Mammoth memories made in the city of Nantes in Western France
Before we begin, I’m not going to let you make the same mistake I did — welcome to Nantes, pronounced naw-t and not nan-taze as my thick Kerry accent had me to believe.
Nantes (naw-t, there you have it) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km from the Atlantic coast.
As I checked through my travel bucket list at the airport awaiting my flight, it dawned on me that I’ve never been to France.
I always believed I was there as a child at some point, or maybe I’ve just vicariously lived through friends’ stories of their time in Paris, either way, I was eager to check it out for myself — especially when it’s quicker to fly to Nantes than it is to travel back home to Kerry (there are which now flights running direct from Cork Airport).
Two hours later I find myself being sprayed with gushes of water by a giant mechanical elephant as I make my way to a three-story marine themed carousel — yes, you read that right.
Our first stop was Les Machines De L’ile — a museum of mechanical animals designed and inspired by the mechanical world of Leonardo Da Vinci.
As we enter the workshop, we were mixed with a group of six-year-olds on a school tour who excitedly direct our eyes to the mechanical animals, plants, drawing and prototypes around the room.
It was difficult not to join in with their chorus of “ooh and ahhs” as the staff and engineers took turns demonstrating the animal’s abilities - think Transformers mixed with robot wars.
First the mechanical spider, then the caterpillar and finally the flying heron bird (which I even got to ride in).
We then followed the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kids out to the main event, Le Grand Elephant — the 12 metre-high, 8-metre wide mechanical elephant that takes a 30min walk around the old shipyards every 45 minutes, taking up to 50 people on its back.
I can honestly say whether you’re five or 95, you would appreciate the utter magic of this 45-ton machine stamping its feet, blinking its eyes, flapping its ears and trumpeting as loud as it could as it sprays water from its trunk. It’s truly spectacular.
The elephant guides you along the park to the world’s only marine themed three-tiered carousel which proudly states the fact that it was voted number one original tourist attraction at the THEA Awards, in 2014.
Before we entered, we were humorously informed that it was a “carousel for adults, that also welcomes kids”.
I’ve never seen anything like it, three floors of sea-life machine animals which both adults and children, even infants, can enjoy.
From submarines to stingrays, there are 35 different steel contraptions that each person can ride and operate as it takes you on a 360-degree adventure through the ocean.
The bottom layer represents the seabed, the top represents the sea surface and the middle is everything in between.
I can tell you after taking a ride on the giant shrimp, we all looked at our dinner with different eyes that night.
The attraction also promises a new machine every year with a high promise of a grand expansion.
Both attractions are less than €8.50 to ride.
Getting around and seeing the sights of Nantes is easy as following a line, no really, there is a green line painted on the streets of the city that tourists can follow to experience all the city has to offer.
It’s also a great way of making sure you stay on the right track. Ingenious.
This green line took us to our next stop, the Castle — Château des ducs de Bretagne (The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany).
The first thing that struck me while trying to take in the full scale of its beauty is the moat and drawbridge. Now, that’s not something you see every day.
The moat is also surrounded by beautiful gardens which are protected by grand stone walls. Here we saw many locals relaxing on blankets, taking it easy in the sun.
We crossed the drawbridge over the moat and stepped into the courtyard which was surrounded by many grand buildings but noticeably overlooked by the palace of Francis II and home to Duchess Anne of Brittany, who was crowned Queen of France twice before the age of 25.
You can learn more about her in the museum, also located in the courtyard.
Adult admission to the courtyard and ramparts is free of charge.
We arrived in the town of Nantes on a Wednesday and by passing by the busy restaurants and pubs over spilling with people onto the pebble side streets, you could have convinced anyone that it was a lively Saturday night.
As we stroll through the windy streets of the old town, I couldn’t help but fawn over the calibre of shops.
From Hermés to H&M, it proves to be a shopaholic’s dream, and if you’re into beauty and makeup, I have got a feeling Nantes houses the closest Sephora in proximity to Ireland (I’m also pretty sure only a handful of you will understand the pure excitement of that).
The atmosphere only got sweeter as we crossed into the Place Royale, the grand square of the city and witnessed the bustle of people surrounding the large water-based fountain in the center – a fountain which pays homage to the river Loire. The perfect place to sit and watch the world go by.
Getting around Nantes is easy, the TAN network ( www.tan.fr ) includes three tram lines that intersect at the Gare Centrale on place du Commerce, the main bus/tram transfer point.
Buses run from 6.45am to 10pm and night services continue until 12.30am.
I would recommend buying the journalier ticket, which is valid for 24 hours and only costs €5 or €8 for a ticket valid for four people traveling together.
Nantes also has a shared bicycle system Bicloo ( www.bicloo.nantesmetropole.fr ) which has stations all over town.
Direct trains from Nantes to Paris also run every 40 mins, with the average travel time 2 hours 30 mins. This journey will only cost you €20. Paris for the day? Why not?
Although if Paris is not your thing, the train can also take you 50 mins west to La Baule, Europe’s longest beach and considered as one of its most beautiful.
Instead of getting the train we hopped into a car and drove the 45 minutes to the beach town so we could check out Estuaire — an artistic trail which is made up of 30 large scale art installments dotted along 60kms of the Loire.
Between the full-size house propped up in the river (La Maison Dans La Loire) and the giant aluminum sea serpent skeleton placed in the ocean (Serpent D’Ocean), it was a morning full of exploration and art, a great way to get off the beaten track.
When we arrived on the promenade of La Baule you are immediately hit with not only with luxury hotels and casinos, you also get a sense of it being a century-old seaside resort due to its beautiful villas with jaw-dropping architecture.
It’s easy to tell that the town has long been home to French high society’s seaside residences.
The 12-kilometre sandy beach is stunning and filled with numerous restaurants/activities right on the sand.
Paddleboarding, sailing, biking, horse riding, wine drinking - you name it La Baule-Escoublac has it, an absolute must-see.
Not a beach person? The seaside village is also home to one Europe’s top golf courses.
Sitting with my feet in the sand, a glass of wine in my hand, overlooking the beautiful long stretch of beach as we waited for our food to arrive was absolute bliss.
Needless to say, we took part in the same activity later on that evening as well as the restaurants impressively transform into bars post sunset.
Next stop La Guérande.
En route to the next destination we were innocently told it was a medieval town located in the middle of the famous Brittany salt marshes, little did we know we were about to arrive outside a walled village within a small town.
I’ve never seen anything like it, 1434 meters of gorgeous medieval walls hugging a cluster of shops, restaurants and residential buildings which are then surrounded by a moat and connected by a path that was once a drawbridge — yes, it does sound like something straight out of a Disney film, and it was.
Inside the walls, you will find some fantastic local crafts and produce while wandering the quaint cobblestone alleyways.
When we arrived it was only days after their annual Medieval Festival, Fete Médiévale which meant flags, banners, and festival bunting still hung from the rafters along with the faint feeling of festivities still in the air — truly unique and an absolute must-see.
As I waited for my flight back to Cork in Nantes Airport, I once again referred to my travel bucket list and instead of just crossing France off my list I simply added ‘family trip to Nantes.’
Whatever your age, whatever your interests, there is something for everyone.
As you can probably tell, I’m nuts about Nantes.
CityJet fly direct to Nantes from both Cork and Dublin - included in your fare is a free check-in bag and a complimentary drink and snack onboard.
Hotel Voltaire Opéra,Nantes.
Hotel Des Dunes, La Baule.
Les Machines De L’ile, Nantes Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes
La Baule-Escoublac
Guérande
La Cigale, Nantes.
Le Ponton, La Baule
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