The 22 things to do in the Loire-Atlantique

Did you plan to visit the Loire-Atlantique? Discover the 22 things to do in the department!

What a good idea to visit the Loire-Atlantique, located at the crossroads of the two worlds, and rich in varied culture and landscapes. Between marine and river environments, between forests and vineyards, between marshes and castles, between seaside resorts and shipyards, you can only be seduced by so many diversified paintings.

Whether you're looking for a relaxed urban atmosphere or you'd prefer to pierce the secrets of small villages with Breton or Vendée influences, you'll find your happiness in this charming Loire-side department.

Want sea, greenery, Muscadet and small LU? You hit the right door! Discover everything you need to do in the Loire-Atlantique!

To discover also :

1. Nantes

You can't visit the Loire-Atlantique without taking you to Nantes. A former millennium capital of the Duchy of Brittany, Nantes is today a modern and dynamic city, both culturally and economically. If you start your trip to the Loire-Atlantique by a dwarf escapade, don't miss the visit of the Dukes of Brittany Castle, including its ramparts, which are its main attraction. Continue your discovery of Nantes by walking in the garden of Plantes.

Visit the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral, before taking a drink in the old Bouffay district, and then lunch at Place Royale. Go through the Pommeraye passage, then join the site of the former shipyards which has been completely rehabilitated to make it a place of cultural and shifted urban life. You can cross the famous Elephant of the Ile Machines, make basketball, zipline and rollerblad, ride a marine monster of the carousel, or just sit on the terrace and redo the world, before snacking a piece in one of the theme restaurants.

For lovers of unusual discoveries, don’t hesitate to let yourself be tempted by the journey of the Journey to Nantes, which is organised every year. You only have to follow the green line on the ground. This visit will lead you to the historical and cultural pearls of the city, but you will also discover ephemeral works, astonishing points of view and unsuspected treasures of the Nantes heritage.

Then, for the unconditional museums, don’t miss the visit of the Jules-Verne Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Art Museum and, of course, the memorial of the abolition of slavery. Finally, learn about the shows and festivals of the moment. Nantes keeps surprised!

2. Trentemoult

Located on the commune of Rezé, the village of Trentemoult promises a real change, a few minutes by boat-bus from downtown Nantes. This former fishing village has become today a friendly residential area where each butterfly inventiveness to highlight its exteriors and in which a real community has created itself. Colored walls, hull gardens and other trumpets will surprise you at the turn of each alley. A unique and fully relaxing world, not to be missed under any pretext!

3. A kayak session on the Loire

Visiting the Loire-Atlantique can be done from the water. In fact, it is almost omnipresent: the Atlantic Ocean, the Loire, the Erdre and the Nantes Sèvre. Change the point of view and combine sporting exit and discovery of the surrounding area. This activity is offered in several places, but do it since Ancenis is a way to discover the East of the department, which is less visited than the West.

4. Culinary specialties

What to do in Loire-Atlantique? Eat and drink! Discovering a French department without tasting its specialties is a cruel lack of living! Who doesn't know the Little Beurre LU, the Saint-Michel cakes or the Berlingots? Whips are certainly less famous, but equally tasty, provided you love sugar and fruit purée!

If it is no longer necessary to present the Muscadet, which will accompany your dwarf duck, you should be surprised by a crispy to the nantais curé. This raw milk cheese is now produced in Pornic. The dwarf cake is finally a subtle blend of French pastry traditions and antillean influences. The presence of a uncommon ingredient that is rum is explained by the place Nantes played in the triangular trade of the eighteenth century.

5. A boat ride on the Erdre

The boat is a way to visit the Loire-Atlantique by approaching it from another angle and at another rhythm. Needless to pass your boat license, you can quite rent electric boats, very easily maniable. Your freedom!

Take the time to enjoy the landscape, then moor on one of the pontoons, to picnic on the banks of the Loire.

6. The forest of Gâvre

Want to rejuvenate by walking in the forest? If the South of the Loire-Atlantique is not particularly green, the North is much more. If you are looking for tranquility, you should find something to relax in this forest of almost 4,500 hectares.

7. Bird watching at Great Place Lake

This largest lake on the plain of Europe is a true haven of peace. Uncommon, it is a pleasant and soothing way to visit the Loire-Atlantique. It is also an opportunity to observe the many birds that come to stay there.

If this too full of nature gives you vertigo, enjoy your passage to Saint-Philbert de Grand-Lieu to visit the Abbey Deas.

8. A bike session

If you don't know what to do in the Loire-Atlantique to blow your legs, just one answer: bike! A country of rivers and canals, the Loire-Atlantique is an ideal destination to ride on one of the miles and a path that runs along the ocean, the Loire or its tributaries.

You can take the assault on the Nantes Canal in Brest taking the departure to Nort-sur-Erdre or choosing to go along the Loire by crossing the hundred kilometers of paths of the departmental portion of the "Loire by bike". You want another challenge? The hundred-quarante kilometers of Véloce are only waiting for you! Connect Saint-Nazaire to Piriac-sur-Mer, discovering some of the department's wonders.

9. Guérand and salt marshes

Guérande is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful historical cities of Loire-Atlantique. Dive into the picturesque universe of this medieval city by walking on the round path, the last vestige of the historic enclosure of the Duchy of Brittany. From this point of view, you can overlook the old city, before strolling through the streets of Guinea and admiring the elegant private hotels or carved frontons.

Visit Guérande is also an opportunity to learn more about the salt marshes that are extracted more than 10,000 tons of salt every year! Visit the Musée des Marais Salants and come and lose yourself in the meanders of the salines with a thousand reflections.

