Nantes Things to Do

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Walking along rue de Voltaire we saw several stores around, some nice buildings (pic 1) but the most impressive was L’Opera Graslin (pics 2-3 ). It was built at the end of 18th century (1788) by architect M.Crucy in italian style but damaged by fire in 1796 and had to be rebuilted. It took the name of Jean-Louis Graslin that was the owner of the land. We couldnt check the interior but the (expensive) cafes at the corner will let you enjoy the exterior. For me a complete visit to theatre/opera is when you can attend a perfomance but that was impossible during our stay.
It houses several opera and theatrical plays each year and has a capacity of about 800 people.

Then we walked along rue Crebillon until Place Royale to check Saint Nicolas church that you can see at the background of pic 4. But first we spend a few moments resting near the middle of the square where there is a nice fountain (pic 5), an obvious meeting point for the locals. The statue on the top is queen Anne.

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This basilica is a catholic roman church that was built in 1869 by Jean-Baptiste Antoine Lassus in neo gothic style using local granite and limestone. It’s probably my favorite church of any other in Nantes.

There was a church on the same spot since 11th century.

I liked the exterior (pic 1), especially the tower but we also loved the interior spending our time checking small side chapels and other details but what I really liked was the elegand combination of the colors coming together with the smooth natural light.

By the way the church was seriously damaged during WWII as many parts of the city anyway but it was repaired in the 50s and 60s.
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The “Machines of the Isle of Nantes” is a weird exhition of huge mechanical animals! I’ve read on VT that is a must see attraction when in Nantes so we did went there. It took us some time to find the place as we crossed the river from a wrong bridge but we really liked the animals. There are 2 tickets, one for the gallery and one for the elephant ride. Altough the ride seems more exciting we regret it, it was the most boring 45’ I ever spend anywhere!

It’s amazing what great job they have done with the animals(they are made of wood and supported by mechanical systems for the movement) but been up on the top of the island is just boring because it moves slowly, really slowly making a circle in the open air area next to the exhibition, it would be great if it was on the avenue :)

By the way you can go there and take as many pictures of the elephant for free, you pay for the ride but not for walking around, for me it would be better to have some video shoots of the elephant while on the move.

Before we ride the elephant with 25 other people we had the chance to see the engineers and sculptors working on new animals, there was also a small video presentation.

Tickets (7euros) sell out fast, there are some rides in the morning and then after 3pm (the line starts at 2pm)

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On our way to the famous wooden elephant we passed by Quai de la fosse, the dock area which used to be full of prostitutes during weekends but also full of bars. During the day it was just another working class area, we stopped at some of the cafes for a small coffee break although we were surprised that 95% of the locals were enjoying their first wine of the day :)

There are a lot mansions that date from the 18th century, probably owned by rich shipowners. Its reputation as a red light district started many years before when the brothers opened to satisfy the sailors needs. That’s why the locals call the area quai de la fesse (dock of the buttocks). In 18th century Nantes was the largest port in Europe with transatlantic trade bringing goods from america or west Indies such as coffee, sugar, spices etc

From the dock we passed the bridge Bd Leon Bureau, it was time to meet with the famous elephant. From the dock we passed the bridge Bd Leon Bureau, it was time to meet with the famous elephant. But before that we took some pictures of the brown ugly Loire river (pics 2-3-4) which splits the city in two. It’s the longest river in France (1000km long)

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After visiting the canal we passed by the ugly square du Maquis de Saffre(pic1), obviously the modern building at the corner was much more interesting!

Anyway, then we visited the des tables memoriales pour nos morts (memorial tables for our war heroes) (pics2-3) which is located opposite square du Maquis.

The info sign in front of the monument gives all the information we need to know about it: In 1918, mayor Paul Bellamy decided to pay homage to the people of Nantes who died in combat. He selected the proposal of M Robida for three memorial tables, “a noble and simple architectural monument”, bearing the names of the 7500 soldiers who died for France. On July 1927, the monument was inaugurated in the presence of Paul Painleve, Minister of War.

We walked up the stairs, the french flag stands proud and two statue at the corners (pic 4) while there is big open air area with nothing on it, I think a little green, some trees and maybe some extra statues will make it look more attractive for those passing by and for the Vters who want to read something more interesting for the readers of their pages :)

At the other end I could see (pic 5) the column with Louix XVI statue that I talked about on previous tip

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A park that is actually a small island inside the canal! Lovely place, very quite early in the morning, full of green and some great picturesque corners. There’s even a japanese garden there! The restaurant may be a good choise for those who want to have view over the canal during their lunch but we prefered to walk around.

Info sign at the entrance reads:When the canal between Nantes and Brest was built at the start of the 19th century, the Barbin marshes were filled, giving birth to a new island. The island became a varourite spot for pleasure boats. The island was also home to laundry boats, tanneries and repair and construction yards for boats. By 1987, the city council owned the entire island and built a contemporary Japanese garden there

While another Info sign reads:with its fisheries and mills, the traditional Barbin carriageway, built in the 6th century by bishop Saint Felix, was a major channel of navigation until the 19th century. Once it had become obsolete, the carriageway was destroyed. Barbin isle or Legal Isle(now known as the Isle of Versailles) was a mooring point for small boats and barges. It was the home of repair workshops, shipbuilding yards and boat hangars

It is open 8.30-20.00 (in winter till 18.30) there’s a also a small area for the kids
There’s no entrance fee of course

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One of the best moment we had in Nantes was the lovely walk along the canal. We started from monument aux cinquante otages et la Resistance and walked up to the north stopping only for a coffee break along the way when we found some nice cafes next to the canal with outdoor seating (it was great under the sun)

We passed through several small bridges, nothing special about them to mention although small signs here and there were giving information about the area like this one near a metal bridge(pic 5): the bridge of the General of the Motte Rouge, inaugurated on 25 July 1886, was designed by Jean Resal, one of the leading metal bridge builders of the late 19th century, who also built the Alexandre Ill bridge in Paris. The bridge is a technical and aesthetic feat, with a single 80-metre wide arch that is decorated with the arms of the City of Nantes.

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I was surprised of the numerous museums in Nantes! Most of them were very peaceful though as there are not many tourists in town (we were there late june)

-Museum of Natural History
We tried to enter from rue Voltaire but a lady came screaming pointing outside! We thought we did something wrong but the entrance is from Louis Bureau square, the one at rue Voltaire is for school groups etc

-Musée Jules Verne
It’s located on the Butte Sainte Anne, a recently renovated building with a lot of item that will remind you your childhood when you could travel through Verne’s books. Most of the items are memorabilia associated with Jules Verne’s life (that was born in Nantes) but I think everyone that loves science fiction will be interested in this. What’s more the view over the port is nice.

-Musée des Beaux-Arts
The Fine Arts Museum is located at rue Clémenceau. It is housed on a nice building and supposed to have a good art collection but we didn’t have time to visit it.

-Musée Dobrée
It’s the archeology museum of Nantes. We were a bit tired so we stayed a bit at the grounds of Place Jean V that is open to the people for free anyway (in front of the museum) so if you are not interested about museums you can just stroll around and take some pictures of the buildings.
Address: 18, rue Voltaire 3e 13.30-17:30