Pointe du Raz, Cap Sizun
At the westernmost tip of the Cap Sizun peninsula, Pointe du Raz is a serrated blade of schist and granite thrust into the Atlantic — standing here in a stiff westerly, you understand immediately why Breton sailors were among the world's most respected navigators. The views across the Raz de Sein strait to the Île de Sein, 8 km offshore, are savage and beautiful in equal measure.
The Walk to the Point
Leave the visitor centre car park and follow the signed coastal path westward for about 25 minutes; the path hugs the cliff edge past blooming gorse and heather, with the sea crashing into sea caves far below. The Enfer de Plogoff — the Hell of Plogoff — is a narrow inlet where the water boils white even on calm days.
On clear days you can see the lighthouse on Île de Sein and, beyond it, the Ar-Men lighthouse, which took 14 years to build on a submerged rock and is considered the most heroic feat of French lighthouse construction. Binoculars are worth packing.
Best Times and Conditions
Summer crowds are real — arrive before 09:30 or after 17:00 in July and August to have the point nearly to yourself. Autumn and spring visits reward with dramatic storm light and almost no other walkers.
The site is a Grand Site de France, meaning the heathland has been carefully restored after decades of erosion from uncontrolled tourism; the recovery of the Breton heather (callune) is genuinely impressive and peaks in late August when the clifftops turn purple.
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