France welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, more than any country on earth. Most of them went to Paris. A major new study suggests they left without seeing one of the best parts of France: Nantes.
Research published in April 2026 by GetYourGuide, drawn from nearly 2.9 million bookings across France, found that Paris ranks sixth in average spend per transaction, well behind smaller destinations where travelers linger longer, spend more and return with something Paris rarely delivers at scale: access. “Growth no longer comes solely from volumes,” said Cécile Lavarenne, regional manager of GetYourGuide France, “but from the value created by experiences, often outside of major metropolises.” Nantes, two hours from Paris on France’s high-speed rail network, is the clearest proof of that shift, and spring is the time to go.
A castle in the middle of the city
The Château des ducs de Bretagne sits in the center of Nantes, the way the Louvre sits in Paris, except you can walk its ramparts for free, picnic on the surrounding lawns and spend an afternoon inside the Museum of the History of Nantes without booking weeks in advance. Built in the late 15th century by François II, the last Duke of Brittany, the chateau is a listed Historic Monument and the site where Henri IV signed the Edict of Nantes in 1598. Through Nov. 8, it hosts “Expression(s) Décoloniale(s) #4,” an exhibition featuring Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino, Senegalese artist Omar Victor Diop and Beninese historian Lylly Houngnihin. The combination of medieval architecture and urgent contemporary art is about as far from a Paris queue as travel gets.
A five-minute walk delivers you to the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, which reopened on September 27, 2025, after a five-year restoration following a devastating 2020 arson attack. Its nave rises 123 feet, taller than Notre-Dame de Paris, and spring 2026 is its first full season back. Restoration continues through 2028, but the cathedral is open and worth every step.
Seven stars and a table by the river
Nantes retained seven Michelin Stars in the 2026 guide: L’Atlantide 1874 – Maison Guého, LuluRouget, Le Manoir de la Régate, Les Cadets, Freia, Omija and Le 1201 in nearby Les Sorinières. The dining culture beyond the starred tables runs just as deep. Each spring, “guinguettes,” open-air restaurants along the Loire riverbanks, reopen their terraces, serving fouées, zander with beurre blanc and local Muscadet by the glass. La Cantine du Voyage, Station Nuage and Château de la Frémoire are among those opening tables in the sunlight this season, and river cruise dining is returning to the Loire for the warmer months. Paris has its brasseries; Nantes has the river.
The summer festival you should beat to it
On July 4, Le Voyage à Nantes launches its 15th edition, this year themed around earth, the first in a four-year cycle exploring the elements. Running alongside it, the HAB Galerie will host “Interstellar: Re-imagining Earth,” an immersive exhibition featuring around 20 contemporary visual artists, photographers, videographers and designers, which opens on May 23 and runs through Sept. 27. The festival will transform the city with a green line painted through the streets connecting new installations and cultural sites across the urban landscape.
The event runs through Sept. 6. That makes spring, now through late June, the smart window: the Château is open, the cathedral is back, the guinguettes are serving and the city is unhurried. By July, Nantes will have earned its crowds; it just hasn’t yet.
Where the value has gone
The GetYourGuide research found that more than a quarter of travelers said an experience was a decisive factor in their choice of destination, and nearly 1 in 4 extended their stay because of one. Nantes is the perfect choice: a walkable medieval core, a riverfront that has been reclaimed for public life, a Michelin-dense food scene and a cultural infrastructure that has been compounding for years. Paris will always be Paris, but in 2026, the traveler getting the most out of France may not be the one standing in line at the Eiffel Tower.
Jennifer Allen is a retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and nationally syndicated journalist; she’s also a co-founder of Food Drink Life, where she shares expert travel tips, cruise insights and luxury destination guides. A recognized cruise expert with a deep passion for high-end experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Jennifer explores the world with curiosity, depth and a storyteller’s perspective. Her articles are regularly featured on the Associated Press Wire, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.
The post Why Nantes — not Paris — is the French city worth your time in 2026 appeared first on Food Drink Life.
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