The trawler return happens year-round on weekday afternoons, but the best time to visit Guilvinec is between May and September when the weather is mild and the market is at its fullest. July and August bring French holidaymakers and the beaches fill up, but Guilvinec never gets truly crowded the way the north Brittany coast can.
The Tuesday and Sunday morning market runs all year. In summer it spills along Rue de la Marine; in winter it contracts to Place de l'Eglise, but the quality is the same. The open-air photography festival 'L'Homme et la Mer' runs from June through September, with large-format prints hung along the harbour walls and alleyways of both Guilvinec and Lechiagat.