Discover Local Loire-Atlantique: What to Do Around Mercure Loire-Atlantique

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Loire-Atlantique, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Loire-Atlantique in 5 picks

Nantes

Former capital of the Duchy of Brittany, now known as much for contemporary creativity as history — see the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the covered 19th-century Passage Pommeraye, and Les Machines de l'île, home to a mechanical elephant that walks through the streets.

Guérande

A medieval walled town surrounded by roughly 2,000 hectares of salt marshes, still worked by hand by paludiers. The fleur de sel harvested here is prized by chefs well beyond the region.

La Baule

The region's grandest seaside resort, with a 9-kilometre sandy beach and rows of Belle Époque villas behind it. A short tram-train ride from Guérande makes combining the two towns easy.

Clisson

Rebuilt in an Italian style in the 19th century after the Vendée Wars, with pink-brick houses and cypress-lined gardens that feel out of place — in a good way — this far from the Mediterranean.

Pornic

A former fishing village with a clifftop château overlooking the marina, and a coastal path that makes for an easy afternoon walk between coves.

Where to eat
Muscadet, made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, is the region's defining wine — crisp, dry, and made to go with seafood. Look for beurre blanc, the butter sauce invented in this region and served over fish; Challans duck; and fleur de sel from Guérande finishing just about everything.
Salt marshes & seaside
The Brière Regional Nature Park, one of the largest marshland areas in France, sits between La Baule and Saint-Nazaire and rewards a slow visit — by boat where possible. Combine it with the Guérande salt marshes for a full picture of how this coastline has been worked for centuries.
Getting around
Nantes is around two hours from Paris by TGV and makes a natural anchor point. From there, Guérande and La Baule are roughly 80km northwest, connected by a tram-train line that also links to Saint-Nazaire and Le Croisic. The Vélodyssée cycling route runs along much of the coast if you'd rather explore on two wheels.
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FAQ

About 80km to Guérande and La Baule, roughly an hour by car or connected by a direct tram-train line.

Yes — La Baule's long sandy beach and the quieter coves around Pornic both suit families, and the Brière marshland adds something beyond the standard seaside itinerary.

Guided walks with local paludiers run through the harvest season and are the best way to understand how the salt is worked by hand rather than just viewing the marshes from a distance.

Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Loire-Atlantique, ideally placed to explore these picks.

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Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Loire-Atlantique, ideally placed to explore these picks

View hotels