Nantes, France Cruises

Nantes, France Cruise Port

France’s sixth largest city, Nantes, is located on the Atlantic coast and is the administrative seat of the Loire-Atlantique department within the Pays de la Loire, one of France’s 18 regions. It is also the largest city in Brittany. The city itself is known for its cultural art. After losing its shipbuilding industry in the 1980s, Nantes reinvented itself as a haven for forward-thinking architects and artists. Their former shipyard has been converted to an intriguing attraction with various animatronics depicting deep sea creatures and an almost 40-foot elephant. Nantes’ medieval district has stunning architecture from the 14^th through 18^th centuries, much of it restored and remastered within the past 80 years following World War II. The medieval core features narrow roads segregating it from the more modern fare, and features impressive stone castles. Nantes has over 100 well-maintained public parks, the oldest being a botanical garden created in 1807.

• Explore the Jardin des Plantes, a more than 200-year-old botanical garden. With over 50,000 flowers and 100,000 living species, it’s one of the most extensive collections in all of France.
   
• Learn about the “Father of Science Fiction” at the Jules Verne Museum. Housed in a 19^th-century building, the museum is divided into eight themed rooms each depicting important moments in the author’s life.
   
• Nantes’ natural history museum is one of the largest of its kind in France. Explore the delightful great gallery and learn of mineralogy and the country’s other historical trades.
   
• The Cathedrale de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul is an impressive gothic cathedral from the medieval era featuring a nave and many ancient tombs.