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What to do in Loire-Atlantique during the All Saints’ holidays
The Machines de l’île, the Château des ducs, the Guérande salt marshes, the Brière and Clisson: our ideas for the 2026 All Saints’ holidays in Loire-Atlantique.
8 min read
The 2026 All Saints’ holidays run from Saturday 17 October to Monday 2 November, for all three zones at once. Loire-Atlantique combines a big city full of indoor visits, Nantes, with a coast that empties after the summer, from La Baule to Le Croisic.
All Saints’ 2026 events in Loire-Atlantique
The big events are concentrated in Nantes, but the department’s castles and estates also celebrate Halloween.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Until 31 October | “L’Été indien aux Nefs”, family outings | Machines de l’île |
| Until 8 November | Exhibition Expression(s) décoloniale(s) #4 | Château des ducs de Bretagne |
| All Saints’ holidays | Secret tour of frightening objects, from age 10 | Musée Dobrée |
| 23 and 24 October | “Petite balade aux Enfers”, a miniature opera for children | Théâtre Graslin |
| 27 to 30 October, 2:30pm | Guided tours of the exhibition | Château des ducs de Bretagne |
| Wednesday 28 October | Halloween in the city centre, free with booking, ages 3 to 10 | Nantes city centre |
| 28 October to 1 November | “Danse Macabre”, horror escape game | Château de la Rairie, Pont-Saint-Martin |
| 29 October to 1 November | Les Utopiales, science fiction festival | Cité des Congrès |
| Friday 30 October | Halloween Cluedo, from age 10 | Musée du vignoble nantais, Le Pallet |
| 17 October to 1 November | Halloween workshops | Terre d’Estuaire, Cordemais |
| Thursday 29 October | Halloween at the castle, night tour from age 10 | Château de Ranrouët, Herbignac |
| Holiday weekends | Dolphin presentations, 11:30am and 3:15pm | Planète Sauvage, Port-Saint-Père |
Nantes, in any weather
The Machines de l’île, with the Great Elephant and the machine gallery, also open on Mondays during the holidays. At the Château des ducs de Bretagne, the Expression(s) décoloniale(s) exhibition runs until 8 November, with guided tours during the holidays; the castle is closed on 1 November.
In Nantes
ActivityLes Machines de l’îleNantes · 2 to 3 hoursOn the Île de Nantes, Les Machines de l’île: the Machine Gallery, the Marine Worlds Carousel and the Great Elephant, under maintenance until the end of February 2027.
CastleChâteau des ducs de BretagneNantes · 2 h 30 to 3 h 30In the heart of Nantes, the Château des ducs de Bretagne combines medieval ramparts, a ducal palace in white tufa stone and a large museum devoted to the history of the city.
MuseumMusée d’Arts de NantesNantes · 2 to 3 hours, half a day for the collections and exhibitionsMore than 14,000 works and nine centuries of art, from the Middle Ages to today, in a complex combining the Palais, the Chapelle de l’Oratoire and the contemporary Cube.
MuseumMusée Dobrée, NantesNantes · 2 to 3 hoursRenovated and reopened in 2024, the Musée Dobrée spreads archaeology, the Middle Ages, decorative arts and curiosities across three buildings. Its iconic piece is the gold reliquary for the heart of Anne of Brittany.
Guérande and the peninsula
The salt harvest is over, but the Guérande salt marshes keep their autumn colours and their birds. The medieval town can be explored on foot in an hour, and the Océarium du Croisic keeps children busy on a rainy day.
The Guérande peninsula
ActivityOcéarium du CroisicLe Croisic · About 1 h 30The Océarium du Croisic shows some 200 marine species, including penguins and a sand tiger shark, for a visit of about 1 h 30.
VillageTrentemoultRezé · 1 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with lunch or combined with NantesFacing Nantes, Trentemoult unfolds a maze of colourful houses, narrow lanes, little gardens and terraces on the banks of the Loire, a few minutes away by Navibus.
VillagePornicPornic · Half a day minimum, a full day with the coastal path and the beachPornic curls around an old harbour overlooked by its castle, among villas, coves, the customs officers’ path, fishing huts and famous treats such as La Fraiseraie.
VillageClissonClisson · Half a day minimum, ideally a full day with La Garenne LemotWhere the Sèvre and the Moine meet, Clisson combines a medieval castle, old market halls, stone bridges, Italian-style facades and the Romantic park of La Garenne Lemot.
