• Explore
  • Coastline
  • Nature
  • Heritage
  • Photo gallery
  • Videos
  • Weather forecast
  • Tides
  • Our brochures
• Organise your trip
  • How to get to Carnac
  • Accomodations
  • Restaurants
  • Shops
  • Services
  • For children
  • For people with mobility difficulties
• Leisure and activities
  • Our pick
  • Programme of events
  • Leisure activities
  • Sports
  • For children
• Themed breaks
• Contact

  

Carnac’s standing stones, fountains and chapels

Heritage

The name “Carnac” is thought to come from the Celtic word “Cairn” or “Carn”, meaning hill or mound. Carnac’s origins are lost in the mists of time. The remains of a settlement sheltered by a cliff in Saint-Colomban reveal that there was a human presence here during the Lower Palaeolithic period, around 450,000 B.C. Carnac’s main heritage attraction is naturally its many megalithic sites, but it also has a Museum of Prehistory, the Church of St. Cornély and six chapels dotted around the town.

As a major megalithic site, Carnac can boast one of the richest prehistoric collections in Europe devoted to the Neolithic peoples, builders of dolmens and menhirs, in its museum. This extensive collection is the result of excavations of megaliths in the Carnac region and offers a mine of information to help understand the surrounding archaeological sites. With exhibitions, events and family activities, Carnac’s museum is certainly well worth a visit.

Carnac is world famous for its megalithic sites. Prepare to be amazed as you set off to discover the town’s many menhirs, dolmens and tumuli. The unique feature of Carnac’s megaliths is their arrangement in remarkably straight lines. The two main sites alone, Ménec and Kermario, have almost 3,000 standing stones. These alignments stretch over almost 2.5 miles! The town’s megaliths date from the Neolithic period (5000 to 3000 B.C.). This megalithic architecture has retained a certain air of mystery that leaves visitors spellbound. The menhirs are said to have constituted an army of stones – or a place of worship. The dolmens and tumuli are actually individual or mass graves. The alignments probably had a cultural significance and represented a religious site.