10. The Brière Regional Natural Park

Western Loire-Atlantique is a marshy region. When you leave the salt marshes of the guerrilla peninsula, you will soon be approaching the Brière Regional Natural Park. The best way to discover the beauty of this natural site is to cross it into a boat. Maybe you can see some wild birds!

11. The beaches

What to do in the Loire-Atlantique in the beautiful season? Bathing! This department is in fact partially dotted with maritime influences. Between lively seaside resorts and small, simple and quiet beaches, there are for all tastes. Roll the sand of the huge beach of the Baule-Pornichet and its seafront or the wild beach of Saint-Brévin the Ocean.

Opt for more typical and intimate places with the family beach of La Bernerie-en-Retz, the beach of Gohaud and its fisheries or small rocky coves of Pornic or Pouliguen. For a sunset, nothing is worth the beach 360° La Turballe .

12. The castle of Châteaubriant

Located north of the department, about 60 kilometers from Nantes, Châteaubriant Castle is an architectural pearl, combining medieval testimonies and Renaissance constructions. The visit will delight both adults and children.

13. The Woodland Zoo or Wild Planet

Visiting the Loire-Atlantique supposes to do so by thinking about the youngest of us. Let the pet lovers be reassured! The Loire-Atlantique has two sites that have nothing to envy the most beautiful zoos and animal parks in France.

Come and watch the bird robbing show at the Boissière du Doré Zoo or the lions feeding. You dream of seeing wild animals at liberty? Wild Planet offers you the opportunity to meet the species by following a course that allows you to stay away from your car, while observing the lions or tigers evolve in their environment.

14. Sailing on the beach of Saint-Brévin

The beach of Saint-Brévin is ideal for you to try the sail tank. Particularly exposed to the wind, this area of the South Loire is perfectly suited to this activity. It is also practicable in Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef or La Fromentine.

15. Lunch in a beach restaurant in La Baule

Lunch your feet in the water (or almost), it’s possible! If lovers of calm and privacy will prefer another beach, those who seek the possibility of restoring themselves while taking the sun and hearing the sound of the waves will be delighted. What is more pleasant than tasting a seafood dish just a few meters from the sea?

Beach restaurants are not missing on this largest beach in Europe. You will find it for all budgets and styles.

16. The Nantes vineyard

Visiting the Loire-Atlantique supposes to devote at least one day to the discovery of the vineyards of the country. The Muscadet is an integral part of the Ligerian heritage. Whether you choose to venture on foot, by bike or by car, don’t miss a tasting! With moderation, of course!

17. The castle of Clisson

After your Muscadet tasting, visit the medieval castle of Clisson. This fortress of the 12th century erected at the edge of the Nantaise Fever, once served as pillars in the defense of the Breton duchy against the attacks of the Poitevin and Angevin duchy. The castle is not the only asset of this charming village of the vineyard. It is also pleasant to get lost in its alleys.

18. Cruise ships in Saint-Nazaire

Would you like to learn more about the shipyards built by the Saint-Nazaire shipyards? The Escal’Atlantic is a great opportunity to spend a fun and educational moment with the family. Between multimedia animations, collection objects and moments of life, you will become incollable on the universe so special of transatlantic ships.

19. Les villages de characters de la presqu’Île guérandaise

Do not leave the Loire-Atlantique without having this taste Brittany visiting the fishing villages of Piriac-sur-Mer or Mesquer.

Less picturesque, but more elegant, Le Croisic and Batz-sur-Mer are the opportunity to admire beautiful 19th century houses. Since you are at the Croisic, enjoy it to spend a few hours at the Océarium, to discover marine species from all corners of the planet.

20. The Atlantic Wall in Batz-sur-Mer

A jump in time to discover the singular atmosphere of the Second World War, is it tempting you? Come and visit Batz-sur-Mer's Grand Blockhaus. A playful path was designed to reveal this command post belonging to the strong defensive system of the Third Reich , better known as the Atlantic Wall.

Did you know that the Saint-Nazaire region was the last to be released in 1945?

21. The castle of Oudon

Located on the banks of the Loire, this castle is an amazing tower that stands in the heart of the city of Oudon. This building is a witness to the strategic importance that the river has had for several centuries, mainly commercially.

22. A boat ride

For many, visiting the Loire-Atlantique is enjoying its coastline. Blackman, La Baule, Pornic etc. There is no shortage of seaside resorts or coastal villages.

It would be a shame not to rent a boat in Loire-Atlantique , and thus miss the enchanting setting offered by the ocean.

How to get to the Loire-Atlantique?

To get to the Loire-Atlantique, the easiest one is probably from take the train Paris. The journey takes between 2:10 and 2:30. You will then easily find a car rental agency near the train station, exit South.

If you prefer the car, count about 3 h 30 route to get from downtown Paris to Nantes. Once there. You will need about an hour to go to La Baule and 1h15 to reach Châteaubriant.

Where to stay in Loire-Atlantique?

To visit the Loire-Atlantique, the best is to stop in Nantes. From this city you can easily travel a large part of the department. It can be nice to spend a night in Trentemoult, on the Ile-de-Nantes , in the district of Proced or in the garden of Plants.

If you prefer the seaside, you will have the choice between a seaside resort such as La Baule or Saint-Brévin-les-Pins , or a small town less touristic, such as La Bernerie-en-Retz. No matter the destination, help with a Compare hotels you will find the offer that corresponds, at the best price.

You now know what the essentials are to visit the Loire-Atlantique as it should be!