Walk among the menhirs of Carnac in Brittany

Carnac is located not far from the Gulf of Morbihan, the city is known worldwide for its alignments of menhirs.

The walk presented is quite short, it can be done in one hour if you go fast. Then it depends if you want to reach the other alignments by car or on foot. To see all the sites on foot it is necessary to count 3-4 hours. As there are no explanations on the site, it is better to take a guided tour (6 euros). The alignments at Carnac are made up of 3000 menhirs erected between 5000 and 2000 BC. They form a 4 kilometers long set. Explanations have been given but nobody really knows why men have aligned these blocks of stone. The mystery remains.

Interest: ratinggood (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 2 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

Le parking

The parking is large and free.

The House of Megaliths

The House of Megaliths
The Maison des Mégalithes is the place to be if you want to take a guided tour of the site (6 euros, departure every hour). The House also contains a store and a small museum.

Overview of the site

6
Overview of the site
Above the Maison des Mégalithes you can see a general view of the Ménec alignment.

Alignment of menhirs

3
Alignment of menhirs
One can see the menhirs aligned along parallel lines. You can also see it very well on the satellite photo of the map!

The low wall surrounding the alignments

2
The low wall surrounding the alignments
For this walk we did not choose the guided tour. For this reason we cannot enter the field containing the menhirs. The numerous visits were damaging the site. We are obliged to go around and to stay behind a fence. This is not very disturbing, we can see the menhirs and the alignments very well because the fence is very low.

Along the way

2
Along the way

Rock on the path

2
Rock on the path
This is what happened when the field was open to the public all the time. The ground would become dirt and then the rock would unseal and no longer remain vertical.

Larger menhirs

2
Larger menhirs
The menhirs are of different sizes and weights. The largest menhir weighs 300 tons, it is not located on this site but on the site of the megaliths of Locmariaquer a few kilometers from Carnac.

Alignment of Kermario

Alignment of Kermario
Another alignment located a little further, you can either come by car or go on foot. The principle remains the same for the individual visit: one goes around the field without going inside except during the low season (October to March).

Standing menhirs

3
Standing menhirs
It should be noted that there is no explanatory panel along the route. The guided tour is interesting to get information about the site.

Site Map

3
Site Map
At the Maison des Mégalithes you can find a map of the site showing the different alignments spread over several kilometers.

🛑 Other walks