About the Port
Nantes sits on the banks of the Loire, a former shipbuilding and maritime trading hub that has reinvented its industrial waterfront into a lively cultural quarter. At its heart stands the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, seat of the medieval dukes of Brittany, along with the soaring Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. The city's literary ties to native son Jules Verne echo through inventive public art, including the mechanical creations on the former shipyards of Île de Nantes.
Many voyages call at nearby Saint-Nazaire, the deep-water port on the Loire estuary, with a transfer inland to Nantes itself. The compact historic center rewards unhurried walking, from timber-framed streets near the cathedral to riverside promenades that trace the city's seafaring past.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Nantes.
See the Machines of the Isle of Nantes
Ride the giant mechanical elephant and explore the fantastical creatures born from Jules Verne's imagination on the former shipyards of Île de Nantes, a short walk or tram ride from the center.
Tour the Château des Ducs de Bretagne
Wander the moated courtyard and ramparts of this former ducal residence, now home to a museum on Nantes' history; allow about an hour to see the highlights.
Step Inside St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral
Admire the soaring white limestone nave and Renaissance tomb of Duke Francis II in this Gothic landmark, just steps from the château in the old town.