Grand tour of the Île d'Arz

This route takes you around the entire Île d'Arz, passing by various headlands offering very different views.
A stop in the village offers a view of the old priory and church.

Details

127702
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.18 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 15 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 15 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 18 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure: Béluré pier.
(S/E) Follow the only road leading to the village of Arz, which runs along the Falaise beach. Pass the "Les Tamaris" campsite on your left, then turn right onto the coastal path towards the Berno tide mill.

(1) Continue along the sea wall, pass the mill and continue to Pointe du Berno, from where you can see Pointe d'Arradon opposite. Follow the path that runs alongside the Étang du Moulin.

(2) Ignore the road on the left and continue along the path towards the next point, which extends into a slipway. You are now opposite Pointe de Brouel, the easternmost point of the neighbouring Île-aux-Moines. Continue along the coast, skirting Plage du Mounien, until you reach the narrow Pointe de Brouël.

(3) Continuing on, pass a small water sports centre and reach Pointe de Liouse, where you will see a small, somewhat dilapidated dolmen. From this point, you can see the Rhuys peninsula opposite, which closes off the Gulf of Morbihan.

(4) Continue along the same path, taking a look at the sewage treatment plant basins where you can see some marsh birds such as the great crested grebe.

(5) At the Glénans water sports centre, leave the coast and head towards the village via Route de Keroland. You will see the former priory, founded in the 18th century and now occupied by the town hall and the village school. Behind it stands the bell tower of the Church of Notre-Dame de la Nativité. Turn left and cross the Jean Janet green space

(6) Turn left onto Rue du Bon Secours to go around the priory, then right onto Rue de l'Église, which runs alongside the cemetery.

(7) At Grande Rue, turn right to reach the church and then Rue de la Poste.

(8) Turn left towards the sea and pass a fountain on your left. Facing the sea, turn left and walk along the beach.

(9) At Kernoël, the path leaves the coast to go around some properties. Pass by the manor house of the same name and its dovecote. Return to the coast on the right and continue along the beach

(10) Go around some more properties at Rudevent, then head for the sea wall that takes you to the Bilhervé peninsula.

(11) Take the sea wall (south-east) to reach the peninsula.

(12) Take the coastal path on the right, pass a water sports centre to reach the headland. Walk along a pine forest that hides properties and a holiday centre, then reach Pointe de Nénézic. The path rejoins the dyke you crossed earlier, running alongside old salt marshes.

(12) Take the sea wall again, in the opposite direction.

(11) Take the path on the right near an information board about the old salt marshes, which cover 93 plots. The path runs along the north-eastern side of the island and leads gently to the pier (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 3 m - Béluré pier
  2. 1 : km 1.51 - alt. 3 m - Digue du Moulin de Berno
  3. 2 : km 3.27 - alt. 2 m - Continue along the coastal path
  4. 3 : km 5.5 - alt. 2 m - Water sports centre
  5. 4 : km 6.72 - alt. 4 m - Bassin de la station d'épuration (sewage treatment plant)
  6. 5 : km 7.52 - alt. 3 m - Road leading up to the village
  7. 6 : km 7.9 - alt. 14 m - Rue du Bons Secours
  8. 7 : km 8.12 - alt. 17 m - Grande Rue
  9. 8 : km 8.35 - alt. 10 m - Fork in the road towards the sea
  10. 9 : km 8.87 - alt. 4 m - Leaving the seaside
  11. 10 : km 9.42 - alt. 2 m - Properties to avoid
  12. 11 : km 9.72 - alt. 3 m - Access dyke to the Bilhervé peninsula
  13. 12 : km 10.13 - alt. 3 m - Bilhervé peninsula
  14. S/E : km 16.18 - alt. 3 m - Béluré pier

Notes

The route is of average length but easy to walk (elevation gain 14 m)
Flat shoes are sufficient.
Toilets are available at various points along the route.
Food available in the village.

Pier:
- From 1 January to 31 March and 1 October to 31 December: Vannes-Conleau (15-minute crossing).
- From 1 April to 30 September: Vannes-maritime station (30-minute crossing).
2015 prices: adult return ticket €10.20.
Free parking near the piers.

A map of the island is provided with the crossing ticket: this can be useful as there are very few landmarks and the risk of getting lost is low.

