Cap Frehel is a headland along the Northern Coast of Brittany in France.
Crowned by a sky-piercing lighthouse, Cap Frehel dazzles with its nesting seabirds and 70-meter-high shale and limestone cliffs.
A few kilometers to the east, the medieval Fort La Latte commands a riveting position on a wave-battered headland that narrowly extends out to the sea. This coastal fortress stokes the imagination with its curtain walls, defensive towers, drawbridge, portcullis, and mighty keep.
The best way to experience these two iconic Breton destinations is to walk the gorse-lined clifftop path from the seaside castle to the Cap Frehel lighthouse. The 11 km out-and-back trail takes 3 hours minimum.
That’s precisely how we kicked off our 10-Day Brittany Road Trip.
In our guide to Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte, we’ve shared tips on where to start the coastal hike, parking, and where to stay and eat nearby.
- Trailhead: Cap Frehel Paid Car Park, or Fort La Latte Car Park
- Distance: 10.8 km out-and-back
- Time Needed: 3 hours minimum
- Elevation Gain/Loss: 107 meters
- Difficulty: Easy
- Where to Stay near Cap Frehel: Hôtel de Diane (top choice), La Fontaine de Resnel, or La Ville Es Renais
- Get the Guidebook: DK Eyewitness Brittany
Where is Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte
Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte are located along the Emerald Coast (Côte d’Émeraude) in the Côtes-d’Armor department of Brittany.
The Emerald Coast, an alluring name that evokes some place suspended between fantasy and reality, is actually a real place and it refers to the stretch of Breton coast between Cap Frehel and Cancale.
Straddling the departments of Ille-et-Vilaine and Côtes-d’Armor, this 60-km Emerald coastline harbors the region’s most noble seaside resorts including Dinard, Saint-Malo, and Saint-Briac-sur-Mer.
The closest “resorts” to Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte are Sables-d’Or-les-Pins and Erquy. We highly recommend staying in Hôtel de Diane in Sables-d’Or-les-Pins.
The closest airports are Rennes Bretagne Airport (1:30-hour drive), followed by Nantes Atlantique Airport (2:40-hour drive).
Where Should You Start the Hike: Cap Frehel, or Fort La Latte
It’s possible to commence the hike at either the Cap Frehel paid car park, or the Fort la Latte (Château de La Roche Goyon) car park.
If you plan on visiting the interior of the fortress, we recommend starting at Fort La Latte. There are no time restrictions at the Fort la Latte car park, which means you can visit the castle and enjoy the coastal trail at a leisurely pace.
The Fort La Latte castle grounds are open daily between March and November. Entrance tickets cost 7.80 EUR/adult, 6.50 EUR/students, and 5.50 EUR/child.
If, however, you’re visiting in the evening, we recommend parking at the Cap Frehel car park. After 8 pm, parking restrictions no longer apply. In May and early June, the sun sets around 10 pm.
Good to Know: If you park at Fort La Latte, when the castle is closed (before 10:30 am, or after 6 pm), the trail to the coast skirts the castle grounds, leading northwest (left) from the car park.
Cap Frehel Paid Car Park
Location | Google Maps
Time Limit | 3 hours between 8 am and 8 pm
Parking Fee | 3 EUR for cars (“voiture”), 5 EUR for campers (“camping-car”), and 15 EUR for buses (“autocar”)
Payment | Parking machines accept Euro coins and cards
Fort La Latte Car Park
Location | Google Maps
Time Limit | Unlimited
Parking Fee | None
Cap Frehel – Fort la Latte Hike
The coastal trail that links Cap Frehel with Fort la Latte follows the Custom Officer’s Path (GR 34), a celebrated long-distance hiking trail that measures ~2000 km.
With uninterrupted views of the English Channel, the Cap Frehel coastal path runs along cliffs on the edge of a sandstone plateau, amid low-lying gorse, heather, sea thrift, and ferns. This is a mostly flat path with very little elevation gain/loss.
We started the hike at the Cap Frehel car park.
An obvious track links the car park with Phare du Cap Fréhel, the looming 33-meter-high lighthouse that was built in 1950. Between April and mid-September, it’s possible to scale the lighthouse’s 145 steps to reach the interior gallery (small fee applies).
Though the lighthouse dominates the headland, it’s not the only attraction. Cap Frehel’s sea cliffs and offshore islets are a bird reserve, home to hundreds of sea birds including Common Guillemot, Great Cormorant, European herring gulls, Razorbill, Kittiwake and Northern Fulmar.
The trail wraps around the lighthouse to reach the coastal trail. Head right (east). After about 200 meters, detour to the tip of Cap Frehel, the site of the old tower, for the most impressive vantage point of the sea cliffs.
The coastal path leads to an official viewpoint overlooking the islet of La Fauconnière, where many seabirds nest.
The trail continues south and then southeast, hugging the coast all the way to Fort La Latte, also called Château de La Roche Goyon.
The approaching path affords some magical views of the stone fortress, which dates back to the 14th century. You can read about the castle’s long and turbulent history on the castle’s website.
When the trail crosses the castle grounds, you’ll see a ticket booth and castle entry point on your left and road on your right.
Before, or after visiting the castle, continue straight along the coastal path for about 100 meters and then descend to Plage Fort la Latte.
The Fort La Latte beach commands a grandiose, cinematic outlook of the castle – one that Disney will surely replicate at some point.
Cap Frehel Hotels and Accommodations
Hôtel de Diane
Hôtel de Diane is advantageously situated in Les Sables d’Or Les Pins between Cap Frehel and Cap d’Erquy, a mere 5-minute walk to the large dune beach of Sables-d’Or-les-Pins.
This historic, half-timbered hotel was built in the 1920s in the “Anglo-Breton” architectural style. In 2017, the hotel was lovingly renovated and reimagined by Corinne and Hugo Renouardière, natives of the Côtes-d’Armor region.
Hôtel de Diane impresses with its tip-top service, handsome and comfortable lounges, gourmet restaurant, high-quality breakfast, and clean contemporary bedrooms.
Staying and dining at Hôtel de Diane is an extremely memorable and enjoyable experience.
We particularly loved the hotel’s restaurant, Le 1925 (open Tuesday – Saturday), set in a light-filled dining hall with high ceilings, potted plants, and chic melange of pendant lights.
Guests can choose between the Chef’s menu in three acts, or the seasonal menu, which changes every 2 months. The cuisine is wondrous and the dining experience is elegantly well-paced.
A high-quality and delicious breakfast is laid out between 7:30 am and 10:30 am. The buffet features local, organic, and homemade products.
Guests also have access to a number of comfortable spaces including the “Bleu lounge” living room, the “Acacias lounge” tea room, and the terrace. These enticing rooms are perfect for reading, planning the next day’s adventure, or drinking tea, coffee, or an aperitivo.
Do not hesitate to book several nights in this exquisite hotel near Cap Frehel.
Check availability and pricing.
Look for accommodation in Sables-d’Or-les-Pins.
Look for accommodation in Erquy.
This Cap Frehel travel guide was created in collaboration with Visit Bretagne.
France Travel Guides
Brittany:
- Brittany Road Trip Itinerary
- Roscoff Travel Guide
- Crozon Peninsula Travel Guide
- Belle-Ile Island Travel Guide
- Paimpol Travel Guide
- Pink Granite Coast Hike
Marseille:
Calanques National Park:
- How to Visit Calanques National Park
- Hiking in Calanques National Park
- Cassis – Calanque d’En Vau Hike
- Devenson Cliffs Hike
- Calanque de Sugition – Calanque de Morgiou Hike
- Calanque de Sormiou – Les Goudes Hike
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