Nantes is a Franceâs 6th largest city, an important city within the Brittany region, located about 50 kilometers away from the Atlantic coast upon the Loire River.
Nantes
generally witnesses cool winters and mild summers, with rain falling throughout
the entirety of the year. Nantes
is a temperate city, rarely experiencing major weather extremes, though winters
can occasionally be freezing and summers can get hot, particular during July.
In 2004 Nantes was described as "the most livable city in all of Europe" by Time magazine. Its location near the coast and upon the picturesque river Loire combined with its temperate climate and access to the historic French region of Brittany means it is not hard to understand why the city was given this title!
Summers are generally fairly mild but can occasionally get very hot in the height of the season. Generally though the daily average hovers around 20°C, with June and September seeing a daily average of 16°C to 17°C, before picking up to 18°C to 19°C in the months of July and August. Rainfall is at its lowest during the summer months of June to August, but picks up again come September before rising to its peak in November.
The steady rainfall throughout the year waters the many grassy areas in the city and keeps the flora and fauna happy, this lead Nantes being named the "greenest city" in France the French weekly L'Express. In springtime the street cafes are lined with blooming flower boxes and the parklands are green and lush.
Nantes is full of colourful parks and is intertwined with beautiful old cobbled streets. It has great museums, a thriving arts scene and a large student population so it has a little bit of everything to offer. There are historic buildings intermingled with a vibrant night life, which makes it a great city to visit at any time of the year.
If you do visit in the winter months be sure to come prepared with a jacket and scarf as the evenings can get quite chilly. The coastal winds that blow off the Atlantic can get very chilly at times and whilst the days are often clear that can certainly get crisp. Average daily minimum falls to about 2 to 3 degrees, whilst the maximum on average reaches 8°C to 11°C (8°C in Jan to 11°C in Feb)
January is the harshest winter month, it sees 1 snow day on average and 12 days of rain which is the most of any months of the year. (Although April, October and November each see 11 days of rain) However, by the middle of February the mercury begin to rise again and rainfall weans slightly, and spring time brings beautiful weather.