Once a large cabotage port in the bay of Brest, this town with the « Little Town of Character » label is still a stopover town today, as it provides both a majestic entrance to the Crozon Peninsula and a window to the Armorica Regional Natural Park.
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Discover Le Faou
The imposing Place de la Mairie is a reminder that while Le Faou has feudal origins, the town has long profited from its status as a trading place. The town, a gateway to the sea and the land, was once a post house between lower Léon and upper Cornouaille. The bridge connecting Brest to Quimper is an invitation to stroll along the Quelen quays. In season, the Maison de Pays (16th and 18th centuries) is an excellent starting point to discover the history of the town before continuing in the main street lined with old houses and wandering along the quays.
As you go down the main street, the succession of half-timbered and gabled houses (16th century) illustrate the urbanisation carried out to make the trading activities visible to travellers. Over the centuries, the façades have had finely worked slate roofs added, which gives each house its originality. Le Faou is one of few Breton towns that still has this type of residence. At the end of this trading street, the surprising Saint Sauveur church (16th century) sits proudly at the bottom of the Steir Goz ria, the old river.
Did you know
Le Faou is a port town that experienced its golden years in the 16th and 17th centuries, when beech wood and oak wood from the nearby Cranou forest was loaded onto ships, supplying the shipyards in Brest.
From Rumengol to Cranou forest
As you make your way to the east, stop at Rumengol. Its lovely 16th-century church surrounded with a churchyard is famous for its pardons and people flock from all over Brittany to pray to Notre-Dame de Tout Remède. A little further, Cranou forest offers a refreshing stop in the shade of its alleys lined with beech trees and oaks, before setting off to tackle Monts d’Arrée.
