The megaliths of Carnac and the shores of Morbihan form one of the largest and most impressive concentrations of prehistoric monuments in the world, located in Southern Brittany (France). More than 3,000 menhirs (standing stones) in Carnac itself, plus thousands of other megaliths (dolmens, tumuli, cairns, and alignments) spread across some 500 sites in the Morbihan region.
A total of about 10,000 monuments.
Main alignments at Carnac: Ménec (longest, with more than 1,000 stones in 11 rows), Kermario, and Kerlescan.
They stretch over several kilometers and often follow the landscape.
Other iconic sites: Locmariaquer (with the largest known menhir), Gavrinis (cairn with engravings), and sites around the Gulf of Morbihan.
Age and significance: The monuments date back to the Neolithic period (roughly 5,000–2,300 BC, up to 7,000 years old).
They were built by pre-Celtic societies and bear witness to a complex organization, rituals, and knowledge of the landscape and astronomy.
Since July 2025, they have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as “Mégalithes de Carnac et des rives du Morbihan” — the first fully Breton World Heritage site.
Their exact function remains mysterious: possibly astronomical calendars, burial sites, ritual paths, or territory markers.
They form a unique “landscape of megaliths” that blends perfectly with the coast, valleys, and hills of Morbihan.
In short: a fascinating open-air museum of European prehistory, older and larger than Stonehenge.
