Saint-Nazaire City Map Poster

About Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is a subprefecture of the Loire-Atlantique department. It is also the seat of two cantons: Saint-Nazaire-1 and Saint-Nazaire -2. Saint Nazaire was founded by King Francis I on 10 April 1540, under the name "Port de la Crappe". The economic activity in Saint Nazairé originated from fishing and agriculture but it was thanks to Napoleon Bonaparte who decided to build a port there that this city became one of France's main ports. From 30 km away comes Montoir with its famous sand dunes, tourism has been an important activity since 1970s although it has become less popular due to work opportunities offered by other towns near Paris such as La Baule or Pornichet which are more accessible for tourists than St Nazare where you need either your own car or public transport (bus).