Vannes
France
A walled town at the head of the Gulf of Morbihan, a tidal inland sea of forty islands, half an hour from the standing stones of Carnac
Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash
Photos by Pascal Bernardon, Thanh Ly, Pascal Bernardon and Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
May to September (the Carnac stones are open to walk among only outside the summer)
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 100mm in Dec
Where it is
47.66°N, 2.76°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Take a boat round the Gulf before going to any one island
- Book Gavrinis ahead — the boats leave from Larmor-Baden and the numbers are capped
- Go to Carnac early or late in the day, and in the quieter season, when you can walk among the stones
- Hire a bike on Île-aux-Moines rather than taking a car across
- Buy oysters from a farm shack and eat them on the shore
Vannes travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
Mid-rangeEuros, and cards everywhere, the island ferries and the oyster shacks included.
ATMs & cards
Bank machines round the Place de la République and the port, and on Île-aux-Moines. Use a bank’s own machine and refuse the offer to convert into your own currency.
Avoid these
- independent machines that offer to charge you in your own currency
Use these instead
- Crédit Agricole
- Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne
- BNP Paribas
- La Banque Postale
Cards are taken everywhere, including the ferries. Refuse any offer to convert.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
Very safeVery safe on land; the Gulf is where people get into trouble. The tide pours in and out through a narrow mouth between Port-Navalo and Locmariaquer, and the currents there are among the strongest in Europe — kayaks and small boats get swept, and paddling outside the slack water is how. Mudflats look walkable at low tide and are not. In summer the coast roads to Carnac and Quiberon queue, and parking at the beaches fills by late morning.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (8 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- the walled town — the old centre inside the ramparts
- the port
- Conleau
- Île-aux-Moines
Worth more attention
- the mouth of the Gulf — tidal currents among the strongest in Europe; paddle only at slack water, and with someone who knows it
- the mudflats at low tide — soft mud that looks firm, and a tide that comes back across them quickly
- the Carnac alignments — the fields are closed in the busy season to protect the heath; keep to the paths and the guided visits
- The coast roads to Carnac and Quiberon on summer weekends, which queue
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodThe Gulf and the rivers round it grow oysters, and the farms sell them at shacks on the shore with a glass of white and nothing else. Galettes are buckwheat and savoury, crêpes wheat and sweet. Far breton is a dense custard cake with prunes, and gâteau breton is a slab of butter held together by flour.
Travel tipsGetting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Vannes
No Holistay rentals in Vannes yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Vannes on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Nantes NTE
1h 40mfrom the airport· 103 km as the crow flies
About an hour and a half by hire car; by public transport, the shuttle to Nantes station and a train on, nearer two and a half hours.
Also worth pricing: Rennes RNS — about an hour and a quarter by road, or a train from Rennes station.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
