El Golfo de Morbihan

With its 12,000 hectares of Atlantic sheltered from the swell in South Brittany, the Gulf of Morbihan is a real inland sea where there are, according to the legend, up to 365 isles. It’s a magic place where the sea, the earth and the sky mingle in changing and unusual landscapes.

The harbour, at the extreme far end of the Gulf, is 25 km away from the open sea.

The Morbihan, which means a small sea in Breton language, was invaded by the Atlantic Ocean only a few centuries ago while the rivers had already dug their beds. That’s the reason why the ocean ventures so far inside Vannes and Auray’s lands through so typical Breton rias and shuts in the former hills in a real archipelago. The îles aux Moines, île d’Arz and numerous rocky or wooded islands and small islands sometimes include a fisherman hamlet or simply clouds of birds.

Sailing reigns in the Gulf. Harbours and anchorages were created in Vannes, Conleau, Arradon, Séné, Larmor-Baden, Ile d’Arz, Ile aux Moines. The Gulf is a paradise for migratory birds.

From Vannes, three types of cruises may be considered…

The Gulf of Morbihan and its surroundings make up a big oyster-farming basin (being the cradle of the flat oysters, the Gulf is also famous for its hollow oysters).