Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly

The Cité de la Voile is the reason many sailors know Lorient. Built at the entrance to the former U-boat base, the angular, sail-like building tells the story of ocean racing and of Éric Tabarly, the French sailing hero whose yachts made Lorient their home port. The exhibition is hands-on: you can grind winches, try your balance on a tilting deck and step into a cramped race-boat cabin, which makes it a good pick for families. Allow about two hours, and look out across the basin at the racing trimarans and IMOCA yachts moored at La Base. A combined ticket with the Flore submarine next door saves around 10%, and both are within a 20-minute walk of the cruise quay.