Nantes, France: Including the Western Loire Valley

2nd Edition - Updated January 2025
A charming mid-size city in the northwest, Pays de la Loire region, of France near Brittany. There is a wonderful mixture of old and new here. Come to this western section of the Loire River valley for: ancient chateaux, strolling the streets for shopping and dining in a beautiful maze of avenues and excellent museums. Explore fantastical amusements inspired by Jules Verne who was from Nantes.

Nantes is situated on the Loire River just a short distance from France's west coast. This location gives visitors easy access to wonderful beach towns, river tours, and open country.

This Starting-Point Guide covers Nantes and much of the Pays de la Loire region, the area for which Nantes is the capital.
Separate chapters are provided on day trips to the popular beach towns to the west and historic towns dating to the Middle Ages to the east along the Loire River. This is a guide for travelers who wish to use one city such as Nantes as their basecamp to travel the area and not move from town to town as they travel through Europe. To help with your trip planning, this guidebook includes numerous graphs, maps, and photographs. Guidance on how to get around town and an orientation to the most popular sites is included.