Car Hire in Roscoff, France
Roscoff
Most people treat Brittany’s Roscoff as a transit point rather than a final destination - tourists arrive at its port on ferries from Plymouth or Cork and usually head straight inland. Although the commercial port has only been open since the 1970s, Roscoff has long been used as an entry-point to France. Mary Queen of Scots landed here when she came over to marry the French king’s son, as did Bonnie Prince Charlie as he fled from Britain.
Although the smallest of France’s ferry port towns, Roscoff deserves more than a quick glance through the car-window. Its quaint, pretty old port is well worth a visit, and there are some uncluttered sandy beaches here, as well as a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy centre and an excellent sailing school.
Attractions
Roscoff is really rather small, with almost everything concentrated in the rue Gambetta, the rue Amiral Réveillère and the old port. The harbour is lively and authentic, a cheerful tangle of boats, nets, and old buildings. Many of the houses here were built by rich ship owners in the 15th and 16th centuries, characterised by intricate gothic gargoyles, chimeras and mullioned windows. Head to the white fisherman’s chapel for great views of the bay, where you can watch the to-ings and fro-ings of the fishing boats.
More boats, this time made of stone, adorn the Notre-Dame-de-Croas-Batz. The large church on the rue Gambetta also boasts an ornate belfry from which stone cannons face proudly out to sea.
Bizarre museums are dotted about the town. At The Algae Discovery Centre, for example, you can enjoy exhibitions on the stuff and even take part in an “algae workshop”. Equally unusual is The Johnnies and Pink Onion Museum which traces the history of the Roscoff men (known as Johnnies) who tied locally-grown pink onions round their necks and bikes then sailed across the channel to flog their wares in Britain.
Roscoff can be fairly chilly, even in summer, but if you happen to be there on a hot day there are several lovely beaches to choose from. The best is at Laber, a kilometre or so from the town centre. Alternatively, take a day trip from the harbour to nearby Ile de Batz, a windswept, sparsely populated island where you might well end up with a whole stretch of sandy coastline to yourself.
If your skin’s feeling rough after all that wind and sun, head to the Thalassotherapy Centre. The centre has been providing hydrotherapy treatments here for over 100 years, using seawater and marine matter in its baths, showers and massages to stimulate healing and relaxation. Such luxury comes at a price, though, and a half-day taster tonique will set you back €79.
If wrapping yourself in seaweed isn’t your thing, why not embrace the sea in a more active way? Roscoff’s Sailing Centre (“Ecole Francais de Voile”) hires out everything from dinghies to catamarans to proficient sailors, and teaches the less confident how to sail and sea-kayak.
Shopping
You can buy all manner of local produce at Roscoff’s weekly Wednesday markets, held at the old port. For a more unusual shopping experience, try the fish auctions held daily at the ferry port.
Roscoff’s shops aren’t particularly special, and are concentrated in the old port and rue Gambetta, where you’ll find amongst other things a solitary gift shop, a cannery, and a ship’s chandlers. There are also a whole host of supermarkets on the outskirts of town catering to British day-trippers.
Nightlife and Eating Out
There are plenty of restaurants in the town centre, with seafood the unsurprisingly dominant theme. Nutty local muscles turn up frequently, and grilled sardines with mussels and pink onions is one popular local dish. Food connoisseurs should head to the Michelin-starred Temps de Vivre, home to one of Brittany’s most celebrated chefs. You can also eat you fill for a lot less in the creperies and small restaurants lining the rue Amiral Réveillère. Be careful to eat early as most restaurants close at nine.
After night falls find yourself a little bar by the old port and settle in for the evening - there is little else do to here. Unless, of course, your visit coincides with the Annual Pink Onion Festival in August. The weekend festival includes day-time events like an onion market, a bike race and an onion-tart competition, but also provides night-time activities like concerts in the old port and a torchlight procession to the fisherman’s chapel.
Tourist Information
- Office de Tourisme, Le port s'éveille, 46 rue Gambetta, 29680 Roscoff, France
- Phone: +33 298611213
- Fax: +33 298697575
- E-mail: tourisme.roscoff@wanadoo.fr
- Website: www.roscoff-tourisme.com
Airport
Most visitors arrive via ferry from Plymouth or Cork, but if you want to fly the best option is Brest Bretagne airport, 55 kilometres from Roscoff. Low-cost airlines Flybe and Ryanair fly there from the UK.
Car Hire Locations
Auto Europe offices in Roscoff:
- Roscoff Downtown Office, Meet & Greet Svc'd By Morlaix
- Roscoff Ferry Office, Eur 39 + Vat Del/col Fee ***
Car Hire Prices
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between £18.62 and £50.00 per day |
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Roscoff is ideal for a nice quiet break. The food is good and the beer is better. The beach is nice and San pol De Leon is just ten mins away for another great beach, bars and places to eat. If you need to recharge your batteries, this is the place. The people are lovely and very friendly once you make an effort to be the same.