Nantes Navibus N1 to Trentemoult: a city-ticket river crossing, free at weekends

€1.80, the price of a one-hour Naolib ticket bought before boarding, covers a crossing of the Loire on the N1 river shuttle, and at weekends the boat is free. The boat runs between Gare Maritime, on the city side, and Trentemoult Sablières, in Rezé, opposite, and Naolib puts the average crossing at eight minutes. On weekdays there is a sailing every twelve minutes, from 07:00 to 20:36 out of Gare Maritime and from 07:12 to 20:48 out of Rezé.

Weekend mornings are quieter. On Saturdays the first boat leaves Gare Maritime at 09:00, and on Sundays and public holidays at 09:48; boats then run every 24 minutes until early afternoon, every 12 minutes from 14:12 to 18:48, and every 24 minutes again in the evening. The line runs every day of the year except 1 May.

The times below come from Naolib's N1 leaflet for 31 August 2026 to 29 August 2027 and match the network's own open data. The leaflet also lists later evening boats, but those run only from 1 June to 30 September and are left out here.

A boat every 12 minutes on weekdays, every 24 on weekend mornings

Naolib N1 timetable for 31 August 2026 – 29 August 2027, excluding the evening sailings that run only from 1 June to 30 September · checked 29 October 2026   Naolib – Navibus Loire N1 timetable leaflet (PDF) · 2026-10-29

One city ticket on weekdays, nothing at weekends

There is no separate boat fare. Any Naolib public transport ticket is accepted on board, and the basic one, the one-hour ticket, costs €1.80. It is valid for an hour on trams, buses, river shuttles and local TER trains within the Nantes area, so you can cross the river and carry on by tram on the same ticket as long as the hour has not run out.

From 00:00 on Saturday until 23:59 on Sunday, trams, buses and the Navibus are free for everyone; only the airport shuttle still needs a ticket. Children under six travel free every day when accompanied.

Naolib fares as shown on its tickets page and in the network's open data · checked 29 October 2026   Naolib – one-hour, 24-hour and monthly tickets · 2026-10-29

Where to board on each bank

Both piers work like any other stop on the network, with tram and bus connections posted by Naolib. The coordinates under each name are those of the stop in the network data published by Nantes Métropole, which lists both stops as wheelchair-accessible.

Downstream of the Île de Nantes

On the map printed in Naolib's leaflet, the N1 crosses the Loire just west of the tip of the Île de Nantes, where the Hangar à Bananes stands and the N2 starts. Boats leave the north bank at Gare Maritime and land on the south bank at Trentemoult Sablières, in the town of Rezé. Naolib gives the crossing time, eight minutes on average, but no distance.

Bikes, wheelchairs and other things to know before you board

• Bikes

  Standard and longtail bikes are allowed when there is room and the crew agree, so a busy boat may turn a bike away.

• Wheelchair users

  Naolib asks wheelchair users to travel with a companion, for safety reasons.

• No round trips on board

  Staying on the boat for the return leg is not allowed: get off, then board again.

• 1 May and other holidays

  There are no sailings on 1 May. Other public holidays, among them 11 November, 25 December and 1 January, follow the Sunday column.

• Service updates

  Naolib's disruption page lists the network's affected lines, river shuttles included. Check it on the day you travel.

• Luggage and visitors

  This is a short commuter crossing with no booking and no check-in: you simply walk on with your ticket, or without one at weekends.

Two more river shuttles, and a coach towards the Vendée coast

Naolib runs two other river shuttles. Line N2 starts at the Hangar à Bananes on the Île de Nantes, calls at Trentemoult Sablières and continues to Bas-Chantenay, taking about 12 minutes, with a boat every 20 minutes at weekday peak times. It shares the Rezé pier with the N1 but keeps its own timetable. On the Erdre, Naolib's third line, the N3, is an on-demand crossing between Port-Boyer and Petit Port Facultés: you ring a bell to call the boat.

For travellers heading on from Nantes to the Vendée coast, Aléop coach line 13 leaves the south side of Nantes railway station for Noirmoutier and stops at the port of Fromentine, where the boats to the Île d'Yeu leave. Yeu Continent puts the coach journey at about an hour and a quarter.

Visitors' questions about the N1 river shuttle