Saint-Renan is a medieval town and was once a European tin capital. These two aspects shape the experience of exploring the town: the Parcours de ville tells the story of its history, while lakes, historic sites and information panels offer insights into tin mining and its effects on the landscape. During your stay, you can choose between a town walk, lakeside paths, and marked hiking or cycling routes.
Town history on the Parcours de ville
The Parcours de ville is about 2 kilometres long and takes around 45 minutes. Its 13 enamelled lava-stone panels cover topics ranging from the legend of Saint Ronan to the Sénéchaussée. This compact circular walk introduces you to several chapters of the town’s history.
The Musée du Ponant also connects the history of its building with Saint-Renan’s tin-mining past. The building dates from 1782; the year is engraved above the entrance. An exhibition at the museum covers the 15 years of COMIREN, which made Saint-Renan the tin capital. An exceptional Gallo-Roman stele welcomes visitors at the entrance. The museum is in the centre, at 16 Rue Saint-Mathieu, above Place du Vieux Marché.
Lakes, mining history and the Grand Lavoir
After the tin deposits were exhausted, seven lakes remained in Saint-Renan. The Circuit des lacs passes through much of the valley that the Compagnie minière de Saint-Renan mined for tin between 1960 and 1975. Along the route, you can see a fountain, the Grand Lavoir and the lakes. For the Circuit des lacs, you can park at the Lac de Ty-Colo car park in 29290 Saint-Renan, near the athletics stadium.
The Grand Lavoir consists of two springs and seven basins: four washing basins and three rinsing basins. From the town centre, it can be reached via Rue Saint-Yves; access for people with reduced mobility is on the left. The numbers and layout give the washhouse a tangible character, while its location helps orient visitors on the Circuit des lacs.
La Prairie bleue is an exhibition space with information panels about historic tin mining and the profound changes it brought to the landscape. Anyone interested in the town’s development will find another perspective on Saint-Renan’s history here, alongside the town’s other information panels.
Walks, cycling routes and water activities
The shores of Lac de Ty Colo and Lac de la Comiren in the centre of Saint-Renan are designed for walkers. Lac de Ty Colo offers another perspective: cable wakeboarding takes place there, with a cable pulling the wakeboard. The lake’s waters were the first in Brittany to host this sport. Lakeside walks and wakeboarding are therefore different ways to enjoy the lake.
Official hiking and cycling routes run through Saint-Renan. The technical services of Pays d'Iroise Communauté maintain and signpost them. One cycling option is the Circuit vélo Al Lenn (boucle 2): this challenging route runs for 18.5 kilometres through Saint-Renan and has a stated duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. These details help distinguish the cycling route from shorter paths and the approximately 45-minute Parcours de ville; each time estimate refers to the route specified.
The Jardin de la Coulée Verte is open to walkers and provides a safe, fully accessible pedestrian connection between car parks, the media library and services in the town centre. Exhibitions are also held there. Cultural events held in the garden have included the tenth edition of the Festival médiéval de Saint Renan, an exhibition about Breton games and an open-air exhibition by sculptor Mich Mao.
Market and hotel search
A market takes place in the town centre year-round on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you would like to plan your visit around it, check the date in advance.
Discover more destinations: Querrien, Le Cloître-Pleyben, Plounéour-Ménez, Guisseny, Landrévarzec, Plouédern, Argol, Ploéven.
See the broader travel overview: Finistere.
