Would you like to visit the Loire Valley and are wondering whether to go to Nantes or Angers?
We love both destinations. The choice is difficult, but we're here to help you with our opinions on specific criteria.
Here's our Nantes vs Angers battle with tips and photos:
- Atmosphere and city portraits
- Attractions, museums and monuments
- Location and access
- Hotels and restaurants
- Excursions around the cities
- ...
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Nantes or Angers: comparison summary
Short answer
Both towns are anchored in the Loire Valley, but offer very different experiences.
Nantes is a major creative and cultural metropolis, a former port city converted into a capital of contemporary art. It's fascinating for its artistic life, its wood and metal machinery, its historic quarters along the Loire and its abundance of museums, restaurants and parks.
Angers is a more compact medieval city, France's first green city, renowned for its castle and Apocalypse Tapestry, its exceptional museums and its Anjou vineyards. The town's charm lies in its gentle way of life, its architectural heritage and its remarkable hinterland.
Depending on what you're looking for...
- for a dynamic and creative city: Nantes
- for a stay in a town on a human scale: Angers
- for museums and contemporary art: Nantes
- for medieval heritage: Angers
- for parks and gardens: equality
- for the most beautiful hotels: Nantes
- for a romantic getaway: equality
- for gastronomy: equality
- for vineyard excursions: Angers
- to easily explore the Loire castles: Angers
- for families with children: Nantes
- for nightlife: Nantes
- ...
See the top-rated accommodations in Nantes.
See the best rated accommodations in Angers.
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
Access + Location to explore the region
Nantes and Angers are both located in the Loire Valley, around 1h10 drive from each other. They provide complementary bases for exploring the region: Nantes opens onto the estuary and the Atlantic, while Angers provides access to the heart of the Loire castles and the Anjou vineyards.
Here are a few timetables to help you get your bearings:
- Nantes to Angers = 1h10 drive
- Nantes to Paris = 2h by TGV
- Angers to Tours = 1h30 drive
- Angers to Saumur = 1h drive
- Nantes to Atlantic beaches = 45min to 1h drive
Nantes Atlantique airport is the region's main international airport. It has direct access to Nantes (20min from downtown) and Angers (1h drive). To reach Angers, you can also land at Paris airport and take the TGV (1h30).
Compare available flights.
Both towns have train stations with good connections to Paris and Marseille. Angers Saint-Laud station is right in the city center, and Nantes is also well located.
Book your trains.
To explore the region and the chateaux of the Loire, we strongly recommend you use a vehicle. Find out more about our tips for renting a car in France.
Hotels: Nantes vs Angers
Hotels in Nantes
Nantes has a plethora of hotels, just like the city itself: creative, eclectic and often housed in buildings steeped in history. In particular, we loved sleeping in an old chapel or a former courthouse. For lovers of the unusual, a barge moored on the Erdre River is an experience in itself.
We recommend..:
- Unusual and luxurious: Hotel Sozo - former 19th-century chapel converted into a 4-star design hotel
- Luxury and history: Radisson Blu Hotel - neoclassical courthouse in the heart of the city
- Charm and value for money: Hôtel Coeur de Loire - a large 1930s house with a well-kept family atmosphere
Read our full article on where to stay in Nantes.
It's time to book!
Compare everything: companies, prices, schedules and availability.
Hotels in Angers
Angers offers a wide range of hotels, from designer boutique hotels to rooms in nearby châteaux. We particularly liked establishments that played the heritage card, such as this listed Renaissance house in the heart of the old town. For a stay in the countryside, the estates just a few kilometers from the center offer great alternatives.
We recommend..:
- Charm and history: Hôtel L'Oisellerie - 16th-century Renaissance house in the heart of the historic town center
- Modern boutique hotel: Hotel Markus - a 19th-century building with a soothing, minimalist feel
- A green stay in a castle: Château des Forges - 6-hectare estate just a few minutes from the town center
Read our full article on where to stay in Angers.
