CARINA SÁNCHEZ
I Googled “3-day getaway in June, an unknown but nearby destination, not crowded”
Result of my search: Nantes! Since I had no reference for this city, I started researching; 3 basic facts:
- A French city of about 300,000 inhabitants located in the Loire region.
- Former capital of Brittany (crepes immediately came to mind, a cliché yes, but I love them).
- Birthplace of Jules Verne (who’s imagination wasn’t captured by his books?: “Around the World in 80 Days,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth”…).
This last fact was the one that prompted me to buy my plane ticket and pack my suitcase. Nantes revealed itself to me as a quiet city to enjoy without rushing, which must be explored on foot because every corner has a surprise in store. A dynamic city where art, nature and history converge.
Art
Nantes is an open-air museum. Before you begin your walking tour of the city, using the electric tram network if necessary, I recommend that you stop by the tourist office and pick up the official city map. This map has a green line marked on it, which you will also see on the ground in the streets of Nantes. This is the “Voyage à Nantes” route.
Just like Dorothy followed the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, you will have to follow this green line to discover more than 100 works of contemporary art in public places around the city. Some of the works that caught my attention were “Nymphéa” by Ange Leccia, a video projection on the river canal, featuring French actress Laetitia Casta as a nymph trapped underwater (important: this work can only be seen at night); the bronze sculpture “Éloge du pas de côté” located in the central Bouffay Square. Created by Philippe Ramette, it depicts a man with one foot on the pedestal and the other in the air, and is a tribute to the city’s courage in embracing modernity and culture; the cute and monumental cartoon characters created by the artist Jean Jullien, which you will see invading the trees and lakes of the Jardin des Plantes.
Nature
Nantes is full of green areas where you can relax, have a picnic or play outdoors, one of the reasons why it was the first French city to be declared European Green Capital in 2013.
The Jardin des Plantes, mentioned above, are a must-see. It is one of the four great gardens in France, 7 hectares of green areas where you will find more than 50,000 flowers, sculptures such as the bust of Jules Verne, a fun play area with gigantic pots (it is an artistic work, Dépodépo, by Claude Ponti) where you will feel like a forest dwarf; elegant 20th century greenhouses, water areas such as small lakes and waterfalls.
The other notable space is the Japanese garden on the île de Versailles. Made up of Japanese-style wooden bridges, cherry trees, towering bamboos, a small waterfall, bonsai trees and a recreation of a Japanese tea pavilion surrounded by a Zen garden that hosts different exhibitions. To get to this garden from the center you can take the tram (line 2 / red color) but I recommend that you arrive by walking along the banks of the Erdre River so you can see some of the curious wooden boats moored.
History
The castle of the Dukes of Brittany is one of the legacies that remain from its time as the capital of Brittany. The exterior visit of this monumental 15th century castle is free. You can stroll through the moat gardens, where if you’re lucky you’ll come across a flock of black and white sheep that look like checkers. You can climb its walls and towers with magnificent views of the city. The interior of the castle houses the Nantes history museum and temporary exhibitions, these spaces do have a fee. When leaving the castle you have to wander through the historic district of Bouffay, with its cobblestone streets and medieval houses. I was particularly drawn to the Maison des Apothicaires with its reddish half-timbered façade, sculptures and slate roof. This house is located at rue Carmes no 2.
An obligatory stop, even if you are not a shopping fan, are the shopping galleries of Passage Pommerage. They are elegant covered galleries from the end of the 19th century in a neoclassical style where it seems that time has stopped. Another essential visit is the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul. Although unfortunately you cannot access its interior (it has been closed since 2020 due to a fire); It is worth approaching to admire its monumental Gothic façade.
Creativity
Art, nature, history…and what were we missing!: creativity, the people of Nantes overflow with as much imagination as their most illustrious person Jules Verne. They are capable of transforming an old cookie factory, LU cookies (I’m sure you’ve tried some) into Lieu Unique. A fantastic cultural center where you can enjoy live concerts, exhibitions or a hammam, yes, yes a hammam, incredible!, right?
The place that exudes the most fantasy is Les Machines de l’île, located in the old shipyards. In this space you will find huge machines in the shape of an animal like a beautiful and imposing elephant that, if you get in its way, will wet you with its trunk. A gigantically terrifying spider, a bird that will fly you away in its basket or a giant three-story carousel with sea creatures.
If you want to learn more about this artistic project inspired by the characters of Jules Verne and the engineering of Leonardo da Vinci, you will have to visit the gallery (admission fee) where they will explain and demonstrate how the different animals work (the visit is performed only in French). Finally, you cannot leave Nantes without first visiting Trentemoult, an old small fishing village.
I recommend visiting it at noon, taking the Navibus from the Nantes maritime station and in less than 10 minutes you will reach your destination. Take the opportunity to eat on one of the terraces on the banks of the river. Then you have to get lost in its streets of houses painted in bright colors and with beautiful illustrations, the dream of any Instagrammer.
And that’s it for my getaway to Nantes. You will wonder if three days are enough… Yes, in three days you can really see a lot of things and get to know Nantes quite well. I missed one day to visit the Jules Verne Museum, the Jardin Extraordinaire (a garden with large vegetation inspired by Jules Verne’s dreams) and the Belvédere de l’Hermitage (a wooden viewpoint over the Loire River shaped like a nest, work of the Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata).