John Kilbride Imagine there was a city a bit like Glasgow, but in the north-west of France.
Built on a river? Formerly famous for shipbuilding but now re-inventing itself as a new media, technology and arts hub?
Got a vibrant modern music scene? A landmark crane that’s been preserved on the riverside?
A Celtic history that continues to flavour the present and makes the city’s identity just that bit different from other big cities in that country? It might sound like Glasgow, but this is Nantes.
One of France’s biggest cities, Nantes sits on the River Loire, was once a thriving centre of shipbuilding and a port. Those industries may have moved closer to the Atlantic now, with Saint-Nazaire downriver still a major played in the maritime construction industry.
Nantes was once a place where rivers met, but these were diverted or moved underground as they reached the city. From a look at a map you can still see the traces of what once were islands and where the two overground sections of the River Erde meet underground.
Although its now in the Pays De La Loire region, Nantes is the historic capital of Brittany, and this Celtic corner of France has much in common with Scotland. Although Nantes may now sit outside the region’s borders, the sound of bagpipes isn’t uncommon in the city, Armorik single malt whisky – which they even spell the correct way – is widely available alongside Scotland’s best-known exports, and there’s even a widely popular soft drink – Breizh Cola – that challenges the international brands for popularity locally. Meanwhile, the welcome from locals – particularly if they know you’re from Scotland – is quite different to the more formal one you might associate with places like Paris.
Last year we were impressed to stumble upon Glasgow Burgers, an impressively named vegan fast-food restaurant in the bustling city centre during the evening, an unexpected surprise among the wide selection of places offering French and international cuisine.
Taking a cue from Nantes’ Breton heritage, crepes are widely available and we spent an evening with friends at Le Loup, Le Renard et La Galette, a creperie taking its name from a Breton folk song, ‘galette’ referring to the savoury crepes that Brittany specialises in.
If the city centre is a treat for eating out, there’s no missing the city’s music scene when you’re there. From Celtic rock acts of the 70s like Tri Yann to modern stars like Christine and the Queens, similar to Glasgow, Nantes has a vibrant local scene. The Lieu Unique venue , a former LU biscuit factory converted into an arts venue regularly hosts well-chosen French and international acts. Scotland’s Brìghde Chaimbeul plays in October, with other names before the end of the year including France’s Yann Tiersen and Dominique A.
Elsewhere in the city Le Live Bar is located right beside the Chateau, regularly hosting sets from local developing acts, while Stereolux hosts events that feature cutting edge contemporary electronic acts. Meanwhile, if metal’s your thing, the Hellfest music festival , one of the world’s biggest metal meetings, takes place in June in Clisson, just outside Nantes.
For a city that built its fortune on the river, much of what was shipyards, docks and warehouses is being reclaimed and put to other uses, with new industries and attractions appearing on what would have been post-industrial landscapes. Like Glasgow’s SEC and Pacific Quay areas, places like the Ile de Nantes are being renovated with imagination and style.
The Machines of the Ile de Nantes is one extraordinary place, where workshops construct massive mechanical animals, part science fiction, part steampunk. You’ve probably seen them appear at international events, and where else can you take a ride in a two-storey mechanical elephant? Unmissable.
If Glasgow misses one thing, it’s a decent castle. Nantes scores highly here with the Château des Ducs de Bretagne right in the city centre, just five minutes’ walk from the main train station. Finished in the 17th century, the impressive and intact building is surrounded by a moat and scenic walkway, the buildings in the castle constructed around a central courtyard housing a museum and art gallery. Entrance to the courtyard across the drawbridge is free.
There’s much more to Nantes, whether kayaking on the Erdre or visiting the Japanese garden that occupies the Ile de Versailles, taking a trip down the river on a ferry boat, the Jules Verne Museum, Passage Pommeraye – the 1840s shopping mall that’s’ like a huge scenic version of the Argyle Arcade – but one of the most visible and accessible events is the annual Voyage A Nantes contemporary art exhibition, where the streets of the city are full of interesting, thought provoking and witty pieces of contemporary art. Some are on a huge scale, like last summer’s piece by Max Coulon where a giant hand supported a mis-shaped tree, to those that require closer attention such as L’Evasion by Cyril Pedrosa, where the figures on the city’s 19th century Wallace drinking fountains escape their places on the monuments. This year’s exhibits look every bit as fascinating, and bring the world of contemporary art out of the confines of the gallery to a public space where the widest possible audience can enjoy it.
If there’s one thing that makes a trip to Nantes even more accessible, it’s the Pass Nantes city pass card , which gives you access to activities including galleries, the Machines of the Ile de Nantes, museums and travel around the area by trams and ferry. You can buy them with a duration of 24 hours or up to a week, and are incredibly good value for money for exploring the city. And if value for money is important, not only are hotels much cheaper than the equivalent in Paris, but there are bargains to be had flying directly to Nantes from Edinburgh via Ryanair.
In the centre of Nantes, in Place du Bouffay, there’s a sculpture called ‘Ode To Sidestepping’, where a bronze statue of a man takes a step sideways off the pedestal. Nantes is that kind of place, a step sideways from the usual French tourist spots like Paris or the south, but with surprising similarities to the biggest city in Scotland, Nantes might just be the kind of place you’ll step into confidently.
