Port-Haliguen, Harbor in Quiberon, France

Port-Haliguen is a harbour on the Quiberon peninsula whose four basins — the old port, PH1 (darse du Porigo, 1968), PH2 (darse de Castéro, 1971) and a transit basin — hold 1,200 boats. A 12-metre lighthouse of 1856 stands on the 1840 old-port jetty, a white cylindrical tower with a corbelled top and a dark lantern under a weather vane. The pier is squared grey and ochre stone, stained green by algae at the waterline, with a tidal gauge near its base and sailboat masts behind a railing.

The port was founded in the 19th century to create an important maritime link along the Breton coast. Since then, it has evolved into a modern harbor that accommodates both traditional and contemporary vessels.

The name Haliguen comes from the Breton word for a stony or pebbly inlet. The old fishing harbour was filled in 1960, and its site is now the Place de Port-Haliguen. A plaque on the Quai des Sinagots, set up in 1932, marks where Captain Dreyfus landed from the cruiser Sfax at 2:15 a.m. on 1 July 1899.

The harbour has four basins: the old port, PH1 (darse du Porigo), PH2 (darse de Castéro) and a basin for transit boats, giving room for 1,200 boats. Since 2017 the basins, quays, pontoons and commercial buildings have been redeveloped, and a water-retaining sill turned the old port into a wet basin. The lighthouse stands on the 1840 jetty of the old port.

The harbor sits on the Quiberon peninsula and offers access to both the open Atlantic Ocean and the sheltered waters of Morbihan Gulf. This unusual position allows it to serve two very different maritime environments.