Viewpoint · Plogoff · Updated on 1 November 2026.
Point de vue de la Pointe du Raz is a viewpoint in Plogoff, Finistère. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 1 of the 7 well-known points of interest nearby is within 1 km. Within 400 m you'll find a public toilet.
Audio tour · Point de vue de la Pointe du Raz
2:18
You're standing on the Pointe du Raz, Beg ar Raz in Breton. This headland, seventy-two metres high, juts far out into the Atlantic at the very western tip of the commune of Plogoff. Feel that wind? It comes with the territory here.
Read and hear the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).
Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.
The Point de vue de la Pointe du Raz is a viewpoint on a headland that rises 72 metres high and juts far out into the sea. The headland lies on the most westerly tip of the municipality of Plogoff. Many people visit this rugged, remote spot, which has been awarded the Grand Site de France label. The European long-distance footpath E5 also starts here. You will find the viewpoint in Plogoff, in Finistère. At 277 metres away stands the monument Notre-Dame des Naufragés.
The headland looks out over the water to the Île de Sein, about 13 kilometres away. The sea channel between them is called the Raz de Sein and is known to be dangerous. In the water stands the La Vieille lighthouse. Waves crash against the granite cliffs here. In rough weather that is spectacular, but even on a calm day the sound carries loudly over the rocks. The wind is simply part of the place. On the headland you will find a semaphore and a signal station. Looking north, you see the wide Baie des Trépassés and the Pointe du Van. Bring binoculars and you can see the thousands of seabirds more clearly. In summer, a 60-kilometre boat trip leaves from the small harbour at Bestrée, which also passes the Île de Sein.
The name of this place already hints at its past. In the local language, the headland is called Beg ar Raz. The word raz reached the local language by way of another tongue. It goes back to rás, meaning a strong current. The English word race has the same origin. The headland also features in a novel. Writer Daphne du Maurier had her lovers talk about this place as they said goodbye in Frenchman's Creek. Wind and waves stand there as an image of their stormy love. In November 2023, storm Ciarán swept along the headland with gusts of up to 207 km/h.
The viewpoint has no drinking water point and no bench within 1 km, according to our map, so bring enough water with you. It is also worth knowing that you will not find a place to sit everywhere along the way. If you want to rest, do so outside this area or bring something of your own to sit on. There is one public toilet 398 metres away, and it is the only public toilet within 500 metres. It is free to use and is wheelchair accessible. Plan your toilet stop around your walk so that you do not have to search for one.
Notre-Dame des Naufragés is the closest point of interest to the viewpoint if you fancy a short stroll. The monument is 277 metres from Point de vue de la Pointe du Raz, so you can get there quickly. You can walk there and back, then return to the headland. While you're on site, you can listen to an audio story about Point de vue de la Pointe du Raz in the Outdoor Pitstop app. It lasts 2 minutes, so you can listen while looking out over the sea or during your short walk.
The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No bench, water point, bike pump or honesty box within 1 km.
At Pointe du Raz you can see La Vieille lighthouse, the Île de Sein in the distance and the broad Baie des Trépassés with the Pointe du Van. There is also a semaphore station, a signal station and the Notre-Dame-des-Naufragés statue.
The Île de Sein lies opposite Pointe du Raz, about 13 kilometres away. The strait between them is called the Raz de Sein and is known to be dangerous.
No, Pointe du Raz is not the most westerly point in France. Together with Pointe Saint-Mathieu, it is the second-most westerly. Pointe de Corsen, slightly further north, is the most westerly.
Pointe du Raz is 72 metres high. The headland juts far out to sea, at the far western tip of the commune of Plogoff.
The nearest public toilet is 398 metres from the viewpoint. It is free and wheelchair accessible.
Raz means a strong current. The word came into the regional language via another language and traces back to the word rás.
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