Part of the Pays de la Loire region, Loire-Atlantique is named after the Atlantic and the Loire which is the principal river that crosses the departement before flowing in the ocean by an estuary. Loire-Atlantique is one of the five departements of the historic Bretagne, but however, it does not belong to the administrative Bretagne. It accounts for a population of more than 1,230,000 inhabitants, and its main town is Nantes.
Loire-Atlantique is the departement that has the lowest altitude of France with an average of around 115m. Water is a main element with one of the longest estuary of Europe between Saint-Nazaire and its prefecture, Nantes. The departement comprises not less than 130km of marvellous seashore comprising beautiful sandy beaches. Between the so-called côte de Jade and côte d'Amour, several renowned sea resorts abound such as La Baule, Pornichet or Le Pouliguen. Water is also present in the marshlands of Brière, in lakes or even in the oyster-farming ports and the famous salterns of the enchanting medieval town of Guérande spread on 2,000ha that produce the well-known Guérande fleur de sel.
Loire-Atlantic offers an unspoilt and varied nature. Hiking tracks give the opportunity to discover it in a pleasant way. Historic patrimony also punctuates the area. Thus, the stunning castle of the Ducs de Bretagne in Nantes reminds the interesting history of Bretagne as many other sites across the departement.
The richness of the area is constituted by the towns and villages, each of them possessing a unique charm. The port of La Turballe and its sardine fishermen, Batz-sur-Mer and its surfers, La Brière and its 3,000 thatched cottages.
A specificity of the property market in Loire-Atlantique is that the prices are very disparate. Even if the average of prices was situated around €3,100/sq m (the national average was €3,200/sq m) at the beginning of 2009, the price of a property varied a lot depending of the area. To generalize, we can say that the area of Chateaubriant is quite cheap, but the prices increase when approaching the seafront. Thus, the sector of Saint-Nazaire where many sea resorts (La Baule, Le Pouliguen, Pornichet, Pornic…) lie is very expensive with an average of around €4,500/sq m. The price in Nantes is around €3,100/sq m, but there again, a strong disparity exists depending on the quarters where the property is situated.
For those who are interested by specific houses as thatched cottages or renovated longères, it is to know that the opening price is around €500,000. The splendid villas of the seafront and exceptional properties can even exceed a million euros.
To get updated info about the house prices in Loire-Atlantique, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.
Click here to learn more about Pays de la Loire’s Property Prices.
Beautiful coast & beaches: if Loire-Atlantique has an asset, it is undeniably the beautiful coast it comprises. It richness is that it is really varied, with small wild coves but also large beaches of sand comprising all the common installations that can be awaited, such as beach volley court, boat clubs, deckchairs, etc… The best way to discover this magnificent coast is to follow the sentiers des Douaniers which is a long track along the coast departing from Pornic. It surely offers the best point of view on the coast and the Bourganeuf bay.
Activities: Loire-Atlantique is the perfect place for those who are fond of water sports. The ocean offers great opportunities of sailing, kayaking, but also to practice kitesurf, bodyboard and skimboard. The nature lovers will appreciate the numerous way to discover it, such as in hiking or mountain biking. The many fishing ports offer hours of pleasure, while the several spas that abound in Loire-Atlantique offers hours of relaxation. Really, activities are numerous and diversified. Some of the best golf courses and adventure parks are located in the area.
Location – transport links: with around 2 million of passengers per year, the airport of Nantes Atlantique is the first airport of the great west. It serves a dozen of French towns, the French overseas departements and several international destinations such as London, Milano, Geneva… The TGV (high-speed train) is also well developed in the departement and set Nantes at two hours from Paris and Saint-Nazaire at 2h40.
Rental opportunities: the most popular places where people go on holiday during summer is mainly the coast. Thus, people tend to go at the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. Loire-Atlantique possesses some of the most famous ones of the Atlantic coast, such as La Baule or Pornic. Thus, the rental opportunities are very strong, mostly along the coast, during Summer. The most popular and then expensive month for rental remains August.
At the borders of Bretagne, Poitou and Anjou, the Loire-Atlantique departement presents a diversified architecture that comprises low houses covered with round tiles next to Vendée, houses with slate roofs at the heart of the departement and thatched houses in the natural regional park of Brière.
Click here for more info about Architecture in Pays de la Loire.
Take a closer look at the Loire-Atlantique property market: | |
La Baule Property Information | Le Croisic Property Information |
Nantes Property Information | Pornic Property Information |
Saint Nazaire Property Information |
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