Our review
Nantes offers a broader and more creative range of hotels, with establishments in truly unusual locations. Angers, meanwhile, offers more charm and intimacy, with addresses that cultivate the atmosphere of a family home. Our winner on this criterion: Nantes, for the diversity and originality of the experiences on offer.
Attractions, museums and monuments
Attractions in Nantes
Nantes is a city that has been reinventing itself over the past thirty years, and whose cultural offering has become one of the richest in western France. We always come back with the same enthusiasm, so many new discoveries from one visit to the next. The main attractions are:
- L'éléphant et les Machines de l'Ile: the city's must-see attraction, a poetic universe inspired by Jules Verne in the former shipyards.
- Château des Ducs de Bretagne: 6 centuries of architecture and a remarkable Nantes history museum
- Passage Pommeraye: unique in Europe, this 19th-century 3-storey shopping arcade is an architectural masterpiece.
- Musée des arts de Nantes: 8 centuries of collections in a completely redesigned building
- The Jardin Extraordinaire and the Jardin des Plantes: two remarkable green spaces with radically different atmospheres
- The village of Trentemoult: accessible by Navibus, this former fishing village with its bohemian charm is well worth a visit.
- The Jules Verne Museum: plunge into the world of the Nantes-based author
- La Maison des Hommes et des Techniques: the fascinating history of the Nantes shipyard
Find out more in our article on the best things to do in Nantes. To make the most of the city, we recommend the City Pass Nantes, which gives you access to over 40 monuments, museums and activities, as well as public transport.
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Attractions in Angers
Angers boasts an exceptional heritage within easy walking distance. We were impressed by the density and quality of the cultural offering for a city of this size. The main attractions are:
- The Château d'Angers and its Tapestry of the Apocalypse: a medieval hanging over 100m long, one of the best preserved in the world - buy your ticket in advance
- Terra Botanica: a unique plant park where virtual reality, the greenhouse of a thousand butterflies and a trail of giants come together - book your tickets now!
- Musée Jean Lurçat: Le Chant du Monde, an exceptional contemporary tapestry in a 12th-century medieval hospital
- Saint-Maurice Cathedral: typical of the Anjou Gothic style, its vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows are well worth a visit.
- Musée des Beaux-Arts: 3000m² of collections from prehistory to the 20th century in a 15th-century town house
- The David d'Angers gallery: a former 13th-century abbey church flooded with light, dedicated to the sculptures of the great Angevin artist.
- Downtown and the Doutre district: medieval houses, townhouses and surprising Art Deco architecture
Find out more in our article on the best things to do in Angers.
Our review
Both towns have a remarkable cultural and heritage offering, each in its own style. Nantes impresses with the diversity and originality of its offerings, from contemporary art and industrial heritage to unique creations such as the Machines de l'Ile. Angers, on the other hand, concentrates more historic masterpieces in a smaller area, making it an ideal destination for a short, intensive stay. Our winner: equality, the choice really depends on what you're looking for.
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Excursions around the cities
Excursions from Nantes
Nantes is well placed for discovering the Atlantic coast and some unspoilt nature. From Nantes, you can visit..:
- Atlantic beaches: Pornic (45min), La Baule and its 9km of white sand (1h), Saint-Jean-de-Monts and its dunes (1h)
- Lac de Grand Lieu (20km from the center): France's second-largest bird sanctuary, ideal for a nature getaway.
- Muscadet vineyards: several estates around Nantes offer tours and tastings - see our article on the wine route
- Château de Goulaine (15km): a small Renaissance château still inhabited by the same family since it was built.
