Car hire in Nantes airport

This information is correct as of May 2015

Nantes is a historic city in the west of France, inside the Loire Valley. The castles and cathedrals make it a romantic city break, but it’s eco-friendly credentials make it a very green one too.

Where to hire a car in Nantes

Car rental companies are not situated within the terminal – the car hire reception is directly opposite the terminal building. Sixt, Hertz, Avis, Budget and Enterprise have offices in Nantes airport.

Petrol stations close to Nantes airport

Depending on your car rental agreement, you may need to hand your car back with a full tank.

There is a petrol station right outside the terminal buildings, so it’s easy to fill up your vehicle before you return it to the car rental car park. If you want to fill up your car before reaching the airport, there are plenty of petrol stations to the south of the river in Nantes.

Driving around Nantes airport

You can easily reach the N844 from the airport, which acts as Nantes’ outer ring road. The airport is southwest of Nantes city centre, which is easy to reach with a 10 minute car journey. It’s also easy to reach France’s western coast from the airport using the D723. Nantes is closeby to a number of French towns, including Saint-Nazaire and Challans.

Destinations close to Nantes airport

Nantes

Did you know Nantes has recently been voted one of the greenest cities in Europe? It’s not just a beautiful place to live though, there are beautiful monuments like Château des ducs de Bretagne and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes to see, whereas the Machines of the Isle of Nantes keep little people happy too.

Head north on the D85, and keep left, merging onto the N844. Take exit 52-a to reach Nantes city centre, and merge onto the D723. At the roundabout, continue on the 3rd exit to keep on the D723. Repeat for the next roundabout. Take the 2nd exit on the next roundabout to Boulevard Victor Schoulcher. This will take you onto Ile de Nantes, and from here you can reach central and north Nantes. It’s easiest to find a car parking space in north Nantes, whereas the your options are limited on the island and in the centre.

Saint-Nazaire

Whilst Saint-Nazaire might be better known for their rugby, they also come up pretty clean on marine attractions too. This is one of the few places you can go and explore a 1950’s French submarine!

Follow the D85 northbound, and then follow the signs for the D844 towards Nantes. Take exit 33 5km into the D844 towards Saint-Nazaire. Continue on the N444 then onto the N165. Continue for 60 miles until you see the exit for the N171. Follow this roads into the centre of Saint Nazaire, or proceed to Guerande. It’s easy to find somewhere to park in Saint-Nazaire, and they do operate a pay & display policy on the city centre streets.

Challans

This small commune is a sleepy old town on the west coast of France. Challans is 40km away from Nantes airport. Once you’re on the D844, and take the exit 52b to Pornic. Take the D751 exit towards Pornic and continue on this road for 50km (onto the D758 and D95). When you reach Machecoul, take the third exit on the roundabout to the D13. Take the second exit on the next roundabout to the D95. Follow this road southbound to Challans. From here, you can also reach La Rochelle and plenty of other coastal villages.