Gavrinis | Brittany tourism

Pre-history on an island!

The journey to the Neolithic age begins in Larmor-Baden, Port-Navalo or Locmariaquer, when the boat leaves the mainland to reach Gavrinis island. On the island, one of the most splendid megalithic sites in the world, according even to specialists, opens up before you and reveals a few secrets.

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Discover Gavrinis

The Gavrinis cairn (Chèvre island) is impressive in size. This stone and sand structure stands 8 metres tall and over 50 metres in diameter. It makes it the highest point in the Gulf of Morbihan. It protects a splendid dolmen forming a gallery 1.5 metres in width and 14 metres in length, which ends with a burial chamber. The walls consist of 29 carefully arranged pillars. 23 of these slabs have mysterious carvings. It’s an exceptional piece of work!

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Larmor-Baden - Ile de Gavrinis - Le cairn de Gavrinis
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Noémie Lefèvre

Stones to touch with the eyes

Led by enthusiastic guides, you will enter the dolmen, still bathed in light. Esoteric symbols then start to appear. Concentric circles, spirals, axes, bows and snakes carved in the stone catch the eye. In the burial chamber covered with a massive 4-metre slab, characters and animals are visible. They are thought to have played an essential role in the religion of the time. Please refrain from touching these images; they are slowly fading due to being touched.

Did you know

How can you move stones?

The lying menhir of Locmariaquer weighs 280 tonnes and it was moved over ten kilometres, 45 centuries BC. What magic potion did they drink?

The challenges of Obelix

The fantastic Gavrinis monument seems to reflect those in Locmariaquer, 4 km away. The stone on the island is even thought to be from a tomb in Locmariaquer. The breaks and drawings of horns on the slab fit the stone from the Table des Marchands (a dolmen) on which deer are carved. But how was the stone brought here? Not far from the Table des Marchands is the largest standing stone in the world. It fell to the ground and consists of four boulders. In its glory, it stood at 20.30 metres! The extraction, shaping, transport and erection of this monolith is a feat that is still astonishing today.

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