Things to do in Vannes
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Vannes
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, mild days, gardens in flower, full boat season, and September warmth without August crowds.
Good with eyes open, April fresh and changeable, July and August warmest and most crowded, early October calm.
Worst months, short days, heaviest rain, no Gulf cruises and reduced island and restaurant hours.
Quiet shoulder month, cool and changeable, with the town to yourself before the boat season restarts.
What's on
- Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan Late May, biennial in odd years
About 1200 traditional boats sail port to port around the Gulf for a week, closing with a Grande Parade.
- Fêtes Historiques Mid July, around 14 July
Hundreds of costumed participants parade through the walled old town for the historical festival.
- Jazz en Ville Late July
Outdoor jazz in the old town squares on summer evenings, with diners at the cafe tables.
- Fêtes d'Arvor Mid August, around 15 August
Brittany oldest festival of Breton culture, with the Queen of Arvor election and fireworks from the ramparts.
- Festival Interceltique de Lorient Early August, in Lorient
The largest Celtic festival, 45 minutes away, best done as a day or evening trip from calmer Vannes.
Best things to do in Vannes
Centre Historique de Vannes
The walled old town itself is the sight, a loop of cobbled lanes and half timbered houses between the port and the cathedral.
Remparts de Vannes
The city walls wrap the old town, with a short open wall walk above formal gardens and old washhouses.
Jardin des Remparts
Formal flower gardens directly below the ramparts, the most photographed spot and best picnic lawn in central Vannes.
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes
A layered Gothic cathedral holding the tomb of Saint Vincent Ferrier and a 1615 tapestry of his life.
Place Henri IV
The prettiest enclosed square in Vannes, a tight ring of coloured half timbered houses below the cathedral.
Place des Lices
The town living room and market square, best on Wednesday and Saturday mornings for food, coffee and people watching.
La Cohue - Musée des Beaux Arts de Vannes
A medieval market hall turned fine arts museum, with Breton painting and the Genevieve Asse collection in one calm hour.
Château Gaillard
A 15th century mansion holding the Gulf megalithic finds, the hour that makes Carnac and Gavrinis mean far more.
Where to stay in Vannes
Old Town (intra-muros)
first trip, couples, no car
Every sight within ten minutes on foot and dinner downstairs, at the price of cobbles, slopes and parking outside the walls.
Saint-Patern and station side
quieter local feel, still on foot
Residential lanes, two of the best tables in town, and a ten minute walk to the cathedral.
The Port / Place Gambetta
drivers, boat mornings, value
Flatter and easier for parking, with the marina cafe row and a short bus to the ferry terminal.
Conleau / Parc du Golfe
families, sea and spa stays
The ferry terminal, Conleau beach and the coastal path on the doorstep, the old town a bus ride away.
Outskirts / Porte du Golfe and Liziec
resort style nights, drivers, spa weekends
The newest luxury and spa stock in grounds with parking and pools, with a taxi needed for old town dinners.
North of centre
budget stays with parking
Simple hotels a short walk or bus north of the centre, spending less on the room and more on food and boats.
Think twice about
- Northern arterial roads and Ménimur strip
Safe but charmless for an old town trip, a 20 minute walk on busy roads each way that taxes every dinner and early boat.
- Intra-muros with a car or limited mobility
Restricted car access, parking outside the walls, cobbles and slopes, and late festival noise in residential lanes.
- Conleau as an old town base
A fine seaside base for the Gulf, but a bus ride from the old town, so it is the wrong base if the lanes are the priority.
Best restaurants in Vannes
Empreinte
Vannes most decorated modern table, a calm acclaimed tasting menu and the special occasion dinner in town.
Iodé
Set menus built on Brittany and the sea, with little choice within them and some of the best cooking in Morbihan.
La Tête en l'Air
A small Saint-Patern room serving blind surprise tasting menus, open Wednesday to Saturday only.
Restaurant Agora
The consensus modern bistro in Vannes, fresh and careful cooking with genuinely good gluten free options.
Le Tandem
A reliable contemporary table with a short seasonal menu and well judged wines, the strong second dinner in town.
Chez la Mère 6 Sous
Part bistro, part wine bar, the buzziest room in the old town and the groups and friends dinner pick.
Afghan Café
A warmly run Afghan restaurant with fragrant, generous, vegetarian friendly dishes, the beloved change of cuisine.
