Roscoff itself has, however, remains a small resort, where almost all activity is confined to rue Gambetta and to the old port - the rest of the roads are residential back streets full of retirement homes and institutions. One factor in preserving its old character is that both the ferry port and the gare SNCF are some way from the centre.

The town's sixteenth-century church, Notre-Dame-de-Croas-Batz , at the far end of rue Gambetta, is embellished with an ornate Renaissance belfry, complete with sculpted ships and protruding stone cannon. From the side, rows of bells can be seen hanging in galleries, one above the other like a wedding cake created by Walt Disney. Some way beyond is the grand Thalassotherapy Institute of Rock Roum, and a kilometre further on is Roscoff's best beach , at Laber, surrounded by expensive hotels and apartments.

The old harbour is livelier, mixing an economy based on fishing with relatively low-key pleasure trips to the Ile de Batz . The island looks almost walkable; a narrow pier stretches over 300m or 400m towards it before abruptly plunging into deep rocky waters. The Pointe de Bloscon and the fishermen's white chapel, the Chapelle Ste-Barbe , make a good vantage point, particularly when the tide is in; the tide goes out a long way (and dictates the embarkation point for the boat trips).

In 1828, Henri Ollivier took onions to England from Roscoff, thereby founding a trade which flourished until the 1930s. The story of the "Johnnies" - that classic French image of men in black berets with strings of onions hanging over the handlebars of their bicycles - is told in La Maison des Johnnies , across from the tourist office (daily except Tues 10am-noon & 3-6pm; 10F/€1.52).