Introduction: Vannes Travel Guide
Vannes is an old fortified city in Brittany, West of France. The old town is characterized by narrow cobbled streets, medieval gates, and half-timbered houses. In its heart, stand the Cathedral Saint-Pierre and its port is the gate to the Morbihan gulf.
Vannes is a beautiful city and a must to stop if only for a couple of hours. But if you have more time, it could be a good base to explore this region.
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
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Getting there
Our best choice would be to get there by car. So, if you are coming from abroad, you can either rent one in Paris directly or first take a train from Paris (Montparnasse) to Vannes. It is a 2h34 ride and is direct a couple of time during the day.
Or you could ride on a Flixbus for 6h20 at a lower cost.
Moving Around
Vannes has around 25 bus lines that could get you around the city. But if you have a car, there a plenty of parking around.
From Vannes, you can also get by train or bus to Lorient, or take a boat and go visit the famous Ile aux Moines, or start with a tour of the Morbihan gulf and end your day on Belle Ile en Mer for a couple of days.
Where to Stay
If you plan on staying in Vannes, which could be a great idea as it’s the center of many things to do, here is some of our best pick:
- Apartment: Patern Moines
- Guesthouse: Ti Laouenek
- Hotel: Maison de la Garenne & Spa
What to Eat
For us, here again, the must to try food is the crepes. Sweet and salty ones are just delicious! But you could also try the:
- Kouigin Papatez: Potatoes pie
- Godaille: Fisherrnen soup
- Far Bretton: Cake
- Kouigin amann: butter cake
Things to do Around Vannes
Take a day trip or even stay a couple of day on Brittany’s biggest island. And our favorite one around.
Ile d’Arz
Similar to the Monk Island, it’s another nice island to visit for a day.
Suscinio Castle
Visit an old Medieval castle from the 13th century. No need to book, just pop there and enjoy a real castle. Check More here
A bit further, you could take a day trip to discover Nazi’ Germany biggest Atlantic Submarine base and visit the cold war submarine Flore.
Itinerary
You could go from only the day 1 (half a day) to the full one:
Day 1:
- Old town of Vannes
- Vannes Cathedral
- Connétable Tower
- Ramparts Garden
- Vannes Town hall
- Port of Vannes
Day 2:
- Belle Ile en Mer
Day 3:
- Belle Ile en Mer
Day 4:
- Ile aux Moines
Day 5:
- Suscinio Castle
Day 6:
- Carnac dolmens
- Lorient Submarine Base
“Chacun voit midi à sa porte” …
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