Gulf of Morbihan

Ile d'Arz and Ile aux Moines worth to visit

The Golfe du Morbihan is a true small interior sea. It’s a magical place where the sea, the earth and the sky merge in changing and unusual landscapes. The Golfe du Morbihan belongs to the Club des Plus Belles Baies du Monde (Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club).The « Mor-Bihan » - little sea in Breton – was filled by Atlantic waters several millennia ago, when the rivers has already dug out its bed. The ocean traveled so far inland towards Vannes and Auray via the rias (drowned river valleys) typical to Brittany, surrounding ancient hills and making them into a genuine archipelago: île aux Moines, île d’Arz, innumerable islands and islets, rocky or wooded, sometimes home to a fishing hamlet or simply to flocks of birds.

Fishing in the Gulf

In Gulf of Morbihan you can find many osters farms which are a perfect for sea bass and bream diaries. You can fish many different species in the Gulf of Morbihan. Driving a boat is not very easy as you will have to fight against strong currents. By foot you can find very good spots at the netrance of Gulf of Morbihan (Locmariaquer) and then Larmor Baden (Sept Iles, Berder, pointe du Berchis) or even Arradon (la pointe). Tides will change landscapes upon and under water which makes fishing very different every day.

Isle of Arz

Arz measures some 3km in length, but offers a full 18km of coastal paths. Its environment remains remarkably well preserved. It’s surrounded by a half-dozen and more smaller islands. The ever-changing views of these add to the excitement of exploring Arz. Arz lies low in the highly protected Golfe du Morbihan between Vannes and Brittany’s southern seas. Arz is l’Ile aux Moines’s delightful, more discreet sibling. It’s flatter, quieter and much less touristy, in part perhaps because it is just that bit further to reach by boat, although it shares the same clement climate. Count around 20 minutes for the six-kilometre boat trip from Vannes to the island. Further information at www.iles-du-ponant.com

Ile aux Moines

These two islands are easy to reach from Vannes or Baden (facing Port Blanc). This blessed island roughly takes the shape of a cross on the map. Its name, Monks’ Island, derives from the fact that it was owned through medieval times by the monks of Redon Abbey, in southern Brittany. L’Ile aux Moines isn’t battered by ocean waves, as it lies, like neighbouring Arz, within the protective arms of the Golfe du Morbihan. The exceptional beauty of the place makes l’Ile aux Moines highly popular with tourists.

Gulf of Morbihan