Things to do in Morlaix
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Morlaix
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with long days, boats running, gardens full and the bay uncrowded outside school holidays.
Fullest programme and warmest sea, but book tables, boats and ferries a step earlier than feels necessary.
Festival Panoramas transforms the town and the Chateau du Taureau season opens, in cooler changeable weather.
A quiet, often mild month with an emptying bay, reduced sailings and shorter museum hours.
Wet, windy and early dark, with many seasonal businesses shut or on winter hours.
Early spring, quiet and unsettled, before the boat season and festival month begin.
What's on
- Festival Panoramas Usually a weekend in April
Electronic and current music festival at Le SEW in the Manufacture des Tabacs, the weekend Morlaix fills.
- Marché de Morlaix Every Saturday morning, year round
The weekly market in Place Allende and the old streets, the town's recurring high point.
- Parish close pardons at Saint-Thégonnec Spring to early autumn, dates vary by village
Traditional Breton pardons and processions at the parish closes south of Morlaix, finest at Saint-Thégonnec.
- Summer bay programme July to August
Family visits at Barnenez, guided coastal walks and Plougasnou to Batz excursions at full strength.
Best things to do in Morlaix
Viaduc de Morlaix
Walk the middle level of the great granite viaduct, with trains overhead and views over the port and rooftops.
Maison à Pondalez
Morlaix's own merchant house form, with wooden galleries and a spiral stair crossing a tall internal courtyard.
Maison de la Duchesse Anne
The finest pondalez interior in Morlaix, with sculpted galleries around a courtyard lit from the roof.
Cairn de Barnenez
A megalithic cairn older than the Pyramids, with 11 burial chambers on a headland above Morlaix Bay.
Château du Taureau
A granite sea fort reached only by boat, with casemates, a terrace and views across the whole bay.
Les Venelles
Steep, narrow lanes climbing from the port past timber framed houses, linking the old town's sights on foot.
Église Saint-Mélaine de Morlaix
A tall, light Gothic parish church above the old town, quiet when the streets below are busy.
Espace des sciences de Morlaix
Nine exhibition spaces inside the old tobacco factory, mixing its industrial story with hands on science.
Where to stay in Morlaix
Historic centre
first visit, car free
The pondalez houses, market, restaurants and viaduct walk are all within a short, steep walk.
Port and Quai de Léon
flat walking and parking
Riverside by the Manufacture and Le SEW, with easier free parking and a level walk into the centre.
Coat Amour
a stay that is part of the trip
A manor in parkland on the edge of town, quiet and green but walkable into the centre.
Carantec
splurge and coast
A seaside resort village with beaches, golf and the starred table, 20 minutes from Morlaix by car.
Route de Lannion outskirts
drivers and one night stops
Chain hotels with free parking and facilities, a steep walk or short drive from the old town.
Best restaurants in Morlaix
Restaurant Nicolas Carro
The bay's starred table, Breton sea and land cooking in a glass dining room over the water at Carantec.
Atipik Bilig
The town favourite creperie in a 16th century building, with generous galettes and famous sweet crepes.
Le Bains Douches
Generous bistro cooking served inside a converted 100 year old municipal bathhouse in Morlaix.
L'Échappée
A convivial bar restaurant built on sharing plates, house fries and a serious drinks list.
Lipouz
Seasonal, market led French cooking in the centre, the reliable town table for lunch or dinner.
Restaurant Le Viaduc
Breton classics under the viaduct, including kig ha farz and bay seafood, with good value set menus.
Crêperie L'Hermine
The most tested creperie in Morlaix, cheap and vegetarian friendly with a healthy leaning menu.
Crêperie La Reine Anne
The cheapest reliable creperie in town, a complete and a butter sugar crepe with cider for very little.
Outdoor things to do in Morlaix
GR34 Sentier des Douaniers
Brittany's great coastal path from the Morlaix valley around the Carantec peninsula, past oyster parks and ports.
Île Callot
A tidal island off Carantec, reached on a causeway at low tide and cut off again when the water returns.
Île de Batz
A mild, low island of sandy coves and a lighthouse, reached by a short ferry and made for walking or cycling.
Golf de la Baie de Morlaix
A scenic 9 hole seaside course above Clouet beach, sheltered by wooded hills with the bay below.
Roc'h Ruz
Brittany's highest point in the Monts d'Arrée, a stark moorland of tors, bog and huge skies south of Morlaix.
Jardin Exotique de Roscoff
Palms, cacti and southern plants growing outdoors on a sheltered slope above Roscoff port and the bay.
Carantec Loop
An easy peninsula loop past Kelenn and Tahiti beaches, with views to the Taureau fort and Louet Island.
Pointe de Primel
A wild headland walk on the bay's eastern side, with a customs path circuit and big sandy beaches nearby.
Best hotels in Morlaix
L'Hôtel de Carantec
The bay's grand address, a 1930s villa hotel above Kelenn beach with sea views and a starred restaurant.
Domaine de Coat Amour
A manor house chambre d'hôtes in 12 acres of park on the edge of Morlaix, with a pool and quiet grounds.
Grand Hôtel de l'Europe
The historic grand hotel in the centre, with the best walk everywhere position and a praised breakfast.
Hôtel L'Albatros
A 3 star edge of town hotel with a pool, sauna, hot tub and free parking, good for families and drivers.
Hôtel du Port
A simple, friendly 2 star on the port with river views and free public parking, the best value in town.
ibis Styles Morlaix
A reliable chain base for drivers, with quiet rooms, a strong breakfast and ample free parking.
Is Morlaix expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €60 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €280 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Château du Taureau: weeks ahead
- Le SEW: a few days ahead
- Île de Batz: a few days ahead
- Golf de la Baie de Morlaix: a few days ahead
- Restaurant Nicolas Carro: weeks ahead
- Atipik Bilig: a few days ahead
- Le Bains Douches: a few days ahead
- L'Échappée: a few days ahead
- Book the Chateau du Taureau boats in season, as sailings are tide bound and capacity is small.
- Book Restaurant Nicolas Carro weeks ahead in summer and confirm in writing even as a hotel guest.
- Book Le Bains Douches and Atipik Bilig for the evening you want, and check L'Échappée opening days.
- Book Morlaix accommodation early for Festival Panoramas weekend in April.
Is Morlaix safe?
- Obey tide times for the Ile Callot causeway and bay sandbanks, which cut off fast.
- Take care on steep, wet granite in the lanes and on the viaduct steps after rain.
- Expect exposed coastal paths on the GR34 in Atlantic wind and check local advisories.
- Emergency number is 112.
Morlaix travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eat elsewhere than the Brasserie de l'Europe and sleep in its hotel happily.
- Do not drive into the very centre on Saturday morning during the market.
- Do not treat Morlaix as a two hour ferry stop, as the town only opens up on foot and by boat.
- The Duchess Anne link for the rue du Mur house is tradition, not documented fact.
Getting around Morlaix: public transport and more
- Walk the compact but steep centre, and base on the flat port side if mobility is limited.
- The TGV station is uphill from the centre, so factor the climb or take a taxi with luggage.
- Roscoff for the Batz ferry is about 25 minutes by train or car.
- A car unlocks Barnenez, Carantec, Plougasnou, the parish closes and the Monts d'Arrée, all within 30 minutes.
Who Morlaix suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Morlaix your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store