Nantes is the sixth largest city in France, but the historic center retains a lively intimacy. An important port on the Loire, it has a long, pre-Roman history, and became the primary residence of the 15th-century dukes of Brittany. During the 17th century, after the establishment of the French colonial empire, Nantes gradually became the largest port in France and was responsible for nearly half of the 18th-century French Atlantic slave trade. The French Revolution resulted in an economic decline, but Nantes developed robust industries after 1850 (chiefly in shipbuilding and food processing). 

Nantes regularly wins awards for quality of life, and sustainability and the arts are major themes. It’s really very pretty, with a lot of museums and cheerful, crowded streets. The architecture in the historic core is impressive, with a Hausmann-esque stone style mixed with older gothic buildings and the odd half-timbered house. We had portions of two days + a night and would have enjoyed another day, even two.

Food and Lodging:

• **La Cigale is a classy bistro on the opera house square. In business since 1895, the decor is lavish – classified as a historical monument in 1964. It could be cheesy, but it isn’t, with quality food and food service. The oysters were excellent.
• **O Deck is a multi-level restaurant/lounge/club on a boat near Les Machines de l’Île. While it looks to be the type of place that serves low-end food to the masses, the experience is not that at all – it was rather quiet for our lunch, and the food was well executed.
• **Sources is an up-and-coming foodie destination aiming for a more premium experience in a fairly casual setting. Set menus of locally sourced ingredients (emphasis on seafood and veggies), with wine pairings (emphasis on local and natural wines). Good, attentive service. I liked it – not every dish was a success, but several were very good.
• More options here: Eater Guide to Nantes Dining
• We stayed at the well-located and affordable **Hotel Voltaire Opera Nantes Centre. It was fine, service was good, a bit loud with street noise, but no major complaints. 
• Another option: billiehotel.com.

Sites:

• Les Machines de l’Île: an artistic and cultural project in the former shipyards in Nantes. The machines are huge mechanical animals and creatures, truly impressive and delightful. We saw the elephant from afar, and the dragon up close. To tour the facility, reserve well in advance – at least a week ahead for french tours, and several weeks for english language.
• **Musée d’arts de Nantes is a grand and rather fine art museum. It didn’t take incredibly long to tour, perhaps an hour, and the building is lovely and the collection well curated. Perhaps 25 rooms in all, each on a different theme, covering around 600 years of work.
• There are many churches on a grand scale in Nantes, the most noticeable being **Basilique Saint-Nicolas de Nantes and Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes (which is closed for restoration at the moment). The Basilique is impressive – not particularly old (built during the years 1844 to 1869), but using very traditional styles. The building was severely damaged in World War II in the Allied bombardment of 16 September 1943, and the replaced, quite modern stained glass is a reminder of the destruction.