Wow, what a great city, which needs more exploring, but one thing I wanted to do was see the mechanical elephant on this quick visit to Nantes on our road trip across France. However, I managed to fit in a few other sights!
So after our 24 hours in Montlucon , we continued on to Nantes. Nantes is a city on the Loire River in the upper Brittany region of France. Nantes has a long history as a port and an important industrial area in France.
The wonderfully restored Chateau of the Ducs de Bretagne stands proudly in the centre and is now a museum with multimedia exhibits and a walkway on top of the fortified ramparts.
We stayed in a gorgeous small hotel that used to be an old chapel and has kept the stained-glass windows that feature in many of the rooms. The Sozo Hotel offers secure locked parking on the premises and is conveniently situated in the city close to the station and within walking distance of the centre, the Chateau. Although in a central location, it is on a quiet street right opposite the fabulous botanical gardens.
A walk through the botanical gardens is a must do, to see the old greenhouses and The Palm House, lakes and flora and fauna. These gardens cover a vast 73, sq metres and you can walk around it free, however a small charge is made to enter the greenhouses. Nantes earliest botanical garden dates back to and the current garden was established in It resembles an English park with lakes, ponds, waterways and paths.
