Tourism in French Nantes immerses visitors in its fascinating history. Strolling through the old town’s cobbled streets feels like a stroll in past. In this article, we will learn from your favorite site, Vazoria, to the tourist areas of Nantes, France.
Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul
The importance of the 15th-century Basilica of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul lies in its Gothic architecture. The nave is 37.5 meters high, which is higher than the height of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The cathedral houses a Renaissance masterpiece of funerary art, the tomb of François II and Marguerite de Foix, and the 11th-century Romanesque crypt, which exhibits the cathedral’s history.
The cathedral witnessed the signing of the Edict of Nantes, one of the first edicts of religious rights in Europe, ending more than 30 years of religious wars between Protestants and Catholics in France.
Chateau de Deux de Brittany
In the 15th century, François II founded the Château des Ducs de Brittany, which has 7 hewn towers, 500 meters of imposing granite ramparts, and a deep moat that was once filled with water. The castle became the residence of the French kings when Brittany was incorporated into France.
The castle houses within its halls a history museum that focuses on the history of Nantes and presents chronological and thematic exhibits on the city’s heritage. The castle also has a restaurant and a café that serves international meals in a cheerful atmosphere. The café and restaurant serve lunch and dinner, as well as coffee, tea, and afternoon snacks.
Nantes Museum
Napoleon Bonaparte established the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in 1801 with a small collection of artwork donated by the Louvre. The museum displays more than 900 works of art including an exceptional collection of European paintings. It houses a diverse collection of French, Italian, Flemish, and Dutch paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
Port St. Pierre
Not to be missed is a wander through the medieval neighborhood of Port-Saint-Pierre, Beauvais, a maze of winding cobbled streets lined with attractive half-timbered houses, as well as buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries. Visitors will find many local restaurants along with international restaurants, cozy bars, and international cuisines such as Japanese, Chinese and Indian.
Île Video
Ile Video was once an island in the Loire River that flows through Nantes, and the quarter has retained its 18th-century character, especially the main street of Ile Video, Rue Kervigan.
Jules Verne Museum
The Jules Verne Museum reviews the work of the famous author Jean Verne, who was born in Nantes in 1828. His novel Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours (Around the World in Eighty Days) is one of the most translated French books. The museum features multimedia presentations, posters, and presentations of fictional author descriptions, as well as manuscripts signed by the author and personal items of the author.
Archaeological Museum Thomas Dupre
The Archaeological Museum of Thomas Dupre includes the collection of shipowner Thomas Dupree in the nineteenth century, and the most important exhibits are ancient Greek and Etruscan pottery, Egyptian archaeological discoveries, as well as medieval and Renaissance art.
Botanical garden
The Botanical Garden of Nantes covers an area of 7 hectares and is one of only 4 botanical gardens in France to be awarded the prestigious label. Tourists can leisurely enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and go for a walk, and there are also exotic landscape exhibits such as a giant bush manicured like a sleeping cat.
Abolitionist Memorial Museum
The Abolitionist Memorial Museum presents exhibits on the history of slavery with a particular focus on the slave trade in Nantes from the 17th to mid-19th centuries, and the abolitionist movement in North America in the 18th century. There is a memorial walking path commemorating the more than a thousand slave ships that departed from Nantes and there is a contemplative walkway presenting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Plan your culturally rich Nantes sightseeing with our list of the best things to do in Nantes. In this article, we have learned about the places of tourism in Nantes, France.
