The paths along the Erdre River are probably the best place to run in Nantes. Starting at Square Maquis-de-Saffré in central Nantes, the paths run along both sides of the river north to the N844 highway, passing elegant buildings, pleasant neighborhoods, a university campus, woods, a Japanese garden, and numerous colorful boats. A full loop is 10 km, including a jaunt around the small île de Versailles. On the east side of the river, there’s a particularly scenic boardwalk section that juts out on the water, for ~ 1 km. On the west side, you’ll pass Nantes University.
Add-Ons: On the east side, you can continue north of the N844 on a path to Park La Beaujoire/Roseraie, which has some nice paths. Also, at the 4 km mark of our route, just east of the river path, is a running track at the Don Bosco athletic complex.
Flickr Creative Commons: Mypouss
The paths along the Erdre River are probably the best place to run in Nantes. Starting at Square Maquis-de-Saffré in central Nantes, the paths run along both sides of the river north to the N844 highway, passing elegant buildings, pleasant neighborhoods, a university campus, woods, a Japanese garden, and numerous colorful boats. A full loop is 10 km, including a jaunt around the small île de Versailles. On the east side of the river, there’s a particularly scenic boardwalk section that juts out on the water, for ~ 1 km. On the west side, you’ll pass Nantes University.
Add-Ons: On the east side, you can continue north of the N844 on a path to Park La Beaujoire/Roseraie, which has some nice paths. Also, at the 4 km mark of our route, just east of the river path, is a running track at the Don Bosco athletic complex.
A pleasant 9 km 'runseeing' tour of the central and historic parts of Nantes, hitting the key cultural sites, several important churches, Château des ducs de Bretagne, botanical gardens, Loire River paths, and the trendy Graslin neighborhood.
Although we prefer the paths along the Erdre, there's some decent running along the north side of the Loire River. We've mapped a route of up to 8.5 km one-way from the Maillé-Brézé Museum to the N844. Mix of pastoral paths and path along busier road.
A 10k loop of the Île de Nantes, featuring the waterside roads and paths on the north and south sides of the island and Parc Beaulieu. Great views of the Loire River and central Nantes. Can be combined with paths on the north side of the river.
A loop around Île Pinette and Île Forget is one of our favorite running routes in Nantes. Flat gravel paths encircling the two islands, featuring pastoral landscape of fields and meadows, with nice views of the Loire River. Add Île de Nantes for a longer run.
This tour of three parks, connected by a multi-use path, is a great way to do a longer off-road run near downtown Nantes. Start at Parc Procé, with its lovely trees and old manor, and run through Parc de la Chézine, with a loop around Parc de la Bégraisière
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