On the banks of the Loire River, at the mouth of the estuary and 50 km from the Atlantic Ocean, Nantes, which was once a major port and industrial center, is regularly ranked at the top of the list of cities where life is good and has nothing to envy to its past! Classified as a city of art and history, it has a national stage, 36 theaters and auditoriums, 14 museums, a unique Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery, the open-air museum of Estuaire Nantes/Saint-Nazaire, and programs a dozen festivals per year, including La Folle Journée, Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre and the Festival of the 3 continents. The city is distinguished by its commitment to environmental protection. Nantes was named European Green Capital in 2013 and is home to over 100 parks and gardens. Take advantage of the protected itineraries and the greenways along the Loire River to go for a bike ride. You can also take a cruise to the ocean, discover Nantes along the Loire River on a traditional boat, go to the Jules Verne Museum, a local child, to the Planetarium, to the Nantes Vineyard Museum, to the History Museum installed in the medieval castle of the Dukes of Brittany or to the very rich Natural History Museum. For fun, choose an unusual accommodation: a small house perched on top of a chimney with a view of the estuary, a room in a former courthouse or a chapel. And good news for your purse: Nantes is full of good deals!
With permanent vitality, numerous museums and attractions, the proximity of the ocean, vineyards and castles to visit, the presence of the Loire and other rivers to navigate, quality accommodation and major events all year round (water sports, horticulture, music, cinema, live entertainment...) you can schedule your visit to Nantes throughout the year. And if you like music, plan your stay in January or February where you can enjoy the rich cultural programme of the Folle Journée de Nantes. To discover the famous Floralies, you can do it in advance, it's only every 5 years!
Due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Nantes has a temperate oceanic climate, whose influence is facilitated by the presence of the Loire estuary and the absence of relief. Winters are mild (5°C on average) and rainy. Summers (17°C /35°C) are hot every year. Throughout the year, rainfall is frequent but not very intense. Nantes experiences numerous but not very violent windy episodes.
