La Baule claims to have the finest beach in Europe, and while that is a bold assertion, the nine-kilometre sweep of sand curving along the Baie de la Baule is genuinely impressive. This is the French Atlantic coast at its most elegant — a long boulevard of Belle Époque villas, grand hotels, and pine-shaded promenades facing a broad, gently shelving beach.
The resort developed in the late 19th century when the railway arrived, and much of that era's architecture survives in the streets behind the seafront. La Baule-les-Pins, the eastern end of town, is quieter and more residential, shaded by the maritime pines of the Bois d'Amour that were planted to stabilise the dunes. The grand Casino Barrière sits in the middle of it all.
Beyond the beach, the Guérande peninsula to the west is worth exploring. The medieval walled town of Guérande is one of the best-preserved in Brittany, and the salt marshes below it produce the fleur de sel for which the region is famous. The wild coast beyond Le Croisic offers rocky headlands and smaller, less manicured beaches.