Located on the coast, the Loire-Atlantique has a wonderful coastline, alternating sandy beaches, wild coves, rocky coasts and renowned seaside resorts.
This multi-faceted department offers many other attractions to visitors. More inland, the Loire-Atlantique draws its richness in its heritage, rich in history as in Nantes, cultural capital of the Loire. The famous salt marshes of Guérande, the canals and the adorable cottages of Brière, the picturesque ports as well as the vineyards of Nantes have enough to satisfy any desire for escape.
Local specialties
Gastronomy : "Le Petit Beurre de LU, the Guérande salt, the curé nantais, the rigolettes and berlingots nantais, the white butter, the Nantes cake".
Wine : muscadet
Manufacture : "les couteaux de Morta".
Major events and venues
MAIN EVENTS :
The Voyage to Nantes : Every summer since 2012, the event "Journey to Nantes" stages the city by federating a multitude of cultural proposals. Its strength: the diversity and the gratuity of most of its proposals! During two months, the art infuses everywhere in the city and weaves connivances. Artists, architects, designers and gardeners reanimate the 12 kilometers of the course.
Date : beginning of July to end of August - Rate : Free
Hellfest : Founded in 2006 on the ashes of FURYFEST, HELLFEST was conceived and conceived by Benjamin Barbaud. Established for 11 years in the small town of Clisson, HELLFEST has quickly established itself as one of the leaders of European festivals that offer extreme music. Each year, the festival welcomes around 60 000 festival-goers and more than 160 groups come to perform on the 6 stages of HELLFEST.
Place : Clisson - Price : Pass 3 days to 150 € - Date : mid-June
La Folle Journée : Unique in its kind, this event brings together international artists, young talents and amateurs. The festival-goer will let himself take turns by baroque, romantic, contemporary music in connection with a theme renewed each year. This cosmopolitan event opens bridges between the different musical forms of the classical to the traditional and contemporary music ... creating surprise at each edition. 5 days of festival, over 250 concerts, 1,500 artists, nearly 150,000 tickets issued.
Location : Nantes - Price : see website - Date : end of January
PRINCIPAL SITES :
Castle of the Dukes of Brittany - Nantes
Located in the historic heart of Nantes, the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne is the lighthouse monument of the Loire-Atlantique heritage, with its companion the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul. As you walk around its walls in granite blocks, refined white tuffeau-style buildings - from the 15th century in the flamboyant Gothic style, from the Renaissance and the 18th century - are discovered.
The Machines of the Island - Nantes
Curious machines have come to populate the Island of Nantes. After the Great Elephant, it is the turn of a Manta Rae, a Serpent of the Seas and all sorts of incredible boats to take possession of the edges of the Loire. These unusual mechanics are born from the hands of the manufacturers of the company La Machine and come to life between those of the Machines of the island, in front of the public.
Escal’ Atlantic / Saint-Nazaire
This striking reconstruction of a ship brings to life the great era of legendary steamships. Take the gateway for a journey back in time! The main hall invites the visitor to the cabins decorated with objects from the past, the bridges and the corridors to the engine room. Continue the journey by exploring the swordfish submarine and the Saint-Nazaire ecomuseum which traces the history of the city, its port and its great industries.
Planète Sauvage / Port Saint father
More than a zoo, Planète Sauvage offers both a car route and a pedestrian area where you can admire the 250 different species and 1,000 animals, from the most famous to the most threatened, who live on day parole The large landscaped plains of the 80-hectare park. Planète Sauvage is also a dolphin show. Experience an unforgettable experience in five extraordinary universes: the safari trail, the marine city, the bush road, the Inca trail or the jungle temple will immerse you in the animal environment.
Océarium / Le Croisic
The Océarium is a large aquarium located at Croisic 1 hour from Nantes, ideal for your outings or visits with family or friends. Dive into a space dedicated to the oceans. Every day, entertainment is offered: penguin meals, presentation of Australian sharks, diver in the tunnel ... From the warm seas of the coral reefs to the abyss of the Pacific, from the Atlantic coasts to the blue of the Mediterranean, Océarium offers a wealth of more than 4,000 animals.
Zoo of the Boissière-du-Doré
The Zoo of La Boissière du Doré makes you discover more than 1000 animals, belonging to many species in danger of extinction as the orang-utan, emblem of the park. To continue the adventure until the end of the night, the zoo proposes lodges on the edge of the African plain, built in height to be able to admire from its terrace the giraffes, antelopes and rhinoceros.
Museum of Arts - Nantes
Essentially a museum of painting until the 1980s, the museum today and even more tomorrow welcomes all forms of creation from ancient art to contemporary art: painting, video, photography or installation. Temporary exhibitions and cultural activities reinforce the permanent collection to illuminate the visitor on the work of an artist or a historical period.
Castle / Châteaubriant
In the heart of the city, the medieval heritage of the city resurfaces through half-timbered houses, corbels, towers or walkways. The narrow streets, now animated by shops and private mansions, guide the visitors to the hidden jewel of the city: a visit to Chateaubriant Castle.
