Don’t listen to what they say. Go see!
A bit of a background
I have to confess now. I’m a traveler that rarely, very rarely, prepares a trip in advance. I just go with the flow. Sometimes I get to find all the “hot places” recommended by other travelers and sometimes I don’t.
But I don’t mind. I get to see what I was prepared for. There will be other times. If not, there will be other places. The places/cities/nature guide me through. And I receive everything as a gift.
I always ask for advice from the local people because I believe they are the real experts of the place and they give the best recommendations. Good /affordable places to eat in, local curiosities, masterpieces, nature nests, gardens, museums, etc.
Even it was December we found flight tickets with 100 Euros, for both ways. In plus, it was directly from Marrakech to Nantes.
Transport from the airport to the city center
We didn’t check the transportation prior to our arrival because we said we’ll do it at the touristic information office in the airport. However, in the airplane next to us stayed a French lady and we asked information on how to arrive in the city center.
She knew only about the bus shuttle that is 9 euros/person. Auch, expensive…but now we were in Europe, in France, not in Africa. We thought there must be another option and it was indeed, a bus for 2 stops and a tram that goes to the city center and costs only 1,75 euros/person.
It was great timing because I was logging for Christmasy atmosphere and cold weather. However, the weather was so much colder than I expected and most probably my body got used to 15+ degree all around the year. Not to mention that for my son it was totally new.
Well, we traveled to Spain and Portugal in January, when he was 10 months old, and it was pretty cold too but not so cold and anyway he didn’t recall it. One night, when we were returning to our accommodation he showed me his hands and was yelling “mama, uffff” (his hands were tingling from coldness). So cold it was!
Accommodation
We used Airbnb and for 40 euros/night we stayed in a 2-floor house with a lovely French couple.
When we entered the house, a powerful smell of burning wood and a charming chimney welcomed us. I really like to use this platform because I enjoy so much living with locals, getting to see their way of living, what they eat, and their daily routine. In plus, many times it happened that we became friends with our hosts and we kept in touch.
Whenever we travel we love to walk as much as possible and use public transportation with great moderation and when there isn’t an alternative, meaning it’s a too long distance for us. Even now, with our son, we still do walk a lot. Thanks to the one who invented the stroller. Such a help!
It was December and due to the cold, we had to spend lots of time indoors. Still, we walk a few good km daily. Our son looked like an Eskimo, all dressed up and with a blanket on top of him. However, many times during the day we had to take refuge in a warm place.
City portrait
Attractions:
The Christmas Markets
The air had something special. Yes, it was the cold for which my nostrils would protest. But it was something else too. The smell of cinnamon and hot vine boiled with orange peel and cloves, chocolate crepes, and artisanal fromage (pardon, cheese). In plus, so many Christmas markets, so many carousels, jingles, and lights. Enchanting!
In any of the Christmas markets you would have visited you could find lots of handmade souvenirs, tons of goodies to delight your taste buds, and something hot to drink (red or white vine, whichever you prefer!). Aaa, and many carousels and flying objects that made both adults and children giggle.
Castle of the Dukes of Brittany (Château des Ducs de Bretagne)
Right in the city center as you walk towards the train station you will face this impressive 15th-century castle. The access to the castle courtyard, moat garden, and ramparts it’s free. You can walk around the ramparts and have an overlook at the views of Nantes city center.
The entrance to the museum and exhibition (there are 850 exhibits, together with many multimedia items- so it’s quite an impressive museum) it’s free for kids and for adults 5-8 euros.
We decided against going into the museum because our boy was hungry and in a bad mood. We, however, spent like an hour in the courtyard and the ramparts, plus we visited the bookshop where we found interesting books about the history of Nantes (we bought ‘Nantes secret et insolite‘ by Catherine Olart with 8 euros).
Opposite the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, there is a water sprinkler area but of course as it was December it was emptied of water. It’s great though in a hot summer day to cool down and for kids to have some fun. A very short walk from there is a free wooden play park and a great area to sit and enjoy a picnic whilst kids run around and play (of course, not in December! hahaha)
Garden – Jardin des Plantes
10 minutes walk from the castle is Jardin des Plantes that had been built by the mid 18th century and opened to the public in 1829. With four km of paths, almost 600 fragrances and 500 varieties of bloom it is ranked in the top five biggest Victorian parks.
