Eerie and thought provoking. You get to tour a submarine and understand how tough life must have been aboard. The original buildings also provide a fascinating insight into life during WW2. Awesome views from the roof. And some fabulous yachts to view as well.
Visited on 8.8.14 whilst on holidays near Pont Aven, Brittany. We tried to fathom out the web site before leaving home,but could not book in advance, as we did not know which day we would visit. The tour of the old French sub was fully booked before we arrived, but we had the "bomb-proof" buildings tour. Price was very reasonable and the people in the booking office all spoke good English. We arrived at 11.30, and the next English speaking tour was at 2.30. The younger ones went to the "wind power" centre, which they enjoyed, and the rest of us sat around the foyer. Had a snack lunch which was ok. We could have seen most of the buildings without buying the tour, but we were taken inside the last building, and up to the roof. Very eerie place overall,- very Bond villain's lair!Quite an experience, having seen a TV prog about it.
The site proposes different attractions to visit, including the Flore submarine museum in itself, and a guided tour of the gigantic WWII bunkers. The visit of the French submarine and its museum are the main attraction, especially for families, as it is quite interactive and there is the opportunity to visit a submarine. It is impressive to discover how the crew was confined in a such little place. The visit of the bunkers is with a guided tour only, but present the historical context of the birth of these enormous buildings, that resulted in the bombing of the town, as well as engineering details. The tour ends with a climb to the top of the main bunker, giving a great view over the port and the town, but the access is unfortunately not easy. This visit will mostly please history fans but it is also an excellent complement to the museum as it presents the story of the site and even of Lorient. Depending on the time of the year the tours can quickly be booked, but apart from that it is an interesting and impressive place to visit.
Didn't take the sub tour but did take the guided tour of K3 sub pens. Only at 3 pm the day we visited and only in French, but you'll get the jist of it. Amazing to see these immense structures and to imagine them in full action during WW2. Completely bomb proof!
I could only take the Flore tour as the U-boat pens were closed (they're only available Sundays at 3pm I believe). I paid about 7euro to access the Flore and an information centre/museum about submarines, Lorient and a variety of miliary/political things from the 20th century. I thought the cost was steep, but when you go into the info area, there's lots of videos (in FR, ENG and Breton) describing the role of Lorient as a strategic port in history, from the Middle Ages to today. There's other videos about the aftermath of WW2 and the Cold War, and also lots of testimonies from sailors about their time on board submarines (again all printed in English too). You have an audio guide of the Flore so you can go around at your own pace (but not too slowly) and look at a fully equipped submarine. Only rule is no touching, that's how it's so well preserved. All in all a good 2hrs spent here, learned some interesting stuff and stayed out of the rain!
The museum has great visuals.The visit of the submarine is also well worth it. Just a bit disappointed not to see the actual horizon through a periscope, but instead seeing pictures through it.
The base is extraordinary: one images the pens will outlast the pyramids. That said, it's pretty poorly signposted and the opening times are weird - guided tours of the main building on Sundays at 3 and 5 only as far as I could work out. Just walking round is worth the effort, and there's a great place for a picnic on the riverbank opposite the pens.That said the museum is very interesting, particularly the first few panels which tell the history of the port, and the submarine is fascinating and well presented. The (English) audio guide was very good indeed.
This place was amazing. What the Germans did to maintain and protect their U-Boats is nothing short of spectacular. Despite all the commercialized racing boats and boating companies that have occupied this historical location, you can still see it all if you follow some basic steps.1. Only visit on a Sunday. The tour of K1, K2, and K3 are only available on Sundays. The tour is only in French but the guide would sneak over and quickly brief the 4 English speakers as we moved from spot to spot. She stayed extra with us. The tour is amazing; you see the “dry” pens (the Germans would move their boats into pens with no water for repairs) as well as the “wet” pens (where they made minor repairs and just refit the boats).2. Go ahead and visit the French sub…you would think the French were the only ones that had ever been at Lorient by the museum, but it is still interesting.3. Don’t waste your money on the “Escape Chamber” museum.4. Study the layout of the base before you go and get a basic understanding. Then just walk around the base on your own.OK, I am a student of U-Boats so this place was amazing to me; a cross off on the ole bucket list. That said, it is an amazing engineering feat and well worth the visit.
There are 3 tours you can do at this site - visiting the museum detailing history of the Cold War period, including a walk around a submarine, visiting the museum of sailing which doesn't open until 2pm or taking a guided tour around the German submarine bunkers. We opted for the latter. It cost only 6 euros per person and lasts about 2 hours. Our guide spoke excellent English and was very informative covering the construction of the gigantic pens and the destruction of most of the town of Lorient. At the end, those who were able, walked up several flights of uneven stairs to the roof of the bunker K3 where you got a marvellous view of the area. It was well worth 6 euros. Note that you can only see these bunkers with a guided tour, so if you can book in advance it would be a good idea.
We visited for free. Wandering around the massive, fortified buildings gives you an immediate sense of the effort the Germans undertook to protect their sub fleet. They even had 1000 soldiers on the base. This is an eerie place, even though it is now surrounded by a lot of competition yaughters. Walking around by yourself (expect to take a couple of hours walking and reading displays) is about as good as signing on for French language tours. The buildings really spoke for themselves. At the end of the dock, it is possible to go through an open gate to have a peek at the pens, which are pretty well empty. The sub tour (in French) is of a French submarine, and would be interesting for anyone who has never had a submarine visit. As I usually avoid museum of old bits and pieces, and canned video presentations, I didn't go to that part. Anyway, it is not even on the base.