flore submarine base

Firstly, I didn't go in the museum with the French 1964 u boat. I came to visit the Keroman U-boat base, constructed from 1941., now named after General Stosskopf ( French spy ). The vastness is outstanding. Being quiet I was able to walk every where through the pens on Keroman 1 and 2 the French uboat sits on the original ww2 rails in situ. Several pens are now small nautical businesses. Due to dredging works I was able to get down into the entrance of K1 ( entry point into k1&2) and also across the pontoon to get some great pictures of K3 built in 1943. The resources, labour and cost that created this is mind blowing. Biggest concrete construction until the Hoover dam! The AA bunkers were impressive. I couldn't get onto the roof of K3 on my own, which is recommended, as there were no guides available at the museum, which is why I didn't go in. Would have been a bonus to see where the tall boy hit K3.... Did visit the 2 Dom bunkers near by and crossed the harbour to see Doenitz's HQ. fantastic trip.

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.

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.

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.

We arrived in the last week auf August and after waiting around 20 minutes at the entrance they told us that they do not provide English tours at this time of the year (They stopped a week before having other languages than French). Also the French tours were completely booked out and there was just capacity at late evening.The cashier could spake English pretty well but there is no information provided in English about the tours or the area. In my mind this is unacceptable for such a well known and historical place.There are different areas and packages you can book, but in general you have to decide if you take a guide or an audio-guide. These two tours have an 1 hour rhythm, so you always have to decide for a certain time to get in.We just could take a walk around and have a look at the bunkers form outside and the race yachts in the harbour and move on.

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.

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.

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.

Arrived by bus, having crossed by local ferry, good public transport here.Huge concrete structures remain from the dark days of WW2. The U Boats sailed from here and sunk hundreds of Allied ships with the loss of thousands of lives. The engineering is impressive still, being literally bomb-proof. These sad grey walls were the last sight of land for many young Kriegsmarine crews. All very atmospheric.Opening hours seem to vary. As in many French places there is a 60 minute closure for lunch. Fortunately there is an excellent bistro within 300 metres. Check your arrival time with care.The museum has a good video presentation, followed by an interesting tour of an old French submarine. Book presentation time on arrival, then visit the bistro!

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.

We were disappointed to find the U-boat pens NOT open when outside the building it said they were. The man working the booth had to phone someone else to confirm they were actually closed - not very organized. The sub tour was closed too. So as were already there we paid 5E each to see what was open - only a museum part which came with a multi language head set, however all audiovisuals were in French with no sub-titles. The small museum housed a simulator that the Germans built during WWII occupation and the French continued to use to train their Navy personal for submarine emergency escape procedures. It was interesting and occupied all 3 floors (was very tall) along with some graphic and standing displays. On the way down the back stairs there were 2 small rooms on each level that housed some audiovisuals and still photography showing wreck diving which I didn't find too interesting. Given what we were able to see I'd give this attraction only an average rating. I'm not sure that kids would find it interesting - maybe boys between 7 and 14 would?? Even without the U-boat pens open for viewing you can still walk around and view them from the outside which is highly recommended - they are huge and haunting.

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!

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 had hoped that a visit to this attraction would be the highlight of a few days in the area. It was not to be. For a start it's not easy to find. Dreadfully signposted and not easy to know where to park. Then when you arrive it seems that you have to join a tour. it's not at all clear what each tour entails and where you get tickets and then ... they suddenly decide to close it all for a day. There were lots of other disappointed visitors. Any member of staff we found just shrugged their shoulders! All very unclear and a wasted journey. It could be so amazing as is clear from the monolithic submarine pens that you can see, but our experience was utterly disappointing. Whoever manages the site should be ashamed.

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.