- Castles around Nantes - see our selection
Excursions from Angers
Angers is an ideal base for exploring the châteaux and vineyards of the Loire Valley. We were seduced by the richness of the Anjou hinterland. From Angers, you can visit..:
- Château de Brissac: France's highest château, 20 minutes from Angers
- Château de Serrant and its exceptional library, 30min away
- The vineyards of Anjou: Savennières, Domaine de la Soucherie and the wine route - bike tour + tasting
- The most beautiful villages around Angers: Béhuard sur son île, Savennières... - see our selection
- The great châteaux of the Loire (Villandry, Ussé, Saumur) - all less than 1h30 away - see our selection
- Parc de Pignerolle and Parc des Ardoisières: two nature getaways with very different atmospheres
Our review
Angers wins this criterion for lovers of castles, vineyards and typical Loire villages. Nantes wins out for those who prefer nature, Atlantic beaches and waterside escapades. Our winner on this criterion depends entirely on your interests.
Best gastronomic offer
Restaurants in Nantes
Nantes is a great place to eat. Nantes cuisine is rooted in a rich terroir: market gardening of lamb's lettuce and radishes, fish and seafood from the Atlantic, Muscadet from the surrounding vineyards. We had some of our best meals in the Loire. Reservations are essential for the best addresses.
Among our favorite restaurants:
- Restaurant Le Manoir de la Régate (1 star): Michelin-starred dining on the banks of the Erdre River, one of the region's finest dining experiences.
- Restaurant La Cigale: the great Art Nouveau brasserie on Place Graslin, a must for both its breathtaking decor and its cuisine.
- Restaurant Lulu Rouget: creative dining on the Ile de Nantes, emblematic of the city's gastronomic revival
Find our best places to eat in Nantes here.
Restaurants in Angers
Angers offers a cuisine of land and sea, based on local Anjou produce and blended with Anjou wines. We were seduced by the finesse and generosity of the city's restaurants, which showcase local produce with real savoir-faire.
Among our favorite restaurants:
- Restaurant Belle Rive: a fine wine list and refined dishes on the banks of the Maine, our favourite restaurant in Angers.
- Restaurant Lait Thym Sel: elegant and creative cuisine, one of our great discoveries
- Restaurant Isidore (Hôtel D'Anjou): refined dining in a magnificent setting decorated with art deco mosaics
Find our best places to eat in Angers here.
Our review
Equality. Both towns are talented advocates of Loire cuisine, each with its own special character. Nantes is more open to the sea and influences from all over the world, while Angers remains more attached to local Anjou products. In both cases, food lovers will be delighted.
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
Easy to get around these cities
Getting around Nantes
Nantes has a particularly efficient public transport network: 3 tramway lines, 2 exclusive right-of-way bus lines, 2 river shuttle lines and 43 bus lines cover the entire city. Downtown, traffic is often heavy and parking is not free. We strongly recommend that you leave your car behind and use public transport or bicycle. The city is also very well equipped for two-wheelers. The City Pass Nantes includes access to public transport.
Getting around Angers
Angers is more compact and very pleasant to explore on foot or by bike. The town is part of the Loire à vélo cycle route and has numerous cycle paths. A tramway and bus network serves the main districts. The streets in the historic center are sometimes narrow and cobbled, but the whole area is very accessible. To explore the hinterland and castles, however, a car is still necessary.
Our review
Angers is easier to get to grips with for a first stay, as its human scale means you can visit everything on foot or by bike in just a few days. Nantes requires a little more organization to get from one district to another, but its public transport network is among the best in France. Our winner: a tie.
Can we visit Nantes and Angers on the same trip?
Yes, and we recommend it. The two cities are only 1h10 away by car or around 1h by train, with frequent connections. By spending part of your stay in Nantes and part in Angers, you can enjoy the best of both cities while exploring a good part of the Loire Valley. Allow at least 2 nights in each city to get the most out of your visit.
And why not other towns in the Loire?
The Loire Valley abounds in other remarkable destinations. See our other articles:
- Best things to do in Saumur
- Things to do in Tours
- Where to stay in the Loire Valley
- The most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley
- The most beautiful gardens in the Loire Valley
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN
Loire Valley
The castles of the Loire Valley
Other places to explore
Practice
SHE MADE THE TRIP Claire
