Nantes & nearby
Major sights & useful bases
Start around Nantes for some of the best-known sights in Loire-Atlantique, then use the surrounding roads and smaller communities to build easy half-day and full-day trips.
Nantes · Guérande
Pays de la Loire
the Loire-Atlantique holiday homes & rentals
Atlantic beaches, salt marshes, nantes culture and loire estuary landscapes.
Find a stay in the Loire-Atlantique
0 current listings
Discover the Loire-Atlantique
A place worth slowing down for
Discover Loire-Atlantique: Atlantic beaches, salt marshes, Nantes culture and Loire estuary landscapes, with independently owned holiday homes that make a comfortable base for exploring at your own pace.
Loire-Atlantique brings together Atlantic beaches, salt marshes, Nantes culture and Loire estuary landscapes. A stay here can combine time around Nantes and Guérande with smaller discoveries near La Baule, Pornic and the countryside in between.
Independent holiday rentals
Holiday homes, cottages & gîtes in the Loire-Atlantique (0)
Browse independent holiday rentals, cottages, gîtes and other places to stay in the Loire-Atlantique, then contact owners and managers directly. Holiday House France does not add a guest booking fee.
Listings for the Loire-Atlantique are coming
We are building a collection of independently owned holiday homes across France.
Explore the whole department
Four sides of Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique changes character as you travel across it. These four starting points help divide the department into manageable days out while leaving room for smaller places along the way.
Guérande & the wider area
Character, coast & heritage
The area around Guérande adds a different side of Loire-Atlantique, mixing local history with everyday French life and plenty of reasons to stop rather than simply pass through.
Guérande · La Baule
La Baule & nearby
Markets, villages & local life
Around La Baule, smaller towns and villages make good bases for slower days, market visits, café stops and discovering the department away from its headline attractions.
La Baule · nearby villages
Pornic & beyond
Quieter corners & day trips
Use Pornic as a gateway to the wider department, where scenic roads, countryside and less-visited places reward leaving room for spontaneous stops.
Pornic · wider Loire-Atlantique
Towns & villages
Places to explore in the Loire-Atlantique
These towns, villages and local experiences make useful anchors for discovering Loire-Atlantique, whether you prefer heritage, coast, countryside or a mixture of all three.
Nantes
One of the essential stops in Loire-Atlantique, combining major sights with a good choice of places to eat, browse and begin a wider day out.
Guérande
A strong second base for exploring the department, with its own atmosphere and easy links into surrounding coast, countryside or heritage sites.
La Baule
A characterful place to slow the pace, explore local streets and markets, and see another side of Loire-Atlantique beyond the best-known visitor centres.
Pornic
Worth adding to a longer itinerary for its setting and for the quieter roads, villages and landscapes found nearby.
Local markets
Weekly markets across Loire-Atlantique are ideal for regional produce, picnic supplies and a glimpse of everyday local life.
Scenic routes
Allow time for the journey as well as the destination: the smaller roads between towns and villages often reveal the most memorable corners of Loire-Atlantique.
Outdoor days
Walking, cycling and relaxed days outside give a useful counterpoint to sightseeing, particularly when staying for a week or more.
Food & drink
Independent restaurants, bakeries and regional specialities are part of the experience. Ask local hosts for nearby favourites rather than relying only on the busiest centres.
Make a holiday of it
What makes the Loire-Atlantique special
Atlantic coast & salt marshes
Loire-Atlantique is particularly rewarding for atlantic coast & salt marshes. Build a day around Nantes or Guérande, then add smaller stops nearby rather than trying to cover too much ground at once.
Nantes, heritage & cycling
The department also works well for nantes, heritage & cycling. Around La Baule and Pornic, slower routes and local places make it easy to mix sightseeing with time outdoors.
Markets, food & local life
Leave room for markets, cafés and regional food. These everyday experiences often provide the strongest sense of place during a holiday in Loire-Atlantique.
Travel & getting around
Getting to & around Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique connects into the wider road and rail network of Pays de la Loire. The best arrival route depends on where in the department your holiday home is located.
A car is usually the most flexible option for linking smaller towns, villages, beaches or countryside, although larger centres may also have useful rail and bus connections.
For day trips, group nearby places together and allow extra time for local roads, market stops and scenic detours. The journey is often part of the appeal.
Make planning your French holiday easier
Create your FREEHolidaymaker Account
Save your favourite properties, compare your shortlist and contact owners — all in one place.
CREATE MY FREE HOLIDAYMAKER ACCOUNT →Already have an account? Sign in
Save your favourites
Keep every property you love in one place.
Compare your shortlist
Narrow down your options with ease.
Enquire with less typing
Save your details and contact owners quickly.
Keep track of your search
Come back later and pick up where you left off.
For property owners
Own a holiday property in the Loire-Atlantique?
Create a free listing and let guests contact you directly.