000 exotic plants, the ornately decorated church of Notre-Dame-de-Croas-Batz, and the contrastingly simple 17th century Chapel of Sainte-Barbe perched atop a cliff. For pure relaxation and pampering then why not indulge with a visit to one of the saltwater spa hotels. Roscoff became France’s first thalassotherapy resort in 1899, using saltwater to treat rheumatism and other ailments. Nowadays many hotels offer relaxation treatments based around hot saltwater pools, Jacuzzis and steam rooms, and is the perfect way to finish your Breton experience.
tour 1 The Town and the Exotic Garden
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Enjoy a half-day (three hours) walking tour of the historic port town of Roscoff and its extraordinary botanical gardens. Embark from the pier for the 15-minute drive to the Exotic Garden of Roscoff, created in 1987 based on an idea from Daniel Person and Louis Kerdiles. Spend an hour exploring this well-known botanical garden that is home to more than 3,000 species of plants from the Southern Hemisphere, including rock gardens with cacti, agaves, and aloes. See the 59-foot-high rock with a panoramic view of the Bay of Morlaix, and the waterfalls and ponds inhabited by turtles. Bring your camera for photos of this wonderland that covers almost 1750 square yards and is maintained by G.R.A.P.E.S., a group of subtropical exotic plant lovers.
Reboard your coach for the short drive to Roscoff city center. Discover a seaside resort that is also home to a medical center using thalassotherapy, or seawater treatment. View the pleasure boats and working boats in this fishing port. Stroll the Rue Armand Rousseau (formerly Rue des Perles) and the church square and take in the elegant granite mansions are evidence of Roscoff's prosperous ship owners and privateers during the Renaissance. Note the decorative gables and other architectural details, especially on the finest of these houses, the Maison de Marie Stuart, located on Rue Amiral Réveillère. Return to your coach for the 15-minute drive back to the pier.
tour 2 Roscoff & Saint- Pol-de-Leon
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Discover two jewels of Brittany on this half day (four hours) guided tour. Embark from the pier and board your deluxe coach for the 30-minute drive to Saint Pol de Leon, a city of art and history. As you drive along the coast of the charming Pempoul Bay, note the three ornate 50-meter spires of the majestic Cathedral Saint-Paul-Aurelien as it welcomes you inside the heart of Gothic Brittany. With your guide, explore the cathedral builder's masterpiece and discover its bishopric past through the religious art that includes many radiant stained-glass windows dating from the 14th to 17th centuries, impressive wood carvings, and a 17th century organ. Notice the stonework that underlines the fervor of its builders. Explore other important nearby sites. Visit the Town Hall located just to the left of the cathedral, built in 1706 as an Episcopal bishops' palace. Investigate its simple yet elegant architectural style typical of the Age of Enlightenment. While here, also discover the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Kreisker. At 80-meters tall, it is the highest chapel in Brittany. (Note this tour does not include a climb up to the bell tower.) Then enjoy a stroll during your free time in St. Pol while you take in the beautiful private mansions and exceptional houses that perfectly punctuate the streets and passageways of the historical center.
Reboard you coach for the 30-minute drive to Roscoff for a guided visit that includes photo stops. Explore this seaside resort that is known for its medical center dedicated to thalassotherapy (seawater treatment). Wander around this lively fishing port and pleasure boat harbor as you get a flavor of the bustle of the waterfront. Walk downtown amidst the historic ship owners' houses. Take in these elegant granite mansions with decorative gables that are evidence of Roscoff's prosperity in the Renaissance when being a privateer was a profitable profession. Check out the Rue Armand Rousseau (formerly Rue des Perles) and the church square to find more these extravagant homes. Hint: the finest of them, in the Rue Amiral Réveillère, is known as the Maison de Marie Stuart. After your visit, return to your awaiting motor coach for the drive back to the pier.
tour 3 Neolithic Cairn of Barnenez
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Take a half day (five hours) guided tour and discover the massive megalithic monument described by André Marlaux as the "Breton Parthenon." Then travel to the enchanting little seaside town of Morlaix. Embark from the Roscoff pier and board your coach for the one-hour drive to Plouézoc'h. This unassuming town is the site of the spectacular megalithic Barnenez Cairn, which overlooks the Bay of Morlaix. Let yourself be amazed by the cairn's astonishing size - 230 feet long and 82 feet wide at its western side. Flint tools and carbon-14 dating carried out on pottery uncovered at the site date the construction of Barnenez to about 5000 BC, making it one of the earliest megalithic monuments in Europe and one of the oldest manmade structures in the world.
Reboard your coach for the 30-minute drive to Morlaix, a little town nestled in the hollow of a spectacular estuary among the foothills of the "Monts d'Arrée." Enjoy a guided visit as you stroll around the charming "venelles," or little streets, taking in the unique "over-hanging" half-timber houses that date to 16th century. Indulge your own piqued interests during your free time to roam the town. Then reboard your coach for the 45-minute drive back to Roscoff.
tour 4 Château du Taureau & Cruise in the Bay of Morlaix
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Experience a guided half day (four hours) tour the beautiful Bay of Morlaix. Stop to explore a 16th century fort, then enjoy free time to make your own discoveries in Morlaix. Embark from the Roscoff pier and board your coach for a 30-minute drive to your awaiting ferry. Cast off on a guided cruise around the magical Bay of Morlaix. Listen as your guide regals you with stories of this marine jewel, set in sparkling waters with many small islands and an exceptional variety of fauna. Several small islets make up an ornithology reserve that protects populations of puffins and France's only colony of Roseate Terns.
Dock for a stopover at the Château du Taureau, built in 1544 to protect Morlaix from English attackers seeking to gain an advantage in this prosperous center of trade. Enjoy a guided historical tour of the fearsome-looking fort along with free time to make your own discoveries. Reboard the ferry to continue your cruise and travel back to Roscoff.
tour 5 Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition team
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Take a Zodiac Cruise on the Bay of Morlaix, a protected natural site and bird reserve. Cruise through the many islets, an echosistem favorable to the reproduction of birds. Bird species which may be spotted are great cormorants, great crested cormorants, herring gulls, black sea gulls, brown gulls, caugek terns, common terns, the rare and endangered roseate terns, little egret, northern oysters, shag, peregrine falcon and more.
tour 6 Hike with Silversea Expedition team
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Join the Expedition Team on an easy walk along Laber Bay and the Perharidy Peninsula. Depart from the Port of Roscoff, passing through the old town find the coastal path and proceed along the bay for views over Batz Island, beaches and continue with a nature walk in the Perharidy Peninsula. Total walking involved is approximately 10 Km (6.2 miles).