Transport
Getting there
| By Train | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Via | Time | Time |
| Calais | 16,A28 (direction Le Havre), A84 | 6:45 hours | via Paris (station change) 6:30 hours |
| Paris | A11/E50 and N24 | 5 hours | direct with TGV 3 hours |
| Dieppe | N27 to A151 to A29 to A13 to A84 | 5:15 hours | via Rouen and Paris (station change) 6:30 hours |
| Le Havre | A13 to A84 | 4:30 hours | via Paris (station change) 6:30 hours |
| Cherbourg | A13 to A84 and N24 | 4 hours | via Lison and Rennes 6:20 hours |
| Marseilles | via Le Mans: A7, A47, A72, A71, A85, A28, | 10:30 hours | via Paris (station change) 7 hours |
Air: Lorient has an airport, but it does not offer international flights. The majority of domestic flights go to Paris or Lyon. From there you can transfer internationally.
Click here to access the airport’s website (in English)
Ferry: No international ferry operations can be found in Lorient. In fact, only a ferry to the closeby island of Groix is in operation.
Bus: There are several long distance bus operators going to this city from different cities in France (and Europe). Click on one of the links below to see which departure city is covered.
Flixbus
Ouibus
Within Lorient
Although Lorient is not that big and can be walked, there is an extensive bus network. Operated by CTRL, they operate standard buses but also small ferries that between the city and the harbour (Port Louis) and other communes on the other side of the river.
You can buy your tickets at the Tourist Office or in any of the Tabacs/Magazine-Newspaper shops.
For more information, access the CTRL website (in French only)
Car
Driving in Lorient with a car is easy. It’s not an old city so most roads are wide.
The inner city has several car parks and parking is possible in the street, but you will need to pay. On the outskirts of the inner city, you can park for free as long as you use the Blue Parking Disc (which can be purchased in Tabacs and at the Tourist Office)
Restaurants
There are some 200 restaurants to be found in Lorient, the majority specialized in Brittany style foods (therefore a lot of crepes).
There is a one-star Michelin restaurant, the L’Amphitryon.
Hotels
In Lorient there are only some 15 hotels available, ranging from 2 to 3 stars, and 1 four star hotel.
Things To Do/To See
- Walk alongside the enormous German submarine pens (K1, K2 and K3).
- Visit the sailing museum (Cite de la Voile Eric Tabarly). Click here to read our review of the museum/exhibit.
- Visit the Flore submarine. Click here to read our review of the submarine museum.
- Visit the diver/submarine and David Tower museum (Submarine Museum of Lorient – Tour Davis). Click here to read our review of the museum.
- Look at the amazing ocean race sail ships getting ready for one of the many ocean races.
- Take a short boat-bus/ferry ride to Port-Louis to discover the beautiful citadel/fortress of Port-Louis.
- Check the Tourist Office website or office for anything else. Click here to access the website (but it’s in French only)
Related Posts
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Lorient in Brittany is not a place you want to visit for the beauty of the city, since it's not. But the La Base is very interesting since it was the main submarine base of the Germans during WWII. There's even a submarine you can visit.