Crêperie Saint-Guenhaël
A family creperie in the historic centre, and a galette complete with cider is the best cheap meal in town.
Outdoor things to do in Vannes
Plage de Conleau
Vannes own small beach and tidal sea pool, and the start of the coastal path east towards Sene and its bird reserve.
Île d'Arz
The quiet Gulf island, a low rural loop of salt marshes, a tidal mill and small beaches walked in a full unhurried day.
Île-aux-Moines
The Pearl of the Gulf, a car free island looped by bike past stone houses, dolmens, viewpoints and small beaches.
Compagnie du Golfe
A commented cruise that explains the whole Gulf, its islands and racing currents, with island stops in season.
Canoë Kayak Club de Vannes
Guided sea kayaking from Saint-Armel among Gulf islands and oyster beds, the safest way onto this tidal water.
Domaine de Suscinio
The Dukes of Brittany moated fortress palace in marshland, with wall walks, Arthurian rooms and bird rich trails.
Megaliths of Carnac
Some 3000 standing stones in alignments nearly 4 km long, worth it only with the guided tour inside the fences.
Port de Saint-Goustan
A cobbled river port of half timbered houses 15 minutes by train, the prettiest cheap half day from Vannes.
Best hotels in Vannes
Domaine du Liziec - MGallery Collection
Vannes flagship modern luxury hotel in grounds with spa and pool, a splurge base a taxi ride from the walls.
Villa Kerasy Hotel Spa
A small elegant boutique with garden, spa and indoor pool, walkable to everything and built for couples.
Le Roscanvec
Characterful rooms above one of the best tables in town, in the heart of the old town by the market.
Padja Hôtel & Spa
A newer spa hotel towards the Gulf with pool and free parking, more comfort per euro than the old town boutiques.
Best Western Plus Hôtel Le Roof
A Gulf side hotel at Conleau with spa and a well reviewed restaurant, for a stay built around the water.
Hôtel Anne de Bretagne
A warm, traditional family hotel by Saint-Patern, a short walk from the cathedral, with a garden feel.
Best Western Plus Vannes Centre-Ville
A reliable full service four star south of the old town, the no surprises base for drivers and business trips.
Golfe Hôtel
A simple, clean, friendly budget hotel with parking, so the savings can go on dinner and boats instead.
Is Vannes expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €145 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Île-aux-Moines: a few days ahead
- Compagnie du Golfe: a few days ahead
- Canoë Kayak Club de Vannes: a few days ahead
- Megaliths of Carnac: a few days ahead
- Golf Bluegreen Baden: a few days ahead
- Domaine du Liziec - MGallery Collection: weeks ahead
- Villa Kerasy Hotel Spa: weeks ahead
- Le Roscanvec: weeks ahead
- Empreinte and Iode need weeks for weekends, and La Tete en l'Air opens Wednesday to Saturday only.
- Gulf cruises run April to September only and island sailings sell out on August weekends.
- In high season Carnac alignments are entered only on a guided tour, so book the tour days ahead.
- Book old town hotels months ahead for July, August, Fetes d'Arvor and any Semaine du Golfe year.
Is Vannes safe?
- Vannes is safe overall, with ordinary crowd sense needed at Wednesday and Saturday markets and festivals.
- Cobbles in the old town are slippery when wet, so wear shoes with grip.
- Gulf tidal currents are among the strongest in Europe, so never cross exposed flats on foot and kayak only guided.
- Emergency number in France is 112.
Vannes travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The aquarium is a small, pricey rainy day filler for young children, not a headline sight.
- The butterfly garden is listed as permanently closed, so do not buy a joint ticket on its account.
- Carnac at midday in August without a guide means fenced stones, heat and no context.
- Place Gambetta front row terraces charge for the view, so use them for a drink and eat two lanes inside the walls.
Getting around Vannes: public transport and more
- Paris to Vannes is about two and a half hours by direct TGV, then a flat 20 minute walk from the station to the old town.
- Walk intra-muros, and use city buses or bike hire for Conleau and the Parc du Golfe ferry terminal.
- Ferries leave from the Gare Maritime at the Parc du Golfe, a bus ride south of the centre, so build in the transfer.
- Take the train for Auray and Saint-Goustan, and reserve a car only for Suscinio, Carnac, Rhuys beaches and golf.
Who Vannes suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Vannes your trip
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