Butte Delaroche 12Butte Delaroche 12
©Butte Delaroche 12|Erick Martineau

Hiking and touring in the Vignoble Nantais

Looking for a walking or cycling route near Nantes that reveals an authentic region? In the Vignoble Nantais, every footpath or cycle route follows the water, crosses the vines, skirts the hillsides and opens up unexpected panoramas. Enter a living landscape and let yourself be carried away by an exploration that awakens the senses and the imagination.

Preparing your trip in the Vignoble Nantais

If you want to walk or cycle in the Vignoble Nantais with a free mind, each route is available in the form of a descriptive sheet.

  • Maps, step-by-step instructions, points of interest, practical advice: all the essential information you need to organise your outing. You can download the fact sheets in PDF format or simply print them out.
  • Some of the routes have been designed for families (without pushchairs), with short routes, few gradients and perfect spots for a picnic by the river.

The paths are alive and kicking: before setting off, be sure to check for any temporary restrictions, roadworks or special conditions.

In summer, it’s best to set off early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Bring water, suitable footwear and comfortable clothing.

And above all: take your time. The landscape will reward you.

Rando Loire-Atlantique Walking to feel

Hiking is not just a leisure activity in the Vignoble Nantais. It’s a sensitive way of reading the landscape, of understanding the ancient bond between man and this land of borders, light and water.

Here, you can walk through the heritage of a land shaped by the hands of winegrowers, millers and builders.

At the bend in the path, the silhouette of a water mill is a reminder of the power of the rivers. Further on, a levee rises up, a silent dyke that whispers the memory of floods. And there is always the presence of the vines, generous, orderly and alive, thrilling both the earth and the taste buds.

Rando Pays de la Loire On foot, by bike, at a man's height

In the Vignoble Nantais, routes intertwine, intersect and embrace. You can move effortlessly from a towpath to a steep hillside, from a bustling village to a silent clearing.

Whether you’re a Sunday walker or a seasoned rambler, the area is open to everyone, without artifice. All you have to do is look up, breathe and let yourself be guided by the curves of the path.

And if you prefer two wheels, the cycle routesLoire à Vélo, Vélidéale, Vignoble à Vélo – also offer a poetic mix of gentle effort and gourmet discovery.

Touring or a Sunday stroll?

Some days are invented on the spur of the moment: an easy loop, a family outing, a moment suspended in the marshes or along the Sèvre.

Others are more ambitious. The bag is loaded, the map unfolded, the eye cast beyond the hills: towards the Vendée, the Anjou, towards other horizons of the Loire.

In all cases, the route is never linear. It follows the meandering of rivers, skirts a grove, crosses a hamlet. It invites you to slow down, watch the birds, sit back for a moment, savour the moment.