With some very bizarre, and often thought-provoking, installations dotted across the city, Nantes has set itself apart from your typical French break.
Affordable fine wines, bustling food markets and a general air of joie de vivre are de rigueur and can all still be found at every turn here.
But as I’m flicking through some shelves of stationery on my first day I glance through the bookshop window across the cobbled street and spot a small statue of a young man perched high above on the rail of a balcony lost in the pages of a book. I’m instantly charmed by the city.
Nantes, France. Pic: Shutterstock
Over the course of a long weekend, I would sail along the Loire River past a rare albino leopard resting in a tree and a large detached, shuttered house in the middle of the water seemingly sinking into the silt below.
All of these incredible artworks are part of Le Voyages A Nantes, a spectacular and always surprising trail of sculptures and other artworks dotted around the streets of France’s sixthlargest city and beyond.
I had heard of Le Voyage A Nantes before and had seen a lot of images of the pieces that make up this city spectacle, and had long wanted to visit. So much so that I had given little thought to what else the city might have to offer. Which is a lot as it turns out.
A piece made by Austrian Erwin Wurm, exhibited at the La Martiniere canal as part of the estuary’s cultural event. Pic: Getty Images
With a long and fascinating history and a population of just over 325,000, the city is still totally walkable and visitors can fit in a lot over a long weekend. There’s also an efficient and easily navigable tram system that can help you squeeze in everything if you wish.
But without a doubt, the easiest and most leisurely way to take it all in is by following the Green Line, a 12km painted line on the city’s streets that guides you along a trail covering some of Nantes’s top cultural attractions, monuments and street art.
I came across one of the more endearing and creative works completely by accident as I grabbed a quick coffee on my first morning waiting to join my group to start the art trail.
Pic: Supplied
Bouffay, the city’s bustling medieval district, is home to many charming cafes and quaint shops as well as one of four contemporary castiron versions of the Wallace water fountains most commonly found on the boulevards of Paris.
Artist Cyril Pedrosa created these fountains to embody goodness, charity, simplicity and sobriety. However, don’t be fooled by the virtuous monikers; these ladies mean business. The original fountains, first appearing on the streets of the French capital during the late 19th century, depict four women with their arms raised to support a dome above their heads.
But visiting Pedrosa’s four fountains in order, we first see the ladies plotting their escape before helping each other down from the fountain and then finally making a run from their state of servitude. It’s a true taste of what to expect elsewhere along the Green Line.
Nantes, France. Pic: Shutterstock
This self-guided art trail extends for more than 12km across the city, making sure that visitors enjoy the more than 130 permanent artworks with ease. It’s unlikely that you will stick to the route until you have ticked all of them off the map, but that also means that you’re almost always guaranteed a surprise around every corner. Keep your eyes peeled as some of the artworks can be found in the most unexpected of places.
Once one of the most significant cities for shipbuilding during the 17th and 19th centuries, Nantes was also the main port for the country’s slave trade to the Americas with the number of trade expeditions far outnumbering those from any other French city.
View of Nantes,France.Nantes panorama across Loire River.The Buren metal rings decoration. Sightseeing on Ile de Nantes. Pic: Shutterstock
Following the Green Line down to the riverbank, I descend a few steps underground to where I find myself eye-level with the waterline at one of the most moving, free public exhibitions detailing this period in Nantes’s history. Back at street level the names of the 1,714 ships that undertook these journeys are embedded in the pavement, giving you some perspective of the scale of the trade.
Continuing along the line across the Loire, the city’s industrial past takes a more contemporary turn. Once the centre of the city’s shipyards and accompanying warehouses, today the Ile de Nantes is its creative heart, where strikingly modern architecture sits cheek by jowl with what remains of its built heritage. It is also where you will find the spectacle that is Nantes’s homage to its most famous son, Jules Verne.
