The Carnac Alignments

<Photo in the Carnac alignments - neolithic stones in Brittany, France>

During my quick trip to Brest, I squeezed in a visit to the Carnac alignments – France’s equivalent to Stone Henge. Pictured is just one of the alignments, where rows of stones have been lined up from tallest to shortest. Three separate stone alignments go on for kilometres, all very close to each other, and with one alignment broken by a road which seems to have been built through it. Sheep still graze among the stones just as historians believe they did when the Neolithic villagers created the alignments. Along the way, you can see burial chambers, which have long been empty, but still interesting to see.

And now, I bring you three top tips/interesting facts about Carnac:

  1. If you go to the Carnac stone alignments, make sure you pop into the visitor centre first: there are info sheets in a variety of languages, guided tours, and walls filled with interesting information in French and English which will make your visit more than just looking at stones.
  2. Carnac one of those places where it’s more beneficial to go out of season: the gates are locked in summer, but in winter, visitors can wander among the stones and explore them up close.
  3. La Clusaz is twinned with the city of Carnac: there’s a sign on the way into La Clusaz that says so, so it must be true.

Now, back to the comparison to Stone Henge. It may not be round, but it’s probably a bit older, it’s much bigger, and it’s free. That’s a win!

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About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

5 Comments on “The Carnac Alignments

  1. I’ve not really met anyone who was thrilled by Stonehenge and not disappointed! These stones seems much more impressive and monumental.

  2. They really are, Emm. Well worth a visit, but really just a bunch of rocks if you don’t get some of the info sheets first.

  3. I’ve just looked them up on Google maps. Seen from above they are extensive. Thanks for showing us something else that we managed to miss on our Brittany holiday!

  4. Don’t you think that the name ‘The Carnac Alignments’ sounds as if it were a book by Robert Ludlum?

  5. Haha! Yes Lesley, you’re right about the book title. And I would have missed them too if my trusty French guide hadn’t mentioned them. Very, very easy to miss unfortunately.