Around the Ile d'Arz island in the Gulf of Morbihan

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Loop around the picturesque island "Ile-d'Arz" in the middle of the gulf "Golfe of Morbihan". On this walk, you'll discover a tide mill, beautiful beaches and sumptuous views over the gulf, all in a wild and well-preserved setting.

Details

n°35635
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.70 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 21 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 20 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 18 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m
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Photos

Ile d'arz
Ile d'arz
Ile d'arz
Ile d'arz

Description of the walk

Ferry Go to the Vannes ferry terminal and take the shuttle to the island "Ile d'Arz". The crossing takes a good 15 minutes.

(S/E) From the little port, follow the coast to the right (West), then cross the stone alleyway leading to the tide mill. This is a very pleasant, rather wild spot, with a fine view over the gulf.

(1) After going around the pond "Étang du Moulin", head towards and through the village of Le Bourg, on the east coast of the island "Ile a la Cale de Pen Raz", a picturesque little port.

(2) Continue South along the coastal path to the end of the island (Pointe de Liouse), where you'll find a dolmen.

(3) Continue around the island via the locality of Brouel.

(4) Continue to Le Penher.

(5) Leave the seafront to pass through the charming village of Le Bourg and return to the port on the D206 road to take the boat (S/E).

Variations are possible according to individual wishes.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Port.
  2. 1 : km 2.33 - alt. 2 m - Moulin pond
  3. 2 : km 3.29 - alt. 5 m - Cale de Pen Raz,
  4. 3 : km 5.24 - alt. 7 m - Pointe de Liouse.
  5. 4 : km 5.99 - alt. 3 m - Brouel.
  6. 5 : km 7.03 - alt. 3 m - Le Penher
  7. S/E : km 9.7 - alt. 4 m - Port

Notes

Note: A mini-market and restaurants provide light snacks.

Worth a visit

On the way back, you could stop off in Vannes, a beautiful town with a few half-timbered houses and a lovely park overlooked by ramparts, as well as a beautiful church in its centre.

Not far from the ferry terminal, you'll also find the Vannes aquarium.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 41 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Debeuckelaere Jacky
Debeuckelaere Jacky

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great, a wonderful walk. I'll do it again next year.
It's hard to say how busy it was. I prefer quiet hikes.

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adesesleus
adesesleus

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello. An easy walk with lots of places to stop for a bite to eat. Can be done between the morning shuttle and the 3pm shuttle. There's a very good crêperie in the centre of Bourg with delicious ice cream (black sesame, buckwheat).
The return trip from the village to the port isn't very interesting.
The word "wild" is a bit strong; it's more like countryside by the water.

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loic.vatar@bbox.fr
loic.vatar@bbox.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant walk around the island, which is very busy. No difficulties, the point of the route is to encourage us to go to places we wouldn't normally think of. thank you.

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Kleeo
Kleeo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In the end, we did the whole tour. Lovely scenery. No difficulties with this walk, with plenty of beaches to cool off on. For the return journey, the last shuttle buses were very busy: don't arrive at the last minute so you don't have to wait for the next one.
As you stroll along, you don't realise there are so many of us...

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Glos27
Glos27

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Done in April. GPS tracking.
No worries.

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landrein
landrein

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant

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Joom
Joom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very few people this September, despite very fine weather, between two showers 😁.
A very pleasant hike without difficulty, with the option of salicornia to slip into your snacks.
Thank you

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Catcat50
Catcat50

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Cruise in the Gulf of Morbihan with a 5-hour stopover on the island. Magnificent, beautiful beaches, calm. Choice of hikes. The boat's captain also acts as a guide, with a great sense of humour.
I recommend booking the restaurant before you go. And bring your own rubbish bags, as there are no bins available.

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FC44
FC44

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting tour of the island, with beautiful landscapes and viewpoints, especially in the southern part. The tidal mill is a curiosity for those unfamiliar with this type of architecture, astonishing and very well restored. The description and map make it easy to get around, especially as it must be difficult to get lost on the island. We didn't do any of the many other possible loops (small peninsulas to the west; Kernoël, Rudevent and Bilhervé to the east) that aren't suggested here, but it must be great too. Few people at this time of year, which adds to the island's wild charm.

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JC B
JC B

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I would like to confirm all the comments made on 20 July and add that the stream of passengers on the boat bus is fairly well dispersed on the island, except for the Bourg area at lunchtime, when I preferred the sandwich. If you like samphire, all you have to do is bend down and take a swimming costume in your bag so you can enjoy one of the beaches. A coastal walk, photos, pine forest, beach, a very good day's holiday. If you hate queuing to wait for the bus, change season. Bzh

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MORCHAIN André
MORCHAIN André

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A complete tour of the island along the coastal path. So there was no difficulty in finding your way around. The scenery seemed prettier after the village, as you head south: not much of interest between the pier and the village. It's an easy, short day's ride with plenty of viewpoints over the gulf. We also appreciated the opportunity to rest and picnic in the pinewoods at the southern tip.

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DaDoRando14
DaDoRando14

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very nice walk but... there's a bit of a blur of signposts when you leave the "Ile de Bilhervé".
It's a pity that the route doesn't offer a variation for a short walk around the village, for example from the cale de Pen Raz (which is available on the other 9.7km walk). These are only very minor criticisms!

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symphonicband
symphonicband

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is a very fine walk, made at a time when the island is gradually regaining its wild side.

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mitche010
mitche010

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I didn't do the whole thing but it was good

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helenek
helenek

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did a complete tour of the island.
Don't expect a wild island - it's very busy in summer! But it's still a very pleasant place, with beautiful views over the entire gulf.

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