Nantes

About Nantes

Nantes is the 6th largest city in France. the city is nestled on the Loire estuary, the longest river in France and last wild river in Europe.
Nantes was named European Green Capital  in 2013

Nantes is France's 3rd largest industrial city and 2nd most successful city in terms of employment growth.

Visited every year by over a million people, Nantes boasts a rich architectural heritage, which includes the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, Passage Pommeraye, Île Feydeau and Graslin theatre.

Getting here and getting about


By plane

Nantes is an easily accessible European destination:
  • 1 hour from Paris and London (top air traffic hubs in Europe)
  • 4 daily scheduled flights to Paris Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle
  • 4 daily scheduled flights to Paris-Orly
  • All the key European destinations are less than 2 hours away by plane
  • Direct flights to 60 destinations:
  • 20 French cities: Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse, etc.
  • 40 international destinations: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Montreal, Rome, etc.
  • Nantes Atlantique airport is a 20 minute-shuttle ride from La Cité (departure every half hour).


By train

Nantes has direct rail connections to all the major French cities:
  • 2 hours from Paris Montparnasse
  • 21 high-speed trains daily between Paris and Nantes
  • 3 hours from Paris Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport with 4 high-speed trains daily
  • Direct high-speed train services to: Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Strasbourg, etc.
  • The railway station is located in the very heart of the city, opposite La Cité (South exit).

By road

The Nantes region is served by an extensive motorway network with easy access to:
  • The East: Paris on the A11
  • The South: Bordeaux and Toulouse on the A83
  • The West: Brest on the N165 / E60
  • The North: Rennes on the N137


Public transport in Nantes

Nantes boasts innovative, multimodal and eco-responsible means of transport offering visitors easy and safe travelling within the urban area:
  • 40 km-tram network (the longest in France)
  • 4 tram and BusWay© lines
  • 53 bus lines
  • 3 river shuttle lines
  • Bicloo: a self-service bike system with 900 bicycles and 90 stations
Published on March 20, 2019 Updated on March 20, 2019