Tourist information:
Nantes is undoubtedly a city which made its mark in fluvial and maritime history. Beautiful city with many architectural styles, its different districts, the facades along the Loire, its port on the estuary of the river, its parks, castles and rivers, make Nantes a unique city.
Located on a strategic place for trade, the city of Nantes has been inhabited since 900 BC. The history of the city is long and complex : Celts, Gauls and Romans have succeeded one another. The city was Christianized during the third century. Then the Franks, the Bretons, the English and Saxons fought to own the city.
Anne of Brittany was born in Nantes and the University of Nantes was created in the fifteenth century. The eighteenth century was a prosperous time for the city, thanks to the War of Independence in America. Later, important people in the history of France were born in Nantes, such as Jules Verne or Aristide Briand. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique were created in 1900 while the work of filling of the Loire began in 1926.
Nantes is the ideal city for history lovers, but also for culture and art amateurs. Between the facades of Feydeau Island, which witnessed the shipowners' lavish lifestyle in the eighteenth century, the Gothic cathedral, covered passageways such as Passage Pommeraye, which combines shopping and architecture, the Bouffay district, the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, the giant machines coming out of the former shipyards... Nantes is a city rich and full of charm.
There are also many museums such as the surprising Printing Museum, beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Botanical Gardens, and pleasant shopping streets. Nantes is a lively and welcoming city where time passes at the rate of the water from its rivers...
