Best day trips from Nantes

01.11.2023 - 14:39 / lonelyplanet.com

It's difficult to tear yourself away from lively Nantes but thanks to its centrally located railway station, you can reach riverside villages, medieval towns, prehistoric art, and enchanting islands in under two hours – and without ever getting behind a steering wheel.

If you do have a car, or better still a bicycle, the vineyards that surround quirky Nantes are visitable on a self-guided tour, too. There’s plenty of detailed information available on how to do that. 

Here are the six best day trips from Nantes.

Travel time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

With more than a dozen beaches, 80km (50 miles) of cycling trails, five well-marked hiking paths, and Europe's longest submersible road, the Passage du Gois, Noirmoutier has something for everyone. Buses stop near the historic center, Noirmoutier-en-l'île. From here, rent a bike or take a stroll along Jacobsen Jetty past the island's working salt pans where locals still cultivate the mineral by hand.

Noirmoutier also has an expansive nature reserve, Polder de Sebastopol. It draws birders and scientists from around the world but its flat, 3.2km-long (2 miles) path is great for families too. Visit in late spring to try the island’s other claim to culinary glory: the rare Bonnotte potato. This walnut-sized luxury is the world's most expensive spud and costs $600 a kilo. Stick with Noirmoutier salt as a souvenir instead.

How to get to Noirmoutier from Nantes: "Ligne 13" buses go directly to Noirmoutier Gare Routière from the ALEOP bus station behind Gare de Nantes Sud. Driving takes around the same amount of time and you don’t have to traverse the Passage du Gois. If driving over the Passage du Gois, do not rely on your GPS. Check up-to-date tidal information on the Île de Noirmoutier website before crossing.

Travel time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Arrive early in Pornic to snag a warm baguette and then take an exhilarating seaside stroll along the rocky Jade Coast, past historic wooden fishing huts and shell-studded hideaway beaches.

Overlooked by the owner-occupied fairytale of Château de Pornic, this picture-postcard bay urges visitors to take things slowly. Lunch lazily beside the marina on fresh moules marinière. Arrange a visit to the medieval castle. Spy ancient windmills. Savor a fresh fruit sorbet at La Fraiseraie on the port. Pornic is also home to the 5500-year-old megalithic tumulus of Les Mousseaux, a stone funerary monument tucked away behind the houses on the hill behind the town center.

How to get to Pornic from Nantes: Trains to Pornic depart from Gare de Nantes.

Travel time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Popular with Parisians thanks to a straight-shot TGV train, low-key Le Croisic is a stylish destination near the end of the Guérande peninsula. Sightsee from your