Bretagne

Sightseeing

Erdeven

The small seaside village of Erdeven boasts 3 superb beaches of fine sand in an idyllic and unspoilt location. Kerhillio beach is the perfect place for families with young children thanks to its shallow waters. The 7 km long beach is a wonderful place for bathers and sailing enthusiasts, as part of the beach is specifically dedicated to kite and wind surfing . Kerouriec beach is also a family beach. Kerminihy beach has been a nudist beach since the early 70’s. Erdeven also boasts the superb Narbon windmill built in 1805 and is home to a megalithic site consisting of several alignments, dolmens and menhirs. On the coast going towards Etel you can see a strange monument representing a green iron hand. It was erected in memory of the 15 000 demonstrators who gathered on April 5th 1975 to oppose the construction of a nuclear plant in Erdeven.

Beach in Erdeven

Mill in Erdeven

Vannes

After the fall of the Roman Empire Vannes took back its original name, which means ‘the city of Veneti’ (name of a Gallic people). Due to its geographical position Vannes played both a significant political and religious role as early as 578 AC. This explains why Vannes was chosen to become the bishop’s see in the 5th century. The town is built as an amphitheatre and is surrounded by fortified walls erected in the 3rd century near the St Pierre cathedral. You can walk along numerous pedestrian streets to discover this town dotted with very old wooden beamed houses. Listed as an Art and History town Vannes boasts several monuments and cultural buildings which are worth a visit. Don’t miss the delightful fruit, vegetable and fish market that takes place on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

Fortress walls

Half-timbered house

Carnac

This town is famous for its megalithic alignments which are thought to have been erected between 400 and 2000 BC. The prehistory museum exhibits the various artefacts found in the St Michel Tumulus. Built in the 17th century, St Cornely Church is dedicated to the patron of longhorns. This monument is best known for its porch topped with a crown-shaped canopy, the only one of its kind in Brittany. Carnac is also a seaside town boasting beaches with fine sand and exquisite Belle Époque

Menhirs

Auray

St Goustan port is the foundation of this town. Up until the 19th century the river located upstream enabled the ocean going vessels to unload their cargo and service Spain and Great Britain. The medieval style of the town is testament of its long cultural past: timbered houses, chapels (St Esprit built in the 13th century and St Gildas church built in the 17th century) but also the St Goustan bridge.

Street in Auray

St. Goustan

Étel

Etel is a small port town located at the mouth of the Ria of Etel. It has a long fishing tradition and was a major tuna fishing port from the 30s until the 60s, as evidenced by the Musée des Thoniers (named after the tuna fishing boats). Today you can still be sure to find all sorts of fresh fish all year round and enjoy sea food and fish in one of its many restaurants. Etel is also famous for its sea rescue service created in 1867: the ‘Cross d’Etel', covering the biggest area in France: 3 million km2, from Penmarc’h Point in the north to the Basque country in the south. In summer you can also take the ferry across to Plouhinec, a journey that would take 30 mn by car! The water sports centre offers wind surfing, kayaking, sailing lessons, an excellent way to discover the fauna and flora along the Ria.

Boat of Magouer

Port of Étel

Quiberon

Quiberon boasts about 10 beaches, but it is the Cote Sauvage (literally the wild coast) which impresses the most. You can admire its flora (carnations, heather, violets…), drive, hike, cycle, sea kayak or go horse riding around the peninsula. Port Maria is one of the main centres for fishing activities. Each day fishing boats unload fish and crustaceans to be sold at the fish market. Quiberon has a long tradition of sardine canning. You can take a tour of one of the 2 surviving canneries: La Belle Iloise. On the Quiberon peninsula you will also find menhirs, dolmens and megaliths.

Quiberon

Beach in Quiberon

More information on the official Morbihan Website

Activities

Breton islands

The best way to discover the Gulf of Morbihan or visit Houat, Hoedic, Groix or Belle ile en Mer islands is to take a boat tour from Vannes, Quiberon, Lorient or Port Navalo. Don’t hesitate to visit them and enjoy the beautiful light that shines upon the Gulf.

Water sports

Erdeven is ideally situated if you enjoy water sports. The Water Sports Centre in Etel offers activities for ‘little sailors’ (3 years old) and wind surfing, dingy and catamaran for the older kids (from 7 years old). Beginners will learn in the safe environment of the lake while the more experienced will sail on the Ria of Etel or in the ocean. You can learn to kite surf on Kerhilio beach. Another way to discover Brittany is to go diving in Etel or at the Haliotis Plongée Centre in Quiberon. Make sure you bring along a recent medical certificate (less than a year).

If you prefer kayaking, enquire at the Kerguelen water sports centre in Lorient for sea kayaking or at Lochrist for river kayaking. In July and August you can also rent a kayak at Ste Helene, near Etel. In Etel you can rent a boat or go sea fishing

Castles

Brittany is a heaven for castle and history lovers: start with the Plessis-Josso castle in Theix which was built in 1330, then Suscinio castle (photo), built in the 13th century near the ocean; it was the favourite residence of the Dukes of Brittany. Hennebont Castle which dates back to the 13th century is also worth a visit and is now a national stud farm, not to mention the castle of the Dukes of Rohan in Pontivy and the Josselin fortress which was built in the 11th century!

Menhir/Dolmen

Don’t believe Asterix and Obelix, menhirs and dolmens are neither the work of Gauls nor Celts; they are thousands of years old. Menhirs, megaliths, dolmens and stone tables are the oldest monuments in the world. Dolmens consist of several erected stones supporting a horizontal slab; they were used as collective graves. On the other hand tumuli were used to protect the funeral room and to impress strangers by commanding respect and admiration for the community that erected them. Menhirs are long erected stones. Unlike dolmens and tumuli, researchers still haven’t found what they were used for.

Brittany megalithic heritage is so rich that you will find dolmens, menhirs and tumuli in Erdeven, Carnac, Locmariaquer or on the Ile du Petit Mont as well as in the Gulf of Morbihan on the Gavrinis island and in many other places!

Museums

Many museums in the area enable you to travel back in time: the prehistory museum in Carnac, the tuna boat museum in Etel recalls the history of this port which was one of the main fishing ports on the Atlantic coast between 1930’s and 1960’s. You can also visit the Flore submarine (Submarine discovery centre) kept in a huge bunker in Lorient or discover the ‘Cite de la Voile’ Eric Tabarly (Eric Tabarly Sailing World).

Here are 2 must see places that will help you understand how Bretons used to live: Poul-Fetan, in Quistinic, depicts the life of Bretons in 1850 and the village de l’An Mille in Melrand where you can find out about plants used in the middle ages and the daily life of peasants through exhibitions, trails as well as discover well preserved relics.

Zoo

If you are keen on nature and wildlife, make sure you visit the Branféré zoo where animals roam freely in the park, or the Pont Scorff zoo, the butterfly garden or the aquarium in Vannes.

Bird watching lovers will enjoy the Séné nature reserve and the Gavres inner little sea.