More info: Douarnenez has four beaches - the vast expanse of fine sand at Le Ris beach makes it the largest of Douarnenez’s four beaches. The Plage des Dames (Ladies’ Beach) is in the middle and is the most family-friendly. In the Tréboul district there is the Plage des Sables Blancs (White Sand beach), which is a good place for windsurfing and sailing catamarans or dinghies. Along the coastal path from there is Saint-Jean beach, which has a wilder aspect.
The greatest period of prosperity for Douarnenez was in the 19th century, when it became one of the major centres of the sardine industry. Traces of these epic days still remain, in the old houses, the churches in Pouldavid and, above Rosmeur harbour, the workshops and the little houses where the fishermen lived. These colourful quaysides, that were once buzzing with the activities of fishing boats and canning factories, are now lined with cafés and restaurant terraces.