2026 ranking · sunshine

The sunniest large cities in Pays de la Loire (20,000+ inhabitants)

Q: What is the sunniest large city in Pays de la Loire?

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the sunniest large city in Pays de la Loire, with 2,324 hours of sunshine a year on average.

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the sunniest large city in Pays de la Loire, with 2,324 hours of sunshine a year on average. Next come Saumur (Maine-et-Loire, 2,003 hours a year) and La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée, 1,922 hours a year).

17 towns ranked out of 1,228

Les Sables-d'Olonne, 1^stThe next 16

The podium

Photos: © Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · © Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 17 of the 1,228 towns in Pays de la Loire. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. At the other end of the ranking, Le Mans (Sarthe) comes last with 1,809 hours a year.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: sunniest large cities in Pays de la Loire

Rank	Town	Department	Hours of sunshine per year	Population
1	Les Sables-d'Olonne	Vendée (85)	2,324	50,924
2	Saumur	Maine-et-Loire (49)	2,003	27,096
3	La Roche-sur-Yon	Vendée (85)	1,922	57,683
4	Saint-Nazaire	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,893	76,243
5 tied	Nantes	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	332,515
5 tied	Saint-Herblain	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	51,681
5 tied	Rezé	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	44,286
5 tied	Orvault	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	29,176
5 tied	Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	29,151
5 tied	Vertou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	26,684
5 tied	Couëron	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	24,367
5 tied	Montaigu-Vendée	Vendée (85)	1,873	21,789
5 tied	Carquefou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	21,509
5 tied	La Chapelle-sur-Erdre	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	21,281
5 tied	Bouguenais	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,873	20,862
16	Angers	Maine-et-Loire (49)	1,845	162,290
17	Le Mans	Sarthe (72)	1,809	148,876

Source: Météo-France, climate data sheets (30-year normals); average annual hours of sunshine at the reference station, cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Sunniest large cities in Pays de la Loire: FAQ

What is the sunniest large city in Pays de la Loire?

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the sunniest large city in Pays de la Loire, with 2,324 hours of sunshine a year on average.

What are the 10 sunniest large cities in Pays de la Loire?

In order: Les Sables-d'Olonne (2,324 hours a year), Saumur (2,003 hours a year), La Roche-sur-Yon (1,922 hours a year), Saint-Nazaire (1,893 hours a year), Nantes (1,873 hours a year), Saint-Herblain (1,873 hours a year), Rezé (1,873 hours a year), Orvault (1,873 hours a year), Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire (1,873 hours a year), and Vertou (1,873 hours a year).

How many towns in Pays de la Loire are ranked?

17 out of 1,228. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation.

Where do these figures come from?

They are Météo-France climate normals (30-year averages), recorded at the weather station closest to the town hall, no more than 30 km away and within 300 m of elevation: towns linked to the same station share the same value and are tied. Towns without a station close enough are not ranked. Only cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants are ranked here; towns with 2,000 or more inhabitants appear in the sunniest cities ranking.