Nantes tourism and travel guide

Visit Nantes: highlights and tourist information

France This Way comment: One of the largest towns in France, Nantes has many monuments, museums and places of interest to discover including the famous 'elephant' on the island.

Nantes is situated in the Loire-Atlantique department and Pays de la Loire region.

Attractions in Nantes

The Jardin Extraordinaire de Nantes has been created in an old quarry and features cliffs, waterfalls and luxuriant planting.: The Jardin Extraordinaire of Nantes

Tourist classifications for Nantes include "secteur sauvegarde", "town of art and history" and "ville fleurie 4*". It is unusual for a town to have 3 awards, which indicates how important Nantes is as a tourist destination!

Below you can see some of the places that we have visited and reviewed and can recommend when you are sightseeing close to Nantes in Pays de la Loire.

Popular places to visit nearby include Clisson at 28 km and Les Moutiers-en-Retz at 33 km.

Nantes, France: places to visit and attractions

Note that all distances below are 'direct' and real driving distances will be greater!

The Jardin Extraordinaire of Nantes

Garden at 5 km (direction east-north-east), in the Loire Atlantique department

The Jardin Extraordinaire de Nantes has been created in an old quarry...

See The Jardin Extraordinaire of Nantes guide

Clisson

at 28 km (direction east-south-east)

Clisson has a medieval castle, and an interesting architectural style having ben...

See Clisson guide

Les Moutiers-en-Retz

Seaside resort at 33 km (direction west-south-west)

The small town of Les Moutiers-en-Retz is best known for the nearby...

See Les Moutiers-en-Retz guide

Pornic

at 38 km (direction west)

Pornic is one of the liveliest and most vibrant harbour towns along...

See Pornic guide

Saint-Brevin-les-Pins

Seaside resort at 42 km (direction west)

The beach at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins is the main attraction and we also enjoyed...

See Saint-Brevin-les-Pins guide

Jade Coast

at 42 km (direction west)

Pornic, a traditional port town with an attrcative harbour, is well placed...

See Jade Coast guide

Chateau de Tiffauges

Castle at 43 km (direction east-south-east), in the Vendee department

The Chateau de Tiffauges is a 12th century castle in Vendee, known...

See Chateau de Tiffauges guide

Noirmoutier

at 52 km (direction west-south-west), in the Vendee department

On Noirmoutier island you can find lots of sandy beaches and a...

See Noirmoutier guide

Saint-Jean-de-Monts

Seaside resort at 57 km (direction south-west), in the Vendee department

At Saint-Jean-de-Monts you will enjoy the extensive sandy beaches and one of...

See Saint-Jean-de-Monts guide

Notre-Dame-de-Monts

at 57 km (direction south-west), in the Vendee department

The resort of Notre-Dame-de-Monts is one of the quiter resorts of the...

See Notre-Dame-de-Monts guide

Redon

at 61 km (direction north-west), in the Ille-et-Vilaine department

Combining and active port with the cobbled streets of the old town,...

See Redon guide

... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Loire-Atlantique

Arrange a visit to Nantes

Map of places to visit near Nantes

Markets in and near Nantes

Market days in Nantes: weekly market: Sunday;

• Nantes: market Sunday (0km)
• Reze: market Tuesday & Friday (3km)
• Indre: market Sunday (5km)
• La Montagne: market Wednesday (6km)
• Bouaye: market Thursday (9km)
• Coueron: market Thursday (9km)
• Le Pellerin: market Saturday (11km)
• Carquefou: market Thursday (14km)
• Nort-sur-Erdre: market Friday (28km)
• Machecoul: market Wednesday (28km)

More information about Nantes, Pays de la Loire

Tourist attractions near Nantes, France

What to do at Nantes? Some places with official tourist classifications and other places of interest to visit nearby that should provide inspiration if you are visiting Nantes.

Remarkable gardens

• Jardin des plantes (5km)

Sites of natural beauty

• Petite Amazonie de Nantes (6km)
• Île Héron (France) (9km)
• Lac de Grand-Lieu (13km)
• Marais de Machecoul (28km)
• Loire Estuaire (40km)
• Marais de Vilaine (59km)

Villages in bloom 4* (fr: ville fleurie)

• Carquefou (14km)
• Notre-Dame-de-Monts (57km)

Zoo and/or wildlife park

• Planète sauvage (parc) (15km)

Geography and distances

Nantes is in the north-west of France - it is the prefecture (capital) of the Loire-Atlantique department (general information: Nantes is 347 kilometres from Paris).

Getting here

Most visitors arrive by car via one of the ferry ports such as Saint-Malo or Cherbourg. Allow around 3 hours for the trip in France. For driving distances to Nantes from anywhere in France see driving distances and route planner.

We have 6 other places listed as being close (less than kilometres from ): Bouguenais, Indre, La Montagne, Les Sorinieres, Reze and Saint-Herblain.

This page in French: Visiter Nantes