Phare du Portzic, Maritime lighthouse in Brest, France

The Phare du Portzic is a lighthouse at the entrance to Brest harbor, built as an octagonal granite tower standing 35 meters tall. It sits on elevated ground on the northeastern side of the harbor entrance, from where it sends light signals to guide ships through the channel.

The lighthouse was built between 1842 and 1848 on military land at the Pointe du Portzic, under the law of 6 August 1844 that funded new coastal lighthouses. It was lit on 1 January 1848, together with the Petit Minou light, to mark the Basse Beuzec and Le Coq reefs in the northern channel. Engineer Louis Plantier designed the octagonal tower. It was electrified in 1953 and automated in 1994.

The lighthouse takes its name from the Portzic headland and serves as a landmark that sailors use when entering the harbor. The site sits on military land that is only partly open to the public, which gives it a somewhat restricted feel compared to other coastal spots.

The lighthouse stands on military land at the Pointe du Portzic, on the northeastern side of the Brest narrows, and the site is not freely open, so check access conditions before setting out. The semaphore post installed at its base in 1987 regulates shipping entering and leaving the roadstead and is permanently manned, so the tower itself is not open to visitors.

The tower is octagonal, not round: engineer Louis Plantier chose that shape after architect Léonce Reynaud argued its edges divided the shaft like the flutes of a column, giving the same stability. The granite came from the Aber-Ildut quarries. A semaphore station has operated at its foot since 1987, moved there from Petit Minou, and regulates traffic entering and leaving the roadstead of Brest.