Nature
Visitors can rent canoes on Lac de Nantua and go out on the lake. Lac de Nantua is of glacial origin and classified as an Espace Naturel Sensible (ENS).
When planning a stay in Nantua, the desire to rent a holiday apartment may be a central consideration.
Culture
The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation is located in Nantua’s former prison. It covers the outbreak of the war, daily life during the occupation, the Vichy regime, the Resistance and the Maquis, assistance from the Allies, and deportation. The museum carries the “Tourisme & Handicap” label for the four areas of hearing, intellectual disability, mobility and visual impairment.
The Abbatiale Saint-Michel was built at the end of the 11th century on the site of an older Benedictine abbey and was listed as a Monument historique in 1907. Eugène Delacroix’s painting “Martyre de Saint-Sébastien” hangs in the Abbatiale.
The Monument départemental aux déportés de l’Ain was created by Louis Leygue and inaugurated in 1949. The Monument des Déportés de l’Ain stands on an artificial esplanade extending into the water from the lakeshore. Memorial ceremonies are held there every year on 14 December, the anniversary of the Nantua raid, and on the last Sunday in April.
The Cinéma Jean-Pierre Améris is a municipal cinema in Nantua with a varied film programme and cultural events. The Médiathèque Dubouillon welcomes visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as well as Fridays and Saturdays, and offers a selection of 30,000 resources.
Trails
The Sentier de la Vierge et des Diligences initially leads through the forest and then into the town of Nantua, conveying the town’s history and landscapes along the way. The trail takes approximately one hour and is free of charge.
The Tour du lac de Nantua is a secure route; 80 percent of the route is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. The Circuit découverte de Nantua is a walking route through the town with information panels about Nantua’s most notable features.
The Tour des Fècles climbs along a mountainside and offers unobstructed views of the lake and Nantua; on the plateau, the circular trail follows the cliff face to the Colonne viewpoint.
The route to the Col de Belleroche leads from Nantua to the Col de Belleroche. The climb passes through mountain meadows and coniferous forests and has a maximum gradient of 9.4 percent.
Culinary highlights
Quenelle sauce Nantua is Nantua’s emblematic dish. Since 2008, the Confrérie de la Quenelle sauce Nantua has held the Fête de la Quenelle every year on the first weekend in October. At the Dégustation de quenelles au Comté, a tasting takes place under the direction of a member of the Confrérie de la Quenelle sauce Nantua.
Other destinations: Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, Divonne-Les-Bains, Samognat, Massignieu-De-Rives, Bohas-Meyriat-Rignat, Mantenay-Montlin, Replonges, Corbonod