VillagePiriac-sur-MerPiriac-sur-Mer · 2 hours to half a day, a full day with the beach or the coastal pathAmong granite, hydrangeas and colourful shutters, Piriac-sur-Mer unfolds its alleys around a small sheltered harbour before reaching the rocky coast and the Pointe du Castelli.- ViewpointBelvédère de RozéSaint-Malo-de-Guersac · 30 to 60 minutes.An observation point over the Brière marshes, perfect for taking in the canals, the reed beds and the great wetland patchwork of the regional nature park.
The Brière by boat
The second largest marsh in France is discovered by chaland, the flat bottomed boat of the Brière, among the reed beds and canals. Autumn is the season of migrating birds: bring binoculars and a warm jacket.
Castles and vineyards
Clisson and its ruined castle above the Sèvre, Goulaine amid the Muscadet vineyards, Oudon and its tower on the banks of the Loire: the south east of the department feels like a little Italy, and the grape harvest has just finished.
The castles of Loire-Atlantique
CastleChâteau de ClissonClisson · 1 to 1 h 30Overlooking the Sèvre Nantaise, the Château de Clisson is a mighty medieval fortress whose ruins inspired the town’s Romantic look.
CastleChâteau de GoulaineHaute-Goulaine · 1 h 30 to 2 hoursOn the edge of Nantes, Goulaine combines a family home, early Renaissance architecture, marshes and decorative collections.
CastleChâteau d'OudonOudon · 1 h to 1 h 30Above the Loire, the great tower of Oudon tells the story of the Marches of Brittany and offers a remarkable view from its terrace.- CastleChâteau des ducs de BretagneNantes · 2 h 30 to 3 h 30In the heart of Nantes, the Château des ducs de Bretagne combines medieval ramparts, a ducal palace in white tufa stone and a large museum devoted to the history of the city.
CastleChâteau de ChâteaubriantChâteaubriant · 1 h 30 to 2 hoursIn Châteaubriant, a fortress of the Marches stands beside an elegant Renaissance palace: two architectures and two eras on the same estate.
CastleChâteau de PornicPornic · 30 min to 1 hour for the outside and viewpointsOverlooking the old port, the Château de Pornic is the town’s iconic image: a former medieval fortress, remodelled in the 19th century and still privately owned.
Where to stay in Loire-Atlantique
Stay in Loire-Atlantique
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
Partner link: a booking made from this map may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Our hotels open at All Saints’
- HotelCastel Marie-LouiseLa Baule · 1 night to several daysFacing the ocean in La Baule, the Castel Marie-Louise is a 5-star Barrière hotel with just 31 rooms and suites, in an elegant Belle Époque house with a gastronomic restaurant.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
HotelDomaine de la BretescheMissillac · 1 night to a week or moreIn Missillac, the Domaine de la Bretesche is a 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel in a 200-hectare estate, with rooms, villas and cottages, an 18-hole golf course, a spa, pools and a restaurant.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com- HotelAnne de BretagneLa Plaine-sur-Mer · 1 night to several daysFacing the ocean in La Plaine-sur-Mer, Anne de Bretagne is a 4-star Relais & Châteaux house with only 15 rooms and suites, a heated pool and a 2-Michelin-star gourmet restaurant.
- HotelLe Fort de l'OcéanLe Croisic · 2 nights if the hotel reopens, to enjoy the place and the Côte Sauvage.An iconic 4-star hotel with only 9 rooms on the Côte Sauvage of Le Croisic, listed as temporarily closed in 2026 by the tourist office.
- HotelLa Mare aux OiseauxSaint-Joachim / Brière · 2 nights is ideal for the food and for discovering La Brière.A 12-room hotel with suites on the island of Fédrun in La Brière, run by chef Éric Guérin, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, suites on stilts and a wellness area.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
- HotelAlliance Pornic Hôtel Thalasso & SpaPornic · 1 night to a week, or longer for a cureFacing the ocean and La Source beach, Alliance Pornic is a 4-star hotel with thalassotherapy, a spa, a heated seawater circuit, restaurants and rooms with terraces.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
Going further
Loire-Atlantique, in the journal
- Where to stay in Nantes: our hotels by district
- What to do in Loire-Atlantique during the Christmas holidays
- What to do in Nantes during the Christmas holidays
- What to do in Nantes: the complete guide
- What to do in Saint-Nazaire: the complete guide
- What to do in Pornic: the complete guide
- What to do around Nantes: 10 day trips
- The most beautiful beaches in Loire-Atlantique
All Saints’ elsewhere in Brittany
- What to do in Brittany during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Finistère during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Morbihan during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Côtes-d’Armor at All Saints’
- What to do in Ille-et-Vilaine during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Rennes during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Nantes during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Brest during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Saint-Malo during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Vannes during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Quimper during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Lorient during the All Saints’ holidays
- What to do in Saint-Brieuc during the All Saints’ holidays