Nantes was pretty lucky during World War II: unlike a lot of French cities, it wasn’t totally destroyed by bombings. The city still has a rich heritage, dating right back to the Gallo-Roman period.
The medieval area is the Bouffay, with the Castle of the Duchy of Brittany and the many old buildings surrounding it. The 18th Century was the golden era for the city (slave trade…), and a lot was built during this time, notably Place Royale and Place Graslin. Later in history, Nantes was also an industrial city in the era of the first naval shipyards: the LU Tower is a reminder of that time.
Great picture (as usual). Places like the Passage Pommeraye serve the same purpose as a shopping mall. Lots of little shops all lined up for your inspection. I have not been to Nantes but have been in other places in Europe where shops are strung along a narrow passage. The one that comes to mind is in Brighton, UK behind the beach front hotels. It is possible to spend a lot of time just looking without actually spending any money. Well, easier for me than for my wife. But you could find anything if you knew the right shop. How old is the medieval part and what does it date back to? Nothing in Oklahoma goes back farther than about the 1840’s, and very little of that.
Soooo pretty! I want to live there!!!
Awesome pictures! Now I want to live in Nantes! Ottawa is nothing compared to your hometown:p
What a beautiful city with great architecture and so much history involved. I learned something new from your story too – thanks for sharing!
Btw: Any chance we will see you in Norway? 🙂
Happy Easter!
Oh là là Nantes, ville pleine de romantisme malgré son bourgeousité hahahaha Mi french still sucks but the main idea is that I love your pics and content of this mini saga on Nantes. Keep being great!
beautiful. if only i have time and money to go backpacking.
That is a nice city ! Next time I am in France I will try to visit !
I know very little about Nantes… until now. Is it popular among tourists?
I think few of the Malaysian tourists on package tour venture out of Paris.
Spectacular. No other word for it. I’ve got to add it to my list of places in France to check out the next time I’m there
Great photots, Zhu! I love the Lu Tower, as it makes me think of some of my favorite French treats.
it looks like a beautiful and clean city, with much care in small details. i love the chateau des ducks, with the moat and the walkway/grass around it. it looks like the perfect place to have a picnic.
What, they got rid of the Cookies Factory?!? Did they replace it with an ice cream factory? I hope so!
@Bill Miller – Nantes is old, quite old. I will have to do researches but I know it goes as far back as the 15th century.
@Agnes – It’s a nice city to visit, that’s right!
@Bluefish – Well, it’s a different kind of pretty. But because I grew up there, I found Ottawa fascinating by comparison when I came to North America.
@RennyBA – Sorry, no Norway for us right now… we just came to visit my family in France! But I’d love to come to visit Europe more some day.
@bumanguesa – Merci beaucoup! 🙂
@renaye – France is easy for me because I have free accommodation 🙂
@Sidney – It is worth a stop!
@khengsiong – Not as popular as Paris, but it is a gateway for Brittany and even Normandy. And it’s only 2 hours by train from Paris.
@Gary – I need to ask the local tourism board to pay me! 😆
@Tanya – Too bad it closed… I used to visit the factory every year when I was a kid, school would take us there.
@Seraphine – It’s pretty clean and nice to live in. Just a bit small to live all your life there in my opinion.
@Gail at Large – Not even! It’s a bar and a Spa now. I liked the cookies best…!
Looks like a beautiful place to live.