Car hire Lorient

Introduction

During the seventeenth century the port city of Lorient was an important base for ships of the Compagnie des Indes, the French equivalent of the Dutch East India Company and the English East India Company. Little is left to see of that history, as the city was almost completely destroyed during World War II. Only the submarine pens of the Nazis remained, which were subsequently enlarged by the French for their own nuclear submarines... The naval base has been deserted though.

Population

Lorient has almost 60,000 inhabitants.

Location

Lorient is located in France on Brittany's south coast, where the rivers Blavet and Scorff discharge into the Atlantic Ocean. An island off the coast, the Île de Groix, protects the natural harbor from the whims of the sea.

Economy

Lorient is an important commercial and fishing port. Tourism also brings in cash, because there are several marinas in Lorient's bay. In addition, every year, the city organizes the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, which draws hundreds of thousands of people.

Airports

The city's airport, Aéroport de Lorient Bretagne Sud (also: Lorient-Lann-Bihoué Airport) is situated 5 kilometers northwest of the center. As regards to size it's a large airport built by the Nazis during World War II. It's easily reachable by rental car: from the center you take the Rue de Belgique (D765) and next the Rue du Moulin du Gaillec which leads to the airport.

Public Transport

Lorient has good public transport. All buses leave from the bus station opposite the Gare SNCF (the train station). There are train connections with for example Quimper, Nantes, Rennes and the French capital Paris (accessible by TGV; travel time: less than 4 hours).

Traffic and Parking

Lorient isn't a very busy city and you'll have little trouble finding your way around or finding a free parking place. Lorient is a good base to explore Brittany by car.

Hotels

Lorient has a huge choice of accommodations, mainly in the midrange and budget category. There's a cluster of basic guesthouses along the Rue Lazare-Carnot. In general, you don't need to book your room in advance, except when you visit the city during the Festival Interceltique.

External Sources

For more information about Lorient, we recommend Google and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Lorient
• Official website Lorient
• Tourist Information Lorient