France · Pays de la Loire · Nantes
Doulon, Nantes — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Doulon is an eastern district of Nantes, a commune in its own right until 1908 and still gathered around église Saint-Médard du Vieux-Doulon.
Hotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Where to stay in Doulon
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Beds in Doulon are ordinary Nantes lodgings rather than tourist stock, spread through terraced streets east of the city centre where the old commune once ended. The choice splits two ways. Around the église Saint-Médard du Vieux-Doulon the quarter keeps its village grain, low-built and quiet.
Nearer Église Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides the streets tighten into a working neighbourhood of shops and terraces. If you want Nantes at arm's length, this is the trade.
Find hotels in Doulon
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Vieux-Doulon
The oldest ground in the district, gathered around église Saint-Médard du Vieux-Doulon and the low streets of the former commune.Find hotels in Vieux-DoulonBases trading sightseeing frontage for a working corner of Doulon-Bottière.Toutes-Aides
Close-packed terraces and everyday shops running up to Église Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides.Find hotels in Toutes-AidesArrivals by car who want room to park and a quick road out of Nantes.La Pilotière
Later blocks and open playing ground on the eastern side, marked by église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de la Pilotière.Find hotels in La PilotièreHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Nantes
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
3- Église Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides
- Église Sainte-Élisabeth de Nantes
- église Saint-Georges des Batignolles
Castles & Historic Sites
1- monument au général Buat
Stadiums & Sports
3- piscine Jules-Verne de Nantes
- Complexe Sportif du Croissant
- stade de l'Eraudiere
Landmarks & Notable Places
3- Tour de la Massonnerie
- maison de Bel Air
- maison du Plessis Maillard
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Nantes
About Doulon
What are the main landmarks in Doulon?
Doulon counts churches before anything else. The église Saint-Médard du Vieux-Doulon anchors the old parish, while Église Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides and église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de la Pilotière serve the quarters that later filled the ground between them. Two older structures break the pattern.
The Tour de la Massonnerie and the maison de Bel Air stand among the newer streets, holding ground that belonged to the commune before Nantes took it in. Playing fields and the Complexe Sportif du Croissant take up much of the open ground on the district's edge.
What is the history of Doulon?
Doulon was a commune of its own. Nantes annexed it in 1908, and the territory of the old parish largely makes up Doulon-Bottière, one of the 11 districts the city is divided into. Before that it stood in the Loire-Atlantique department as a separate commune bordering the city, with its own parish church, the église Saint-Médard du Vieux-Doulon.
Where is Doulon?
Doulon lies east of central Nantes, taking in Église Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides and the older parish ground at Vieux-Doulon.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Doulon?
Vieux-Doulon: Stays that want the village grain of the old parish instead of central Nantes.. Toutes-Aides: Bases trading sightseeing frontage for a working corner of Doulon-Bottière.. La Pilotière: Arrivals by car who want room to park and a quick road out of Nantes..
Good for
More areas in Nantes
Updated October 2026