Nantes Cruises

Overview

Nantes is a city in western France, near the Atlantic coast, with 550,00 residents. In 1940, the city was occupied by German troops. In 1941, the death of a German colonel caused the retaliatory execution of 48 hostages. In 1943, the city was bombed twice by British and American airplanes. Nantes was freed by the Americans in 1944. After World War II, the city lost its industrial base. The harbor was moved to the very mouth of the Loire river, in Saint-Nazaire. It has been only in the last 15 years of the 20th century that the city was able to move to a more current economy. Formerly the capital of Brittany, Nantes was separated from the region by the Vichy government in June 1941. Although the city has been part of the Pays de la Loire region since 1971, the sentiment that Nantes belongs to Brittany is still solid today. For cultural and political reasons, many people still connect with Brittany.

Things to Do

Nantes is a beautiful city and it has a lot of things to do outside to enjoy that beauty. Take a nature walk or a bird spotting trip. Or take in 18 holes on a top flight golf course. If that is not enough go canoeing in the middle of Nantes and see this beautiful city in entirety.

Visit one of the zoos of beautiful parks in the city. Go to the Jardin des Hesperides and see all the exotic flowers, see all the animals on display at the Zoo de la Boissiere. Take a trip to the safari park Planete Sauvage, you can take a train or car around the grounds and see the sites.

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