A beautiful garden that includes a playground (with lots of sand great for children to play in), a small waterfall, even an enclosure with goats where you can enter and feed the goats, and plenty of ducks and majestic hens. I can imagine the trees and flours blossoming in the spring and the atmosphere will be created to awe all the senses.
Even it was a bit cold, we could enjoy a sandwich and some French patisserie products in the sun that warmed our bodies and gave us such a great feeling by being in nature, right in the city center.
Les Machines de L’Ile
By far, the most interesting attraction in Nantes, especially for kids, is a mechanical walking elephant, located on Nantes Island along the Loire river. It didn’t take us too long to walk from the city center, cross the bridge over to the island and walk through searching for the elephant.
The project belongs to Francois Delarozière and Pierre Orefice. It is a combination of the “invented worlds” of Jules Verne, the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci and the industrial history of Nantes, all on the exceptional site of the city’s former shipyards. I found out that is called steampunk.
‘Steampunk is a genre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.’
Once arrived in the themed parked we found a huge barn but nowhere to see the elephant. We looked around and found a giant carousel and the gallery but nowhere the 12 m high elephant. We couldn’t miss it, right? It is too high to be missed!
We looked around and it was “parked” somewhere behind getting ready to start its walk. This mechanical creature is unlike anything we had ever seen before! And when walks through the park spraying water at bystanders it’s even more exciting. In plus, the operator of the machinery trumpets the elephant now and then and the loud noise gives you chills.
The Carrousel des Mondes Marins is a giant carousel, almost 25m high and 22 m in diameter. Is also an incredible sculpture dedicated to the sea built in a huge structure on three levels.
From what we had read (the carousel was closed) the visitors can watch marine creatures from seabed and abyss to the surface. However, just to see it from outside and it’s still feeling like an adventure.
The Gallery is a lab where the machines built in the workshops of the theatre company, La Machine, are tested.
We arrived onto the island quite late in the afternoon when the elephant was riding for the last time in the day and the gallery had another half hour to be closed. So, it’s a must to return to the city for a ride with the giant elephant!
However, to enter the island to see the famous elephant is free of charge. A visit into the gallery or to ride the elephant or to ride the carousel is 8,50 euros adult and 6,90 euros child.
I believe you can take a full day to discover these amazing machines and walking creatures!
The Passage Pommeraye
It’s a small shopping mall named after its property developer, Louis Pommeraye and it’s a passage between two streets (the rue Santeuil and rue de la Fosse) with one 9.40 m higher than the other.
It’s a really charming place to go and window shop or find something you didn’t know you were looking for. For instance, a chocolate store. The prices are high but well, for just a few pieces of chocolate isn’t a fortune and it’s worth it! Believe me!
The passage was amazingly decorated for Christmas and even though we didn’t spend too much time inside I would recommend it.
Arts Museum
I told you we had to look for indoor activities and this museum was our refuge for more than 3 hours. The museum was closed for 6 years due to restoration work and was reopened in June 2017.
It’s a collection of over 12.000 pieces stretches from primitive to modern art and includes a restaurant and a bookshop. It wasn’t very crowded and there were lots of kids around.
For a big part of our visit our son slept in his stroller and this granted us with time for relaxing and enjoying the many artists’ creations.
Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes
It’s a Roman Catholic Church located very close to the castle of the Dukes, in the city center. The cathedral is in the Gothic architectural tradition and its construction it took 457 years to finish.
The towers are 63 m high and the nave is 37.5 m which gives you an overwhelming feeling. It’s worth visiting it for its monumental and historic value.
Just in front of the cathedral starts a long promenade street with Lafayette Gallery and lots of other shops, restaurants, and sweetshops.
Despite its fairy-like atmosphere, the many beautiful Christmas markets, the Christmas decorations and the merry mood of the city in December, I would visit it in the late spring or summer.
The river, the many green parks and gardens, and the bike itinerary make it a perfect fit for those that enjoy the nature and at the same time the vibe of a city where art is everywhere!
What to bring back?
Food
Nantes is famous also for its oysters but we weren’t too much into it. Walking by, we discovered a nice restaurant that was advertising the menu of the day with a duck as the main course and shrimps tartar salad as a starter.
My husband went nuts after the duck and I indulged in 2 portions of shrimps tartar salad. The dessert was a cooked pear with melted chocolate and whipped cream. Of course, we couldn’t finish all the food and asked to take away the rest of the food. So, the dinner was saved!
Is Nantes worth visiting it?
In plus, there are many places to see outside of Nantes and the possibility to visit the countryside (la campagne) and the vineyards.