1 day and a half in Nantes – guide to the historic capital of Brittany
The last stage of my journey through Atlantic coast of France It is the gracious and… rainy Nantes.
Although it is the administrative capital of Loire Valley, Indeed, Nantes has always been the main center historical region of Brittany, inhabited by Celts relatives of those in Wales, Cornwall and Ireland.
in fact, if there's one thing you notice upon arrival in Nantes, is the incredible number of flags Breton, stickers and graffiti praising all’autonomy of Brittany, slogans calling to keep alive the use of the Breton language… It seems to be in Catalonia!
My commitment for employment: buy products Breton! 🙂
As for the route from Bordeaux to La Rochelle, I used to come to Nantes and BlaBlaCar, to get downtown from the suburbs, I used the line 3 (blu) del tram, that from the terminus of Marcel Paul led me quickly to Commerce, in the heart of the city, a stone's throw from the castle of the Dukes of Brittany.
The three tram lines, in fact, They are excellent, They have good frequencies, and cover much of the city, as in many other French cities. IL single ticket price is 1.6eur, and it allows you to use all means, within 60 minutes from validation. obviously, you can pay for the tickets with credit cards, for those without cash.
The first day I arrived in the afternoon, and then I got to “taste” only quickly the city, walking through the narrow streets of the old town, that line the Basilica di San Nicholas, the beautiful Place Royale and, before closure, I managed to visit the’Ile de Versailles, a beautiful island that lies at the heart of the Loire River, at which a Japanese garden.
as I mentioned above, no evidence suggested that he was the middle of summer: rain, gusts of wind, gray sky… the proximity of the British Isles is felt, bring an umbrella! 🙂
The second day, I went out early in the morning, because I had organized a real tour de force, to try to visit all the sights of Nantes and, as you will see in the itinerary that will insert the end of post, I did it, and I'm not even gone in a hurry!
I bought a day ticket, costing 5eur, that allows you to use all public transport within 24 hours (attention, 24 clock hours, so do not expire at midnight).
Both the Nantes Cathedral (St. Peter and St. Paul), with the magnificent marble tomb of Duke of Brittany François II and his wife Margherita di Foix, that the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, for centuries the center of power of the small duchy, I was greatly impressed.
some, nearby there are other gems, as the Passage Pommeraye, small mall dl 1840, built wrought iron, that also serves as a connection between two streets of the old town. Also, there is the small hamlet of fishermen Trentemoult, reachable by ferry “Ships”, also included in the daily ticket of public transport.
Strolling through the narrow streets of Trentemoult
I was also in the famous playground de The Island Machines, according to many the main tourist attraction of Nantes.
One, it is true, The’mechanical elephant (of which it was a video) It is very cute but, unless cisitare the playground with children, I rate avoidable, especially if you're in a hurry.
Lastly, a word about food: se c’è un MUST a Nantes, is called “compléte Breton galette“, the Breton version of crepes.
I tried them by “Au Vieux Quimper”, a typical restaurant on Rue Baclerie, in the center. With sausages, egg bull's eye, cheese, I am a real bomb… especially after you choose to take even the sweet crepes, with honey and almond flakes. 🙂
Di patty Au Vieux Quimper. A bomb, in all senses!
All photo I took in Nantes are, Usual, in my gallery, to this address.
We come to’itinerary I prepared for my visit to Nantes, lasting a day and a half:
1DAY (arriving mid-afternoon – Yellow pins)
- Island of Versailles (Japanese garden with azaleas, Rhododendrons, and other Asian plants. There is also a tea house) (Time 8:30-20)
- Eat from the Cordelière – 7 Holy Cross street (compra tkt da 24h ed, a Sud de l’Ile de Versailes, Take Tram 2 verso Pont Russeau da St.Mihiel a Commerce)
2DAY (pins rossi)
- Jardin des plantes de Nantes (Even before the current garden, opened in 1806, since the end of '600 here was a park with exotic plants. Today contains over 11 thousand species of plants) (Take Tram 3 up to Commerce, and changes with bus 11 to Perray, up to Bouteillerie)
- Nantes Cathedral (St. Peter and St. Paul) (The first stone was laid in 1434, and the works lasted until 1893, then for over 5 centuries! It was restored after the fire 1972, and the nave is higher than that of Notre Dame de Paris, With its 37.5 meters. The right side, It is the most important masterpiece, or the tomb of François II Duke of Brittany, and his wife Margherita di Foix, built in the early '500. E'presenta a crypt of the eleventh century., free admission, with a permanent)
- Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne (Gratutio entrance walls, in the backyard, and in the gardens. The cathedral, It is the most important monument of the city. Risale al XV sec. and the residence of the Duke center is flamboyant Gothic)
- Holy Cross Church (Church of the Holy Cross) (Jesuit church 1685, nel quartiere Buffay, with a baroque facade, Flamboyant Gothic nave, and neo-Gothic choir. Dirante the Reign of Terror, in the French Revolution, It was used as a prison. The bell tower, with its statues of trumpeters, It is the "official" city
- Basilique Saint-Nicolas (neo-Gothic basilica, dating from the mid-800. Here stood a small chapel from the XI century., and they have followed the various churches. Severely it damaged during the bombing was)
- Place Royale (Rebuilt after the war, recently transformed into pedestrian area, it revolves around a monumental fountain in blue granite. The marble image of the city of Nantes, Armed with the trident of Neptune, There dominates allegories bronze Loire and four of its tributaries: Erdre, Sèvre, Cher Loiret e he he.)
- Passage Pommeraye (small shopping center built in 1840. It ', in practice, a passageway between rue Santeuil and rue de la Fosse, with a covered roof. In the upper floor there are other shops)
- Memorial to the abolition of slavery (Nantes was an important port hub in the slave trade, taken in Africa and headed to the colonies in America. This monument 2012, commemorates the abolition of slavery, in 1848)
- The Island Machines (old abandoned carpenters were transformed, and out came out a playground / art installation that gives a nod to the invented worlds of Jules Verne, native of Nantes, and the machines of Leonardo da Vinci. Famous is its mechanical elephant carrying tourists, but maybe not if you're a kid, It is enough to see him free from the ground ...! You should not pay to enter)
- Trentemoult (old fishing village (Gare Maritime, appena a sx dell’Ile de Nantes, Take the Navibus using the daily ticket for public transport previously purchased, and crosses the river Loire)
ITINERARIO IN FORMATO GOOGLE MAPS: link
You will find hotel reviews, e is, about the dangers of Nantes, especially the former port area, where are “The Island Machines”. Tranquilli, problem areas (is. Makaloff) exist, but it is far from the routes beaten by tourists!