Keep exploring

Take advantage of the peace and quiet in this small square and settle onto a bench while we give you a few ideas for places to explore around Auray. If you want to stay nearby, start with Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, one of Brittany’s major spiritual sites, or head to Le Bono, with its little harbor, old suspension bridge, and riverside trails. Want to go much farther back in time?

Make your way to Carnac and its famous rows of standing stones, then on to Locmariaquer, where the Broken Menhir and the Table des Marchands are waiting for you. You can even continue the adventure by boat to the mysterious Cairn of Gavrinis, hidden away on an island in the Gulf of Morbihan. For more of a maritime atmosphere, stroll around the harbor at La Trinité-sur-Mer, admire the large racing yachts, then head toward the Quiberon Peninsula and its spectacular Côte Sauvage.

And if you have a full day to spare, take the boat to Belle-Île-en-Mer, with its colorful harbors, cliffs, and sweeping ocean views. On the other side of Auray, don’t miss Vannes, with its ramparts and half-timbered houses, Île aux Moines and its coastal paths, or Saint-Cado, a small village set in the middle of the Étel ria and famous for its house with blue shutters. As you can see, with megaliths, little harbors, islands, and coastal scenery all around, Auray makes an excellent base for exploring southern Brittany.

The hardest part may simply be deciding where to start!