Travel Guide Camaret-Sur-Mer

A maritime community in the Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique, Camaret embodies the poetic and artistic dimension of the Crozon peninsula. Stretching over 25 kilometers of coastline, it offers incredible landscapes and a wealth of culture all year round. A permanent source of inspiration, Camaret has been home to painters and poets for centuries, including Eugène Boudin and Brest-born Jim Sévellec and Pierre Péron. One of the most famous, however, is Saint-Pol Roux (real name Jean-Paul Roux), who settled here around 1930, building a manor house on the incredible dune at the pointe de Pen-Hir. The ruins can still be visited today, the mansion having been destroyed during a bombing raid in the Second World War. The whole of the GR 34 on the peninsula has many traces of this event, punctuating the hikes with memorial stops. In terms of history, Camaret owes its existence to Saint Riok, who, in the 4th century, set up his hermitage in a cave in the Toulinguet. As early as 1335, Camaret developed its port, and a stopover here on the way to crossing the Brest Narrows soon became a must. In the 17th century, Louis XIV honored the town with the title of guardian of the Armorique coastline, following its victory over the Anglo-Dutch fleet that was trying to make its way through to bombard Brest. From the 18th century onwards, overfishing led to a drastic decline in resources, causing several crises. Since the end of the 20th century, the town has enjoyed a new lease of life thanks to the development of tourism.