The Great Elephant animated giant puppet, part of the Machines of the Isle of Nantes. Pic: Shutterstock
The Machines Of The Island consists of galleries and exhibits inspired by the imagination of the Around the World in Eighty Days and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea author. Scale the four-storey carousel and choose your own machine to explore the depths of the latter or climb atop the enormous Grand Elephant to stomp through the city streets. Whichever you choose, both experiences are immense fun – whether you have kids with you or not.
From the island we took a water taxi for fish and chips at the Little Atlantique Brewery, a spacious 19th century industrial building with a modern energy and a great beer list.
Afterwards, we walked lunch off as we made our way back into town, taking in even more art along the way.
Later that evening, having yet again worked up an appetite as well as our steps, we took a trip back in time from modern-day, art-filled Nantes to dine at La Cigale. This landmark restaurant has been serving up an elegant menu of haute cuisine since 1895.
A popular destination with locals, I was still assured that a reservation isn’t necessary as long as you are prepared for a short wait.
But take it from me, the restaurant’s original art nouveau interior and its juicy, locally sourced steaks are worth an extra 20 minutes on any itinerary.
Pic: Supplied
The next day we were back on the river making our way to Saint-Nazaire, a small city packing a big punch.
We passed the aforementioned sinking house and tree-dwelling animals, as well as half a dozen other mind-bending artworks and installations, then reached the last port of call before the Loire empties into the Atlantic.
During the late 1900s, Saint-Nazaire became the point of the first transatlantic crossings between France and South America, turning its shipbuilding focus primarily toward ocean liners. This tradition continues today with the Queen Mary II being built here in 2003.
Escal’Atlantic. Pic: Saint-nazaire-tourisme.com/Farid Makhlouf
If cruise enthusiasts are lucky enough, they might spot towering ships being fitted with their cabins and decks on the approach into the port.
Once docked, head straight for the Escal’Atlantic. Housed in what was once the French headquarters for the German Navy, this former submarine base is now a world-class museum showcasing the golden age of ocean liners.
The simulated experience allows visitors a taste of what it would have been like to sail across the Atlantic when liners were decorated with the finest wood panelling, crystal lighting and art deco embellishments.
The cruise ship Loire Princess moored during a stopover in Nantes, France. Pic: Getty Images
There is even a replica of a grand bar where you can enjoy a gin and tonic or a glass of bubbles.
You might just need a bit of a stiffener before descending three decks toward the exit in a lifeboat as the sound of the howling wind and crashing waves surrounds you.
Back on dry land, the juxtaposition between Saint-Nazaire’s past and its present is as evident as it is back in Nantes. A short stroll back toward the harbour on exiting Escal’Atlantic is the restaurant GAMIN. Michelin Guide recommended, describing itself as ‘like a second home’ to diners, GAMIN feels welcoming from the moment you step inside.
Unfussy and friendly while offering a seasonal, sustainable and inventive menu should feel out of place set among these working shipyards but somehow doesn’t. Having worked in restaurants from Corsica to the US, owners Bastien and Charlotte Guillochon have put down roots here in the port, quickly establishing a name for themselves by serving up a vegetable and seafood-heavy menu from breakfast until dinner, only closing for a few hours mid-afternoon to pick up their young family from school.
This work-life balance also sees the restaurant closed on Saturdays and Sundays, which in my opinion only adds further to its charm.
If all of this wasn’t enough, Saint-Nazaire also boasts a collection of 20 beaches and coves along its relatively short stretch of coast, including two that are designated fully accessible.
Also, if you follow the promenade along the bay from the port you will discover some of the 200 fishing huts on stilts awaiting high tide with their massive, square nets pitched up in front.
A handful, equipped with a fridge to keep your drinks cold, are available to rent for the afternoon too.
The secret to Nantes and Saint-Nazaire lies in their distinctive, one-of-a kind charm. With an abundance of world-class art, mouth-watering food, beaches and museums, it really does make for a voyage of which I’m sure Monsieur Verne himself would surely approve.