Come and stay in the city of Macon with Premiere Classe hotels

Nantes is the capital of the Pays de la Loire region in western France and is also in the Loire-Atlantique department. It was one of the major cities of the historic province of Brittany, making it culturally a Breton city. It is located on the Loire river, 31 miles from the Atlantic coast. In 2004 Time Magazine described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe".

After being occupied by the Gauls and the Romans Nantes was Christianised in the 3rd century, being successively invaded by the Saxons, the Franks, the Britons and the Normans, who laid waste to it in 843. Alain Barbe-Torte drove them out in 1050 and founded the Duchy of Brittany. During the 18th century Nantes was the slave trade capital of France, leading Nantes to become the largest port in France and a wealthy city. In the 19th century Nantes became an industrial city. The first public transport anywhere is believed to be the omnibus service initiated in Nantes in 1826. The first railways were built in 1851 and many industries were created.

A two-day trip
Two days will give you time to discover just a slice of the city of Nantes. Premiere Classe Nantes Est – Saint Sebastien sur Loire Hotel, Premiere Classe Nantes Est – Sainte Luce sur Loire Hotel, Premiere Classe Nantes Ouest – Saint Herblain Hotel and Premiere Classe Nantes Sud – Reze Aeroport Hotel are all just a short taxi ride from the city centre. For your first day head to the city’s star attraction – Chateau des ducs de Bretagne – a large castle also host to the History Museum of Nantes. Then head to the Cathedral of Saint Peters and Paul before checking out one of the city’s many churches. For your second day why not visit the former shipyard of the Isle of Nantes, now a leisure and cultural site, before heading to the excellent Fine Arts Museum of Nantes.

A one-week break
A whole week will give you the perfect amount of time to really get the most out of your visit to Nantes. There are more museums to be seen, such as the natural history museum, and historical squares, such as Place Graslin and Royale. The Lieu Unique is a fantastic modern theatre and has many excellent dance, music and three-dimensional art shows that are shown regularly, while the Brasserie La Cigale is a famous listed restaurant that you must pay a visit to. With Nantes not too far from the coast, the resort town of La Baule has a lovely beach and is only just a short ride away.

A family holiday
Nantes is a fantastic place to take the whole family. Whether it is relaxing in the beautiful Jardin des plantes de Nantes, shopping in the classy boutiques of Passage Pommeraye or visiting the planetarium there will be something to keep everybody happy !

Transport
Nantes is served by the Nantes-Atlantique Airport in the south of the city which offers regular connections to Paris, Lyon and other French cities as well as the UK. Buses and trams both run from the airport to the city centre, taking around half an hour. The city’s rail station lies on a number of lines and offers TGV connections to Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille and Strasbourg and Corail connections to Quimper, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse. If you are driving then the A11 connects the city to Paris, the A83 to Bordeaux, the RN165 to Brest and the RN137 to Rennes. Nantes has an excellent bus and tram service running through the city.

Gastronomy
With Nantes lying between the land and the sea, its cuisine is not defined by a set of recipes; there is sweet and savoury, meat and vegetables. The vegetables used in dishes include lamb’s lettuce, carrots and leeks while the seafood includes everything from king prawns to oysters and sardines to eels. The ‘beurre blanc’ sauce (shallots, butter, cream, vinegar and white wine) is the emblematic recipe of the city and can be found served on many fish dishes. While for desert expect to try the ‘gateau nantais’ (a cake made up of sugar, almonds, butter and Antilles rum).

Events
Nantes offers a variety of entertaining events throughout the year. One of the highlights is the Nantes Crazy Day in January which features 250 concerts of French and Spanish music from 1860 to the present day. Another highlight is the Nantes Carnival in April which sees dozens of floats, brass bands and musicians from all over Europe filling the streets of Nantes. Other favourites include the Nuits du Jazz Festival in November, the festival of Gastronomy in September and the Erdre Rendez-vous jazz festival in August.

Interesting fact
Nantes is the central point of the Land Hemisphere – the hemisphere of the Earth containing the largest possible area of land.

Useful links
http://en.nantes-tourisme.com/
http://rendezvousenfrance.com/en/discover/nantes-0
http://www.chateau-nantes.fr/en/