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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 (13 €). 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)

The House of Megaliths

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The House of Megaliths
The Maison des Mégalithes is the place to be if you want to take a guided tour of the site (€13, leaving every hour). It also houses a shop and a small museum.

Overview of the site

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Overview of the site
Above the Maison des Mégalithes you can see an overview of the Ménec alignment.

Alignment of menhirs

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Alignment of menhirs
The alignments of menhirs at Carnac, in Brittany, are one of the most impressive megalithic complexes in the world.

The low wall surrounding the alignments

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The low wall surrounding the alignments
For this walk, we deliberately opted for an unguided tour. As a result, we are forbidden access to the field containing the menhirs, in order to preserve the site from damage caused by the many visitors. We were forced to walk around the site and stay behind a fence. However, this is not a major inconvenience, as the fence is low enough to offer a clear view of the menhirs and the alignments.

Along the way

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Along the way
These rows of standing stones, dating from the Neolithic period, fascinate visitors with their sheer number and mysterious organisation. They bear witness to remarkable prehistoric engineering and still raise many questions today about their purpose and meaning.

Rock on the path

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

Larger menhirs

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Larger menhirs
Menhirs come in different sizes and weights. The largest menhir weighs 300 tonnes, it is not located on this site but on the Locmariaquer megaliths site a few kilometres from Carnac.

Alignment of Kermario

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Alignment of Kermario
Another alignment is located a little further away, accessible by car or on foot. The same principle applies for individual visits: you drive around the field without entering it, except during the low season (October to March).

Standing menhirs

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Standing menhirs
It should be noted that there are no explanatory panels along the route. The guided tour is interesting for obtaining information about the site.

Site Map

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

🚶‍ Practical information 🌳

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