We are planning a trip to Nantes early September and we want to know how can we get from our hotel in Nantes to the beaches that are roughly an hour away such as La Baule or Pornic beaches, what public transportation is available? how long it will take to get there? we just want to spend one day by a nice beach and go swimming but we dont want to waste too much time travelling. we are also open to other beach suggestions. thank you
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30 helpful votes Hopefully Bernard who is really knowledgeable about the whole area will come along. I usually have a car when traveling so I might forget some possibilities by public transport. But over the years, here are the information I was able to gather.
Along the train line from Nantes to Le Croisic serves many sea resorts : St Nazaire, Pornichet, La Baule, Le Pouliguen, Batz sur Mer and Le Croisic.
You will find good beaches east of Pornichet. In Batz-sur-mer and le Croisic are probably the best beaches. Those beaches are at about 10 minutes walking from the railway station. The best beaches are in Batz sur mer and le Croisic.
Beside sandy beaches le Croisic and Pornic also offer scenic fishing harbour.
Near St Nazaire the beaches are not near the railway station (about 30-40 minutes walk) but you will find a few different options : Villes Martin, Bonne Anse, plage de la Courance, St-Marc-sur-mer. https://www.saint-nazaire-tourisme.uk/explore/discover-our-coast/saint-nazaires-seafront/
In St-Nazaire, le Pouliguen and Le Croisic, it's possible to hire bikes. There is a cycling path named "vélocean" that you can take to explore the area.
La Baule has a very long beach which is nice to have. But it's a more modern resort with lots of concrete buildings. Still many people go there every year because they like the area but just so you know.
https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/by-train-around-nantes/
https://www.tourisme-lecroisic.fr/en/
https://en.labaule-guerande.com/la-baule-guerande-peninsula-and-its-surroundings.html
https://www.atlantic-loire-valley.com/atlantic-coast
https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/to-do/
The public transport website for this area : https://aleop.paysdelaloire.fr/
The TER sncf website offers some deals that might interest you : https://www.ter.sncf.com/pays-de-la-loire/ete-aleop-en-ter
https://www.ter.sncf.com/pays-de-la-loire/decouvrir/balades-plages-en-pays-de-la-loire
Edited: 16 August 2022, 10:26Hi
There is a train TER to Ponic, and this town has a nice beach, but it's at30 minutes walking from the railway station. That said, it's a nice walk along the harbour and the estuary.
In la Baule, le Pouliguen, Batz sur mer and Le Croisic, the beaches are at just 10 minutes walking from the railway station, and there are direct trains from Nantes. For ex the beach named "plage valentin". https://www.ot-batzsurmer.fr/plage-valentin.html
It's also possible to take a train to st Nazaire, (there are many trains, and it's fast), to hire a bike in this harbour (it's self service bicycles), and to ride along the sea front to the beaches, at the west of the town, or even to the beaches between St Nazaire and Pornichet. (Plage de la Courance for ex). https://www.vjoncheray.fr/-/galleries/phototheque/loire-atlantique/saint-nazaire/-/medias/830ae9f4-24ee-4d3e-9f1b-0a97d934415b-plage-de-la-courance-saint-nazaire