Worth a visit

Île d'Arz is a small archipelago made up of nine other islands in addition to the main island.
They can be seen during a complete tour of Arz.

- Berno tide mill: This communal mill was probably built around the 13th century, although this is not certain (the oldest document found dates from 1575). It operated until 1910. In June 2000, the mill was restored to its former glory. Along with the mill on the Île de Bréhat, it is one of the only mills in France still operating as it did in the past.

- Corridor dolmen at Pointe de Liousse.

- Former priory: In 1008, Duke Geoffroy I of Brittany donated the southern half of the island to the Abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys. The monks then built a priory (now the town hall) and the Church of Notre-Dame de la Nativité.

- Kernoël Manor: dating from the 13th century. Its dovecote is visible from the path.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 32 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 22494041

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

hike done at the end of September during the week, so very few people (a dozen at most?)
Nice scenery but not very diverse, I found it got a bit boring quite quickly
The paths are easy to follow and in good condition
On the other hand, there are numerous access points to small beaches that are very nice for eating or taking a break

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User 22494041

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done during the week in September, so very few people.
The paths are generally quite easy to follow, but some can be difficult to navigate due to overgrown vegetation or the tides, for example.
Very pretty landscapes and photo spots that are well worth seeing.
Hike done with a small dog, went very well

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serbert
serbert
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
very nice route, I did it in the opposite direction to avoid the rush when the boat arrived (go left in front of the restaurant).
The markings are less visible in this direction. It is necessary to be vigilant on the way certain passage in the vegetation are little visible.
To be done.
PS I had magnificent weather to boot. :-)

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Hello and thank you for your opinion.
I've tried to detail the description between the points (5) and (6) which seem to have caused you problems.
Good luck on Visorando

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Ardechois33
Ardechois33

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I noticed that the circuit was busy, but that was mainly on the first 3 kilometres, as there were fewer people after that.
Between point 5 and point 6 the path is quite difficult to follow.
On the other hand, there is a problem after point 10 because before the pointe de Bilhervé the path is cut off by a stream, which is probably temporary, but I wasn't able to get past it.
Note that on the way back after point 9 you should follow the track and not the path marked 19, which takes you away from the coastline for a while.

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Sphinx de la Vigne
Sphinx de la Vigne
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A walking "cruise" ideal for 360° views of the gulf. Best done at high tide and in the morning, for the nuances of light and colour and the lighter traffic in mid-August.

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C49
C49

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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yves 74
yves 74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk after a boat trip in the Gulf of Morbihan.
Easy route, well described.

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domy39
domy39

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

With the big bridge on 8 and 9 May 2024, there were a lot of people on the Ile d'Arz, so there was a lot of waiting for the boat and a lot of people on the paths. But it was a lovely walk through varied landscapes in fine weather.

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JALOSA
JALOSA

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route as described

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Lenax96
Lenax96

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pretty walk, easy to follow as it follows the contours of the island. A little crowded in summer, but it's bearable during the walk. Crossing with a ba

A word of advice: remember to book the day before if you want to have lunch in one of the restaurants, as they were all fully booked and the sandwich shop had to close for lack of bread. Fortunately, there was a small mini-market in the village.

The boat bus from Vannes is the easiest way to get here (free or paying parking at the ferry terminal).

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caouec
caouec

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

parish specific to Brittany, more complete and longer than the tour of ars island in the gulf of morbihan, but well worth it
beautiful panorama over the gulf, pointe de liouse super
we found it more interesting than l'ile aux moines because the view is clearer all the way round
beware of boat times if you flane too much
currently exhibiting works by burren dotted around the island, so-so!

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buzuck35
buzuck35

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An unmissable circuit in the Gulf.
I did it 15 years ago in the rain ( )
this time it was a bit windy but with some nice sunny spells.

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patrick.bele
patrick.bele

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with plenty of opportunities for swimming! I did it the other way round to avoid the crowds.

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rviguerie
rviguerie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The tour of the Ile d'Arz is very pleasant all year round. There can be a lot of visitors in certain areas during the summer season. At marker 5, I suggest you continue along the coastal path as far as the cale de Pen Raz, where there is a picnic area, and then take the path a little further along that leads to the centre of the village.

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