These are the best places to travel this summer

Atlantic Coast

France Travel Guide

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Kite surfing on the deserted Atlantic beach on the island of Ile de Re with dunes covered with grass in the foreground, France 863661226

Getty Images/iStockphoto

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Atlantic Coast

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

With quiet country roads winding through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sand interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where France gets back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with almost as much sunshine), this is the place to slow the pace right down.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Nantes, France - September 17, 2022: The Great Elephant animated giant puppet, part of the Machines of the Isle of Nantes artistic and tourist attraction, wanders slowly amid onlookers on a sunny day.; Shutterstock ID 2220543875; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 2220543875

    Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes

    Nantes

    Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…

  • Entrance of the Aquarium of La Rochelle, France in summer.

    Aquarium La Rochelle

    La Rochelle

    La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a…

  • Boats of poitevin marsh

    Parc Naturel Interrégional du Marais Poitevin

    Atlantic Coast

    Parc Naturel Interrégional du Marais Poitevin is a tranquil bird-filled wetland dubbed the Venise Verte (Green Venice) due to the duckweed that turns its…

  • New museum of wine in Bordeaux City

    La Cité du Vin

    Bordeaux

    The complex world of wine is explored in depth at ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter…

  • Harbour and maritime museum in the Port of La Rochelle, France.

    Musée Maritime

    La Rochelle

    In a series of boldly coloured, red, blue and yellow canopied hangars at the Bassin à Flot, the Maritime Museum evokes the history of La Rochelle port,…

  • Visitors having fun on the Mirroir d'eau (Water Mirror) of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France on a hot summer day during a heat wave.

    Miroir d’Eau

    Bordeaux

    A fountain of sorts, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3450 sq metres of black granite on the quayside opposite…

  • Bordeaux Cathedral

    Cathédrale St-André

    Bordeaux

    The Cathédrale St-André, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates…

  • Phare des Baleines lighthouse.

    Phare des Baleines

    Île de Ré

    For an overview of the island, follow the crowds to Phare des Baleines, the island's scarlet-tipped, 59m-tall lighthouse on its northwestern tip. Scale…

View more attractions
Advertisement

Plan with a local

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

Explore all books

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Atlantic Coast

Go Beyond

Atlantic Coast and beyond

Beyond Atlantic Coast
Advertisement