The most beautiful villas in La Baule

It was only at the beginning of the 20th century, when its neighbors Le Croisic and Le Pouliguen were already attracting the regular visitors of the seaside tourism, that the charms of the bay of La Baule began to interest the promoters. At that time, La Baule was still only a place (La Bôle), not far from the small village of Escoublac, where the train from Paris did not agree to stop in 1879 (12 hours of travel). Thanks to the sixth sense of the owner of the railway company of Saint-Nazaire at Croisic, a first quarter of upscale villas was born. Others follow quickly: La Baule arises in the midst of sand dunes and pine forests.

The wealth holders of Paris and Nantes get a move on building their second homes there. Owners and architects have full permission. La Baule borrows and revisits the architectural codes of the regions and other seaside resorts, with only one credo: the opening on nature. Terraces, pergolas, verandas, loggias adorn these buildings with the sheer madness. Some of these villas have disappeared today, especially on the waterfront, where they have given way to residences. But you can still admire many of them, walking at random through the streets. We recommend the most insignia here.

Wonderful neo-Gothic style, Villa Ker Vary (1896) is located at the intersection of François-André Esplanade and Bouchardat Avenue. It is signed by the architect Nantes Georges Lafont, specialist of small forts of the ocean front, with their turrets of angle and their walls in granite stones. The villa Saint-Corentin, avenue des Hirondelles (district Benoît) revisits the Breton style, with its roof in slate and its elements in granite. It is signed by Paul-Henri Datessen. In the district of La Baule-Les Pins, the villa La Maritaye plays with Provençal codes, with pink salmon walls and terracotta terrace. For more information about the villas to admire in the region, you can ask the tourist office of La Baule, which organizes walks and guided tours