What to do before or after your visit to Mémoires 39-45?
Saint-Mathieu lighthouse
Just 500 metres from the museum, discover Pointe Saint-Mathieu, an unmissable site in northern Finistère!
The Saint-Mathieu Lighthouse welcomes you all year round for a visit to its granite tower. At the top of its 163 steps (37 metres), the guides on the rampart walk will reveal the history of the site, along with numerous anecdotes, against the backdrop of an exceptional panorama.
And if you love lighthouses, take the time to visit the Kermorvan lighthouse in Le Conquet, and the Trezien lighthouse in Plouarzel!
The abbey ruins
A magnificent walk through the monumental ruins, bathed in light and overlooking the cliffs. In the Middle Ages, Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre Abbey was a monastery and a major pilgrimage site, but also a landmark for sailors who would change course when they saw its beacon tower. Today, it is a starting point for the route to Santiago de Compostela and a site that can be visited day and night.
The Abbey Museum
The museum traces the history of Pointe Saint-Mathieu from the earliest prehistoric settlements to the creation of the association, taking in the Roman occupation, the sale of the abbey during the French Revolution, and, above all, the construction of the abbey in the Middle Ages and the monastic life that developed there.
The Cenotaph
The Esplanade of Remembrance, with its memorial dedicated to sailors lost at sea, and the adjoining cenotaph, together form the National Memorial to Sailors Who Died for France.
At the Saint-Mathieu site, facing the sea, in a former Vauban fort, the cenotaph houses photographs of 2,000 sailors who died for France.
Bertheaume Fort
This iconic fortified rocky islet, thirty metres from the cliff, was the last bastion, before the open sea, in Brest’s defensive system. The rock still bears the remains of an old medieval castle and successive fortifications built over 500 years.
Bertheaume Fort is open only in July and August, but the rest of the year you can enjoy magnificent views of the fort from the GR34 hiking trail.
During the summer, the fort hosts an exhibition on the history of the site, as well as another on French submarines.
For thrill-seekers, why not try the rock-climbing course and zip line at the FunPark in Plougonvelin, at Bertheaume Fort!
Ribine Expérience
Local guide Loïc Menguy takes you along the paths of Saint-Mathieu on historical storytelling walks.
He is a real character and is not to be missed!
Iroise Bretagne Tourist Office
Need help organising your stay in the area?
Contact the Iroise Bretagne Tourist Office team. Experts and enthusiasts of our beautiful region, they will help you fine-tune your getaway in the Iroise area!
Leisure in Finistère
And finally, discover the many cultural and leisure activities available through the Loisirs en Finistère network! Museums, historic monuments, amusement parks, sea trips, …