France Cruise: Nantes
In this fourth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Nantes, France on her France Intensive Cruise on Azamara.
I spent a full day on June 14th in Nantes, France. It was a dreary, sometimes rainy, day. But that did not prevent me from getting out and exploring the beautiful city of Nantes! This bustling city, with a population of over 320,000 in the city itself and nearly 1 million in the metropolitan area, is located on the Loire River. It is the sixth largest city in France, with a rich cultural history.
France Intensive Cruise Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Nantes, France. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- June 9 through June 11: Bordeaux, France
- June 12: La Rochelle and Île de Ré, France
- June 13: Belle-Île-en-Mer, France
- June 14: Nantes, France
- June 15: Brest and Quimper, France
- June 16: St. Peter Port, Guernsey
- June 17: Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel, France
- June 18: Cherbourg, Omaha Beach, and Sainte-Mère-Église, France
- June 19 & 20: Honfleur, Rouen, and Fécamp, France
- June 21: Oostende and Bruges, Belgium
A Day in Nantes, France
I had the day to myself here in Nantes. This was one of the stops along the way where the excursions I was interested in were already sold out, so I chose to go exploring on my own. I awoke to increasing clouds rolling in over the Loire River and the city of Nantes ahead. By the time the shuttle bus dropped me off in the city center, the rain had started and my umbrella got some use.
Place du Bouffay
My first stop in Nantes was to the historic district called Place du Bouffay, or ‘Le Bouffay” as the locals say. This is the central district in the city, filled with winding streets, beautiful buildings, pleasant squares, and the requisite shops and cafes.
I meandered on the cobblestone sidewalks up and down various streets, admiring the pretty sights. There is an eclectic mix of old, medieval Nantes right alongside the new and hip modern vibe of the city. Scroll through the slideshow below for some shots of “Le Bouffay”:
Passage Pommeraye
At one end of “Le Bouffay” is the Passage Pommeraye, a covered shopping area named for its developer, Louis Pommeraye. Constructed in the 1840s, it links two streets. One of the streets is higher than the other, so midway between the two there is a grand flight of stairs, and the mall continues on the second floor. This historic monument is known for its marble floors, statues, intricate details, and glass ceiling.
The slideshow below has several photos of the beautiful Passage Pommeraye:
Château des ducs de Bretagne
I wrapped up my tour of Nantes at the impressive Château des ducs de Bretagne (“Castle of the Dukes of Brittany”). This large castle complex served as the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries. Today it houses the Nantes History Museum. I really enjoyed visiting the museum, which is spread out over 32 of the castle rooms. It covers history of the castle, Nantes, and Brittany back to the 17th century through today.
Scroll through the slideshow below for some images of the exterior of the castle and some of my favorite exhibits in the museum:
More pictures of the castle and the museum exhibits are in the below slideshow:
After finishing the self-guided tour of the museum, I headed outside and up the stairs. I enjoyed walking along the upper walkway that connects all seven towers. There are some amazing views up there!
More pictures from the upper walkway are below, including inside the drawbridge where I (and many other visitors) waited for the heavy rain to lighten a bit before continuing our journeys!):
French festival of flavor
After a dreary but interesting day in Nantes, I caught a shuttle bus back to the ship to relax (and warm up and dry out a bit!). Dinner this evening was a merveilleux French buffet. It was originally scheduled to be out on the pool deck, which is where it started. However, the rain came back shortly after it started so we all picked up and moved inside to the Windows Cafe. Luckily all of the food stations were already undercover! It was a wonderful assortment of classic French dishes, including cheese, bread, moules (mussels), frog legs, and coq au vin.
We also had a fabulous 3-piece band that played wonderful French classics as we enjoyed the fabulous food. They, like us, had to relocate from outside to inside, but the crew made a spot for them in the corner of the dining room.
Dessert was also fabulous! There was the usual large table filled with assorted mini pastries of all shapes and flavors. But the highlight was the made-to-order crepes, served up with a smile by our amazing Hotel Director (Ryszard) and our fabulous Cruise Director (Emily). I had mine with Nutella and it was pretty fantastic. C’est si bon!
Au revoir, Nantes
The festive French dinner and music was a wonderful way to wind down the day. After dinner, I enjoyed the show in the Cabaret Lounge and then headed back to my stateroom to relax. I got to see some beautiful views as we sailed away into the sunset. Au revoir, Nantes!
Conclusion
My day in Nantes was lovely, even if the weather was less than cooperative! I really enjoyed being able to explore on my own today, finding lots of interesting little nooks and crannies along the way. I only scratched the surface of cool things to do here in this city. But I thoroughly enjoyed my day here. It’s yet another great city to simply wander and get a bit lost in.
Links
Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:
Click the button below for more information about Azamara:
