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Car Hire at Nantes Train Station - Exploring Western France

Dating from the late-1960s, Nantes Train Station (known locally as Gare de Nantes) is the city's main railway hub and an important public transport centre. Practical and efficient with a stylish central edifice, the station lies approximately 2 hours from Paris on the TGV high-speed train network (Charles de Gaulle Airport takes just over 3 hours), with Nantes Airport located just 15 minutes by train from city centre.

Located in the heart of Nantes, the station has a contemporary stone and glass façade which stands proud as of the city's key architectural landmarks. Its eight platforms cater for a succession of high-speed TGV Atlantique trains throughout the day, with other regional and Intercités services connecting with Bourges, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Lyon, Tours and Toulouse.

Nantes is a lovely old city with an enchanting historic centre called the Bouffay where visitors can stroll through winding cobblestone streets lined with delightful half-timbered houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Don't miss the museum dedicated to Jules Verne, the author of Around the World in 80 Days and other amazing stories who was born in Nantes in 1828.

With a car hire from Nantes Train Station you can enjoy a couple of days' city sightseeing before heading out into the beautiful French countryside to explore some of the most picturesque parts of rural France. Nantes itself is just 50 kilometres inland from the Atlantic coast, so day-trips to places like La Rochelle, Brest and other popular seaside destinations are perfectly possible.

Auto Europe is one of the world's leading car hire companies with over 24,000 convenient pick-up locations in more than 180 different destinations. We offer plenty of options, ranging from Mini, Economy, Mid-size and Large-sized vehicles to stylish SUVs and classy convertibles for that trip down France's idyllic west coast.

Our rental specialists are available on +44 123 3225 114 should you need help with your booking, plus they will only too happy to find you the best deal in Nantes and elsewhere in France. For extra peace of mind, why not check out the ratings and comments posted by some of Auto Europe's previous customers in the city by visting our Nantes car hire reviews page.

Station Information

Nantes Train Station is the principal passenger railway station serving this charming city of western France. It now ranks as the sixth-busiest station in France with annual passenger traffic expected to double to 25 million by 2030. Construction was started on the current station in 1965, and it was placed into service three years later. Aligned east–west, it is a busy through station with entrances and station facilities on both the northern and southern of the railway complex. Despite being directly linked to each other, the two entrances are sometimes referred to as Gare Nord and Gare Sud, as if they were separate stations. The southern entrance hall was inaugurated in 1989 for the opening of the TGV Atlantique line.

Where to pick up my car hire at Nantes Train Station

Most of the companies offering car hire at Nantes Train Station have their offices just off-site in Rue Marcel Paul and Rue de Cornulier. To speed up the pick-up process, please make sure you have all necessary documents ready, including your passport, driving licence and Auto Europe car hire voucher. Don't forget to take your credit card, which will also be required to collect your vehicle.

	Avis at Nantes Train Station Rue Marcel Paul Nantes, France 44000 +33 820611675	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-9, Sat 9am-3pm and Sun midday-8pm
	Europcar at Nantes Train Station Rue Marcel Paul Nantes, France 44000 +33 240471938	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7.45am-9pm, Sat 9am-1pm/2.15-6.15pm and Sun 10.30am-12.30pm/5-8.30pm
	Sixt at Nantes Train Station 20 Rue Cornulier Nantes, France 44000 +33 820 00 74 98	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-9pm, Sat 8am-8pm and Sun 10am-midday/2-8pm

Station facilities

Nantes Train Station is one of the most modern railway hubs in the west of France. Its renovated building combines optimum customer service with a futuristic, eco-friendly design with a pleasant mezzanine, free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access, quick accessibility and a host of other convenient features to make the travel experience of its passengers as easy as possible. Its main hall is designed like a pedestrian street with shops, bars, cafés, eateries and some local businesses. Along with its large Grand Voyageur lounge, the station also caters for passengers with disabilities thanks to guide trails and hearing loops.

How to get to and from Nantes Train Station

Ideally located in the heart of the city, visitors rarely have any trouble picking up their car hire at Nantes Train Station. The city's widely efficient public transport system links the station to the city with line 1 of the tram and the number 12 bus right outside the main entrance with regular services into the centre, as well as the C3 and C5 Chronobus which covers the whole of Nantes from east to west. Across the road from the southern hall is the southern terminus of the Navibus service that operates through the St Felix canal tunnel and up the River Erdre to the University of Nantes. The Tan’Air shuttle service also carries passengers between the station and Nantes Atlantique Airport throughout the day. There are regular high-speed TGV services to Charles de Gaulle Airport (also known as Roissy Airport) in Paris and several connections between Strasbourg and Nantes. The centre of Paris is just a couple of hours away and Bordeaux around 4 hours via the regional TER Pays de la Loire line. The Interloire connects Orléans to the Atlantic coast at speeds of up to 200kph stopping at Nantes en route.

Parking tips

On-street parking in the centre of Nantes limited to 10 hours, but you can use one of the many municipal car parks for longer stays. Free parking is available on the edge of the city centre and there are plenty of on-street parking spaces available in the heart of Nantes in zones marked green and red. When you rent a car in Nantes and decide to park it somewhere, please note that the most popular car parks for visiting the main tourist sites around Nantes city centre are Effia Médiathèque (18 Rue de l'Héronnière), Parking Graslin (Rue Jean de la Fontaine), Effia A.Briand (Place Aristide Briand), Parking Commerce (1 Allée de la Bourse), Parking Bretagne (Rue Mercoeur), Talensac (Rue du Bourgneuf/Rue le Notre), Parking Decré-Bouffay (18 rue Moulin), Parking Cathédrale (7 Rue Sully), Effia Gare Nord (Boulevard Stalingrad), Effia Cité Int. des Congrès (Avenue Carnot) and Effia Gare Sud (Quai Malakoff). Nantes also has a very efficient Park and Ride (P&R) system whereby visitors can park right on the perimeter of the inner city and travel to their chosen destination by public transport at very little cost.

Useful links

Nantes Tourist Info