4 days cycling along the Loire
Take your kids to discover Nantes, with its vibrant culture and fascinating neighbourhoods, then show them the River Loire and its unique bird sanctuary dotted with original and amusing artworks. And finally reward them with the Atlantic Ocean and its array of large and small sandy beaches!
😍 Explore the magical world of the 'Ile de Nantes’ housed on the site of former industrial shipyards. At the Machines de l’Ile artistic project, Climb the 12 m high Grand Elephant and explore the Galerie des Machines or take a voyage on the Marine World Carrousel.
📍 105 km
⏱️ 4 stages
🏁 Nantes ➡️ Pornic
🚲 I begin / Family
Day 1 - Nantes > St-Jean de Boiseau (25 km)
Welcome to Nantes ! You can leave your vehicle outside the city centre in a free car park (eg. Quai de la Jonelière) and follow the La Vélodyssée signs to the city centre. Or arrive directly in the centre by train and hire a bike upon arrival.
Don’t miss the Château des ducs de Bretagne which can store your bags while you visit. After lunch in the Bouffay district, head off for the Ile de Nantes to discover the River Loire and the mechanical elephant at the Machines de l’Ile !
Leave the Ile from the south, following either the La Vélodyssée or Loire à Vélo signage – both these cycle paths take the same route. Stop off at the picturesque village of Trentemoult with its brightly coloured houses.
🛏️ Go on for 15km to Saint-Jean de Boiseau and spend the night in one of our Accueil Vélo accredited accommodation spots.
Day 2 - St-Jean de Boiseau > Paimboeuf (27 km)
Back in the saddle, set off for the canal de la Martinière which runs alongside the River Loire! This unusual itinerary combines a bird sanctuary with the Estuary Trail artworks such as the tilting yacht, the Misconceivable, at Le Pellerin!
The Quai Vert in Frossay is the perfect place for a picnic, or you can paddle around in a canoe or go on a nature walk with a guide!
🛏️ Join the banks of the Loire again at Paimboeuf and spend the night at the Camping l’Estuaire camp site which offers a number of bike-friendly facilities.
Day 3 - Paimboeuf > St-Brevin-les-Pins (15 km)
Start the day with a stroll round the village of Paimboeuf to discover the lighthouse and the brightly coloured facades clustered around this former outer harbour of Nantes. Pedalling alongside the River Loire, you’ll then come to the Jardin étoilé, an Estuary Trail artwork by Kinya Maruyama based on the Ursa Major star constellation.
Set off from the Paimboeuf fishing village towards the sea. A temporary route along country roads leads to Saint Nazaire. In Saint-Brevin lies the vast Loire Estuary where the Saint-Nazaire bridge heralds the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean! Pause to observe the strange Serpent d’Océan hidden behind the Marime Museum (in bad weather, possibility of an afternoon visit).
After so much effort, what could be nicer than a picnic on the beach overlooking the sea? Enjoy an afternoon walk amidst the shady pine trees, have a go at sand yachting with the family, or take a dip in the ocean (lifeguard-supervised beach).
🛏️ Spend the night in Accueil Vélo accredited accommodation spots.
Day 4 - St-Brevin-les-Pins > Pornic (38 km)
Leave the long, sandy beaches of Saint Brevin and make for Pornic and its sailing harbour! A multitude of restaurants await you on the old port. Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef will be the obvious gourmet break on the route, the town being well known for its Galette Saint-Michel 😋. A little further, the wild coast of Préfailles and Pointe Saint-Gildas will certainly charm you!
To end this cycling trip in style, you have arrived in Pornic on the Jade Coast with its deserted coves, its family beaches, its welcoming bars & restaurants and its summer activities.
Order yourself a well-deserved treat at the not-to-be-missed Fraiseraie ice cream parlour before getting a local TER train which will take you and your bikes back to Nantes!
💡 Good responsible address: the Tables de La Fontaine in Pornic, 400 meters from the route, have obtained the Ecotable label for their respect for seasonality, the traceability of products and favor responsible fishing.
ℹ️ ALL THE PRACTICAL INFORMATION
➡️ Type of route: linear with return by train
🚆 Access to the route and return to the starting point
- By train :
Access Nantes from main and regional lines: Paris / Lyon / Lille / Marseille / Strasbourg / Montpellier / Bordeaux / Rennes / Le Mans
- By car, several parking spaces are possible in Nantes:
- Several paid parking lots at the station
- Park and ride facilities near the city center
- You can leave your vehicle outside the city center in a free car park (for example Quai de la Jonelière on the banks of the Erdre, 5 km from the city center) and go to the center by following the La Vélodyssée signage.
For the return to the starting point: Line 10 TER Pornic > Nantes (approximately 1 hour journey)
🚲 Bike hire
In Nantes, several bike rental companies offer a wide choice of bikes and accessories (including 2 in the immediate vicinity of the station).
💡 To avoid returning by train with your bikes, one-way rental is the ideal solution: see the “one-way” bike rental companies on La Vélodyssée
📓 Finding your way around
There are a number of paper guides to help you follow this route, find the references.
Tailor-made itineraries
Tailor-made itineraries
Télécharger le GPX
12 Nantes / Le Pellerin
13 Le Pellerin / St-Brevin-les-Pins
