Musée de Préhistoire
Musée de Préhistoire
4
Write a review
About
The richest museum in the world for megalithic culture The Museum of Prehistory in Carnac arose from the will to keep near the place where they were discovered the archaeological collections found around the local megaliths. The founder of the museum, James Miln , was the first and the last one to undertake large scale excavations in the alignments of standing stones in Carnac. His successor, Zacharie Le Rouzic, started the excavation, restoration and classification in the name of the Government Office for the preservation of “ Monuments Historiques ” of about 120 megalithic sites. Thanks to them, the Museum of Carnac today houses reference collections concerning the Neolithic period (4 900 – 2 200 BC) and is essential to the discovery and understanding of the surrounding archaeological sites. Do not miss the large alpine jade axes, the polished ornaments imported from Spain, witnesses of the time when Carnac was a great European centre of power and wealth, in the 5th millennium BC. Information about the collection is available in English, German, Italian, Spanish and Dutch. In the summer, guided tour in English.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.0
372 reviews
Excellent
134
Very good
134
Average
67
Poor
25
Terrible
12

Pat S
Rockville, MD164 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
When we visited Carnac we were overwhelmed by the megaliths but learned nothing of the people that built them. Turns out that the major archaeological expedition there was way back in the 1900s and the results were turned over to this museum. This is a MUST if you want to understand the Neolithic peoples that occupied Brittany. Well laid out.
Written September 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

hans-jaguar
Santa Comba Dao, Portugal21,894 contributions
Aug 2022
Also a must to visit in Brittany is the Museum of Prehistory or Archaeological Museum James Miln, Zacharie Le Rouzic, created in the year 1881 following the legacy of James Miln, is a monothematic museum in the town of Carnac, Morbihan department, Brittany region.
Located in the center of the town, it has been installed since the year 1978 in the former presbytery dating from the year 1877. It was inaugurated in the year 1985 by Jack Lang. Among several maps, plans and models, and several objects found during the archaeological excavations organized on the territory and are presented on two levels, following a chronological and thematic itinerary. They retrace the evolution of funerary architecture, from corridor dolmens to covered walkways, and the daily life of our ancestors (ceramics, flint tools, polished axes, ornaments, etc.).
Not a big museum but never the less more than worth a visit.
Written September 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

trgstl
Seattle, WA82 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Disappointing. We were interested in getting this perspective as there are so many stones in the area.
Everything is in French. Except “Do Not Touch”. The English audio guide was lacking the content that was displayed on the walls. One of us could speak French. This could be a great museum but it isn’t worth it. I now know why the gift shop is before the ticket sales desk.
Written June 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

chjagger1
Cambridge, United Kingdom12 contributions
Oct 2021
This museum has great potential - Carnac is simply phenomenal, but it suffers in three respects.
1. Cynicism - all the notices telling you not to do something, eg 'do not touch', are in English. Virtually nothing else is. A sign of a museum that really doesn't care about the visitor experience. Ironically, even most of us Brits can cope with translating the French for 'do not touch'.
2. Lack of investment (not really a criticism of the museum per se - I am associated with a museum with lack of funding too, but this is a museum for a really key sight).
3. A small point, but it follows many other museums in these parts in closing for lunch, which is really unhelpful for the tourist - not only can you not get in at lunchtime, but you of course cannot come a certain amount of time beforehand either. When I come to France there are so many fantastic things to see I don't want to turn up at a museum and find I have to hang around for a couple of hours - I'd prefer to use that time seeing the other fantastic things around.
Written October 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Peter H
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Couples
Nice museum with a lot of information. However it is a pity that the presented information is only in French.
Written August 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Marcel C
France43 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
We went to this museum prior to visiting the fields of alignment of menhirs at Carnac. This really helped better appreciate what would eventually see during our visit of the fields of menhirs and dolmens.
Written November 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

perle369
Malaga, Spain1,815 contributions
Jul 2019
This museum is really well laid out with fascinating exhibits covering the centuries when Carnac was at its height of ancient use.

The museum dedicate much to the work of James Miln who was the first and most recent of excavators of the site.
Written August 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

GemJayBC
Leicester, UK51 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
The only information in english are the 'do not touch' signs. The rest seems deliberately inaccessible for those not fluent in french. For kids in general, very dull.
Written July 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

skybus320
Timbuktu, Mali284 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
There are a lot of exhibits here and i spent a good few hours but i was quite frustrated as everything was in French, a folder in English was provided but it wasnt as detailed as the French version.
To make this a great museum just put everything on the wall in French and English and not the folder-they are painful to carry around and search through, people want to have their heads up looking at the exhibits not stuck in a folder.
Written July 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Joanne
Lake Mary, FL1,709 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
Costs about 7E to visit - and it takes about an hour. All signs are in French, so bring a google translator on phone. Good number of exhibits.
Written May 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Showing results 1-10 of 65
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing

Musée de Préhistoire (Carnac) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Musée de Préhistoire