The Gulf of Morbihan
The port of Vannes is right at the inland end of the Gulf, 25 km from the open sea.
The Morbihan (which means “little sea” in Breton), was invaded by the waters of the Atlantic only a few centuries ago, after the rivers had already sculpted their valleys. This is why the Ocean encroaches so far upon the realm of the land around Vannes and Auray along rias typical in character of the Breton coast. The sea encircles former hills in a veritable archipelago; the Ile aux Moines, Ile d'Arz, and a multitude of rocky or wooded islands and islets, sometimes inhabited by a fishermen’s hamlet or just flocks of birds.
The Gulf is the kingdom of leisure boating. Ports and moorings have been created at Vannes, Conleau, Arradon, Séné, Larmor-Baden, Ile d'Arz and Ile aux Moines. New regulations have been created to govern boating and fishing activities.
Starting from the Vannes region, you can embark upon several different types of cruise.
The Gulf of Morbihan and its surroundings are a paradise for wildfowl, and form a huge oyster-farming area (a cradle for European flat oysters, the Gulf is also famous for growing Pacific oysters).