Holiday advice please - Loire-Atlantique

[Bateman]

Not going on a biking trip - this is a family holiday but hoping for some advice on where to go please. I am flying into Nantes in mid July with the wife and two kids, hiring a car and have 5 days in Carnac near the Quiberon peninsula at one of the campsites/static caravans. I have two days before Carnac and 4 days afterwards to stay wherever I want to. Can anyone recommend any places to go or towns to stay in. I have heard nice things about La Baule so may spend a few days there. Looking for family friendly type things - beaches, zoos, theme parks etc.

Merci!

 

[Gaulois]

La Baule is one of those resorts that used to be ultra-chic. Now it's full of 'Minets' (doesn't really translate - French daddy's boys). It has a lovely beach but I'd rather go to somewhere like Piriac or La Turballe a few miles (N) up the road.
Visit Guerande, a very pretty walled town with a good museum. Also visit the salt pans where they still make salt the same way they used to in the middle ages. They're full of wild life and really beautiful.
In St Nazaire you can visit the submarine pens (and a submarine).

From Quiberon you could get a ferry to one of the islands. They all have great beaches. Houat and Hoedic are small and very wild.
Belle ile is bigger. Le Palais, the main town is always being used for fiilms as it's a 17th century port with a fortress above it. Lots of restaurants etc. The coast of Belle ile is STUNNING. Really wild and rocky. Some of the beaches are in very narrow inlets so quite safe from the Atlantic swells.

Have fun.

 

[Monsieur]

Stayed at carnac plage a few years ago - by far the best holiday we ever had. Great beach, shops for the kids and very friendly with good nightlife, if you want it.
Carnac plage campsite was where we stayed, only 5 mins from the beach.
Locmariaquer is a lovely sailing village with good arty shops and loads of expensive sailing boats.
La Trinite Sur-Mer is another nice place to visit.
Quiberon peninsula is a nice little area - our kids spent hours scambling over rocks looking for lizards
Bit further afield and you've got St Nazaire, known for its U-boat pens

 

[Arsey]

I'd agree about La Baule-ok for a day but a bit of a dump to be honest.

There are much nicer places.

Concarneau is very pretty,especially within the old walled town,La Ville-Close accessed by a bridge :

.


Some nice beaches nearby too.

Benodet is like a smaller version of La Baule but much nicer.

Great kids club on beach (if they are under 10 ish) you can pay by hour

Quiberon itself is nice.We used to fly in there,clear customs and then fly over to La Baule at about 200 feet looking at all the sun-bathing totty on yachts.

If you get a rainy day or can trick the missus,Nantes has one of the biggest concentration of bike shops in one area I've ever seen (apart from Tokyo !).

Or take the kids to Oceanopolis near Brest-bit of a drive but well worth it.


Numerous accessory shops etc and worth a few hours if you are at a loose end.


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[bowser]

lorient is worth a visit, and take a boat to the fort at the harbour mouth its worth a visit, if the kids are into horses the a visit to Hennebot is worth a vist it has the french national stud and they breed and keep the Breton Heavy horses going, its a good visit lots to see small cafe etc. and the town its self if very nice.

There is a great WWII resistance museum near by but I cant remember the name and also a motor racing circuit with one of the best car collections I have ever visited, really unique stuff. i will try and dig out the names and post later.