Nantes, France

Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France and is the historical capital of the region, with strong historical connections with the adjoining region of Brittany. The city grew around the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany), which is now one of Nantes major tourist attractions.

The city is a center of the high-tech and aeronautics industries, food-processing, and fisheries. Nantes is a center for horticulture with many beautiful parks and gardens. A fine arboretum, the Jardin des Plantes, contains collections of rare plants covering 18 acres. There are also many museums and lively arts and music festivals

Things to See & Do

* Château des Ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany)
* Passage Pommeraye; 19th century galleria with shopping
* The Isle of Nantes; a former shipyard turned into a leisure and cultural site, including the Machines of the Isle of Nantes permanent exhibition
* Nantes Botanical gardens
* Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

General information

Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language – French
Land Area – 65.19 km²
Population – 790,320 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 33

Port Location – The port is located approximately 1km from the Nantes city centre.

Travel Links – Nantes Atlantique Airport, located to the south west, serves the city and surrounding areas, with daily flights linking main French airports as well as several European cities and further destinations.
Nantes lies on a number of rail lines, including several TGV lines. Nantes is connected via TGV to Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, and Strasbourg. By Corail (classical train), Nantes is connected to Quimper, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Toulouse. Transport express régional (TER, regional transport) links to Saint-Nazaire, Angers, Le Mans, La Roche sur Yon, and many other regional cities.