Pornic
Pornic has the most villas in the region by a wide margin. Its old port is ringed by restaurants below a small castle, and the town has a good weekly market. The coastal customs path runs past coves and wooden fishing huts on stilts, the pêcheries that line this stretch of the Côte de Jade. Noirmoutier, reached over the tidal Passage du Gois road at low water, is about 40 minutes south. Nantes airport is around 45 minutes away.
Best for: Families and couples who want a harbour town with coves
Not for you if: You want one long sandy beach: Pornic's shore is mostly small coves between rocks.
La Bernerie-en-Retz and Les Moutiers-en-Retz
These two villages sit just south of Pornic on the Bay of Bourgneuf, which is more sheltered than the open ocean. La Bernerie has a sandy town beach and a seafront tidal pool, and Les Moutiers is smaller, with a church square, oyster beds and wide flats where locals gather shellfish at low water. Pornic's shops and harbour are 10 minutes away by car. Nantes airport is about 45 minutes away.
Best for: Families with young children and anyone who likes rock pooling
Not for you if: You want to swim at any time of day: at low tide the sea goes a long way out.
Tharon Plage, Saint-Brevin and La Plaine-sur-Mer
Saint-Brevin-les-Pins has a long sandy beach backed by pine woods, and on its shore at the Loire mouth lies the Serpent d'Océan, a giant metal sea-serpent skeleton revealed at low tide. Tharon Plage, in Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef, is a family resort with a broad beach. La Plaine-sur-Mer runs out to the Pointe Saint-Gildas headland. The bridge across the Loire to Saint Nazaire, with its shipyards and submarine base, is a few minutes north.
Best for: Families who want long sandy beaches and pine woods
Not for you if: You want an old harbour town feel: these are mostly 20th-century resorts of holiday houses.
La Baule, Pornichet, Le Pouliguen and Le Croisic
La Baule's bay has around nine kilometres of sand, lined with villas from the early 1900s and modern apartments. Pornichet, at the eastern end, has a big marina, and Le Pouliguen a canal-side harbour. Le Croisic, on its own peninsula, is a fishing port with an aquarium and the rocky Côte Sauvage beside it. Trains run from Paris to La Baule and Le Croisic. Nantes airport is about an hour away.
Best for: Families who want a big resort beach with plenty of restaurants
Not for you if: You are on a budget: La Baule is one of the most expensive resorts on the French Atlantic.
Guérande, Piriac-sur-Mer, La Turballe and Mesquer
Guérande's walled medieval town looks over salt marshes where sea salt is still raked by hand, and you can visit the pans in summer. La Turballe is a working fishing port, Piriac-sur-Mer has granite houses and small sandy coves, and Mesquer, with Quimiac and the tiny harbour of Kercabellec, has its own salt pans and beaches. The Brière marshes, best explored by flat-bottomed boat, are inland. Nantes airport is around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Food lovers, cyclists and anyone after quieter beaches
Not for you if: You want lots of choice: there are only a handful of villas in this area.
