Now Nantes is the capital of the Pays-de-la-Loire region. And in recent years the hometown of author Jules Verne has undergone a renaissance bringing startling new visitor attractions, such as a mechanical elephant you can ride in, plus a new swagger among its youthful population.
Medieval Nantes This district has been the heart of life in Nantes since Celtic tribes first settled the area. Make sure to visit by day and again by night as the atmosphere ramps up a gear when the sun slips down.
In place of rambling warren-like streets are wider boulevards and grand buildings, befitting a city of wealth and stature. This is where you will find the larger shops and the commercial heart of the city. There are a sprinkling of museums and cultural attractions, including the Jules Verne Museum. Since the shipbuilding and naval activity went downstream to Saint-Nazaire, the old warehouses and giant dockyards of Ile de Nantes, connected to the rest of the city by bridges, have been reinvented.
Even after it became the Brittany bolthole of the French monarchy it still played an administrative role until the s. A massive renovation project during the s aimed to bring it back to the best so that the public could enjoy it.
Make sure to take time to walk its ramparts to peer into the surrounding sections of the city. There is nothing quite like this mind-boggling cultural attraction , filled with mechanical toys and inspired by local visionary Jules Verne. The old shipyards here have been revamped into a place of wonder for both kids and big kids alike. Allow plenty of time as the tour โ only in French โ takes about an hour. Then climb aboard four-floor high mechanical elephant. In a city that was built on the access its waterways opened to the world heading out on a boat tour is de rigueur.
