Carnac Voyage Tips and guide

Carnac (Breton: Karnag) is a small town in Morbihan, Brittany. Its main claim to fame are the menhirs surrounding the town. In 2025 these stones were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Morbihan is a region of Brittany rich in history and culture. The name mor bihan comes from the Breton "little sea" which is a reference to the inland sea of the Golfe du Morbihan, where an abundance of wildlife thrives, together with yachts and small boats meandering between its lovely islands. Just outside the gulf is the Atlantic Ocean, "mor braz" (big sea or ocean), where sailors once started their long voyages to the Orient.

• 47.5734-3.07241 Tourism Office of Carnac, 74, avenue des Druides, BP 65, ☏ +33 2 97 52 13 52, fax: +33 2 97 52 86 10, [email protected]. Jul–Aug: M–Sa 09:30–19:00, Su 15:00–19:00; Apr–Jun Sep: M–Sa 09:30–12:30 14:00–18:00, Su 15:00–18:00. (updated Feb 2018)

Auray train station is 12 km (7.5 mi) away.

• 47.6043-3.11841 Gare de Plouharnel-Carnac, rue de la Gare, 56340 Plouharnel (4 km northwest from town center). Served only during summer by TER Bretagne line 32 (Auray–Quiberon), called "le Tire-Bouchon", the "corkscrew". This railway station does not sell tickets. (updated Feb 2018)

Map of Carnac

• Its standing stones.

  

• 47.5878-3.07341 Saint-Michel tumulus, chemin du Tumulus (off D781). Archaeological site was constructed between 5000 BC and 3400 BC and classified since 1889. (updated Feb 2018)
• 47.593333-3.0797222 Carnac stones (along the D196 road). An exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens (stone tombs), tumuli (burial mounds) and single menhirs (standing stones). More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.593333-3.0797223 Ménec alignments, route des alignements D196 (between Ménec and Croix-Audran). (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.595-3.07444 Toulchignan alignment, D119 and route de Kerlescan D196. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.5981-3.06225 Kermario alignment, route de Kerlescan D196. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.5977-3.05636 Kerloquet alignment (Manio), route de Kerlescan D196. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.6044-3.04997 Kerlescan alignments, D196, Kerlescan. (updated Feb 2018)
  • 47.6044-3.04068 Petit-Ménec alignments, Chemin de la Métairie (near Kerlescan). (updated Feb 2018)

Visit one of Carnacs many beaches.

Carnac has a couple of campsites and hotels.

• 47.581-3.07992 La Poste, 18, avenue de la Poste D119, ☏ 36 31. M W–F 09:00–12:00 14:00–17:00; Tu 09:00–12:00 14:30–17:00; Sa 09:00–12:00; closed on Sunday. (updated Feb 2018)

Beware of dangerous undercurrents in the Golfe du Morbihan.