Discover Pays-de-la-Loire
Nantes, the historic capital of Brittany and today the capital of Pays-de-la-Loire, is one of France's most creative and liveable cities. At its heart, the moated Château des ducs de Bretagne — once home to the dukes and to Anne of Brittany — now holds an excellent museum of the city's history, including its difficult past as a major Atlantic trading port. Just across the water, the former shipyards of the Île de Nantes have been reborn as Les Machines de l'île, a workshop of fantastical mechanical creatures inspired by Jules Verne (a native son) and Leonardo da Vinci, crowned by the Grand Éléphant, a twelve-metre walking mechanical elephant that carries passengers along the quays. Each summer the city stages Le Voyage à Nantes, painting a green line along the pavements to guide visitors past art installations, gardens and hidden corners across the whole city — a model of how contemporary art can reinvent an urban centre. Add the Gothic Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, the elegant Passage Pommeraye shopping arcade, the Jardin des Plantes and a lively food and bar scene, with the crisp white Muscadet wine made at the city's edge, and Nantes rewards two or three days of exploring on foot.
Travel Types
The Château des ducs de Bretagne, Les Machines de l'île and its giant mechanical elephant, the Jules Verne heritage and the summer art trail of Le Voyage à Nantes.
Angers and its Apocalypse Tapestry, the white château and Cadre Noir riding academy of Saumur, the troglodyte caves and the wines of Muscadet, Anjou and Saumur.
La Baule's great beach and the Guérande salt marshes, the Vendée coast and Les Sables-d'Olonne, and the islands of Noirmoutier and Yeu.
The epic live historical spectacles of Puy du Fou, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and its walled Roman and medieval old town, and the quiet rural interior.
Nantes is one of France's most creative cities and rewards two or three days. See the moated Château des ducs de Bretagne and its city museum, ride the giant walking mechanical elephant at Les Machines de l'île on the former shipyards, and — in summer — follow the green line of Le Voyage à Nantes art trail through the streets. Add the Gothic cathedral, the Passage Pommeraye arcade and a lively food scene, with crisp Muscadet wine made just outside the city. Nantes is about two hours from Paris by TGV.
Yes — Pays-de-la-Loire covers the western, Anjou stretch of the Loire Valley. Angers guards a huge medieval fortress holding the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest medieval tapestry in the world, while Saumur's white château rises above a town riddled with troglodyte caves, sparkling-wine cellars and the Cadre Noir riding academy. The region's wines — Muscadet near Nantes, Anjou rosé and Saumur's sparkling and still whites — are tasted at cellars throughout, and the riverside Loire à Vélo cycle route links it all. The grand châteaux of Touraine lie a little further upstream.
Puy du Fou, in the Vendée, is a historical theme park unlike any other — it has no rides, but instead stages vast, lavish live spectacles of French history, from Roman gladiators and Viking raids to musketeers and medieval knights, across a wooded estate, and has repeatedly been voted the best theme park in the world. Allow a full day (two for the full programme), book ahead in summer, and note that most shows are performed in French, though the spectacle carries across any language. It is about an hour from Nantes by car.
Tourism & destination guides
Official regional tourism site — Nantes, the Loire and its châteaux, the Atlantic coast and islands, Puy du Fou, itineraries, events and accommodation across the region.
Official tourist office of Nantes Métropole — the château, Les Machines de l'île, the summer art trail, guided tours and the city pass.
1 city with detailed travel information