Escape on the Loire

Nantes, a city on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of western France, has a long history as a port and industrial center. It’s home to the restored, medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany once lived. The castle is now a local history museum with multimedia exhibits, as well as a walkway atop its fortified ramparts.

Saint-Nazaire is a city on the west coast of France. Housed in a fortified lock in the harbor is the Espadon, a post-WWII submarine. The Escal’Atlantic museum, a life-size reconstruction of an ocean liner, celebrates the city’s shipbuilding past. To the west, the Tumulus de Dissignac is an ancient burial mound with Neolithic rock carvings. To the north, canals cross the salt marshes of Brière Regional Natural Park.

Nantes, a city on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of western France, has a long history as a port and industrial center. It’s home to the restored, medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany once lived. The castle is now a local history museum with multimedia exhibits, as well as a walkway atop its fortified ramparts.

Nantes, a city on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of western France, has a long history as a port and industrial center. It’s home to the restored, medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany once lived. The castle is now a local history museum with multimedia exhibits, as well as a walkway atop its fortified ramparts.