The Pointe du Raz is almost but not quite the westernmost point of France but its huge waves hitting the beautiful high cliffs, its strong wind and its old light tower, named the “Little Old Lady” make this place a popular spot for tourists and locals. It is situated in the Finistère Region of France, which, in the local language called Breton, translates into “End of the World”. If you want to discover this beautiful spot, the best way to visit the famous Pointe du Raz is by hiking.
So instead of using the parking spot right at the Pointe du Raz, we did park at the Pointe du van, another cape only some kilometers away. We used the huge and free public parking area and started our hike.
We did this hike during our 5 days road trip in Brittany. For more information also read our article Winter in Brittany: 5 epic days of vanlife in Finistère
When leaving the parking area, we took a small path leading to a beautiful old chapel. From there, the view is already stunning. You can see the Pointe du Raz in the distance so you just have to follow the path that leads you right along the cliffs, through the dunes and down to the beautiful Surf Beach called Bay of the deceased (Plage de la Baie des Trépassés), nowadays, a very popular surf spot. The place got its name from the time in history where ship accidents happened quite often, especially at Pointe du Raz, and the dead were washed up at this beach.
From there, it goes up the hill until you arrive at Pointe du Raz surrounded by blue water and overlooking “The Old Lady”. When the weather is good, you can even see another lighttower (Phare de Tévennec) and the Ile de Sein island around 8 kilometers from the coast. The place can be quite busy though and especially after seeing only very few people during our hike, we felt the difference even stronger. Still, the place is beautiful and after discovering it for a while and taking tons of pictures, we started our hike back to the van.
In order to go back to the parking spot, several options are available but as it was getting late, we decided to cross the dunes, pass by residential areas, arrived back on the beach and then took the road to get back to where we started… tired but satisfied.
Also check out our Brittany video on the timeoffaroundtheworld youtube channel.
Time off around the world 
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