All alive on the Loire: Art, architecture and elephants in Nantes - the 'Bristol of France'



Nantes is like Bristol, said my 21-year-old son, currently in France on a year out from that great West Country institution: “Historic port, cool students, great food, art and nightlife.”

All good reasons to discover this west coast French city I’d often driven past on my way south.

“But,” he added. “Bristol doesn’t have an elephant.”

Trunk on the power: This giant mechanical elephant is one of the key attractions of Nantes

That Bristol has a zoo but no elephant, and Nantes no zoo but a renowned pachyderm is a mystery. But one which would be solved on this first-ever father-son city break.

First impressions are leafy. Nantes was European Green Capital 2013 and in addition to 100 parks, they love their trees. Eco-consciousness doesn’t stop there: the taxi driver from the airport warns me off driving in the city: “beaucoup de restrictions”. Instead, there’s a pioneering and cheap tram system and pre-Boris-bike scheme called Bicloo. Cycle paths are wide and ubiquitous.

We are staying at the Perouse, the longest established boutique hotel in the city centre on the Cours des 50 Otages, Nantes’ broad main thoroughfare.

The city’s only skyscraper, the 37-storey Bretagne Tower, looms over to the north-west. It has a best-view bar at the top, Le Nid (nest), but the lifts are out of order.

The Cours des 50 Otages divides medieval Nantes from its 19th century side. Appearances, though, are mildly deceiving. Both were rebuilt after being bombed in the Second World War - and 50 Otages was originally constructed in the 1920s over a branch of the Loire.

Another city has appeared in recent years. When the shipyards closed in the 1980s, millions were poured into reinventing Nantes. And it’s still going on.

We have dinner at La Cigale, an Art Nouveau beauty festooned with bright ceramics and now a protected national monument. But its location, Place Graslin – one of three squares that form the backbone of chic 19th century central Nantes – has great blocks of stone lying around.

Slices of the city: Nantes has visible heritage in the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany (left), and a marked cafe vibe



Still, the patrons sitting out on this warm evening are unfazed and the whole place is buzzing, with waiters distributing shellfish platters - to be paired with the famous local white wine, Muscadet. We retire early, for Nantes – around 11pm. Loud laughter is still ringing out from the tables on the street.

The next day, we pick up some rental bikes and head south.

First stop, the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, last redoubt of the old Dukes of Brittany before the kings of France took over: magnificent shiny walls untroubled by cannon fire and different epochs of building reflecting its long evolution and recent restoration.

Like the impressive but plain Cathedral, half burnt down by a clumsy workman in modern times, it has been expensively done up. We race round exhibitions on the city's history and its wartime travails.

But we are on an elephant hunt. Which is when we pick up the city’s green line. This is painted on the pavement, and winds in a circuit to what they call ‘Le Voyage a Nantes’: the sights of the city.

It takes us across the bridge to the Ile de Nantes, heart of the old shipbuilding area. In the distance we see the Ile’s most famous inhabitant. Steam is pouring out of his nose and his great leather ears are flapping. This colossal monster, three times the size of a normal elephant, constructed from metal, wood and leather, cost eight million euros.

The passengers on top clearly think it was worth every penny.

He is the star of the Machines de l’Ile. Behind him there is a gallery of creations, from carniverous plants to a pterodactyl ride that will one day be installed on the other side of the river. Around the corner is a multi-tiered carousel populated by weird mobile sea creatures. “It was a way of using our engineering skills and creating something fantastic,” one of the curators explained.

It does take something amazing to get a middle aged Briton and his 21-year-old son onto a carousel.

With a long wait for the next ride, we strike out across the concrete expanse to explore.

The old industrial sites – even the old launch ramps - have been turned into waterfront restaurants, bars and galleries. Almost immediately we encounter an “Estuaire” artwork, one of many spread between Nantes and St Nazaire up the coast. Les Anneaux are 18 aligned rings that glow red blue green over the river at night. If we had time we could also discover a huge submerged skeletal serpent, a concealed 20 metre water jet and all kinds of other oddities.

Water feature: The River Loire runs through Nantes, and acts as a focal point for city life

On our way to catch the boat to lunch, we pass a vast tape measure scaling a courtyard of offices.

The boat goes to Trentemoult, a charming spot for a bowl of moules frites. Returning for a great Muscadet tasting session at Maison des Vin, we find an extraordinary two-storey-high construction of metal and plantlife, studded with large white balls, in the middle of the Place du Bouffay.

What is it? I ask a local and get a Gallic shrug in response.

The next day we are cycling by and a jazz band is installed on high. A reminder of the jazz festival in September. Dinner is an intriguing French/Laotian experience at Song. Afterwards we check out the all-ages club scene at the Lieu Unique – a former biscuit factory.

Before I leave, there is just time for a cycle with the morning joggers along the Erdre, taking in the Japanese garden and the Jardin des Plantes, with yet more quirky installations, this time in topiary.

Nantes proves to be a wonderland, and not just because of the giant elephant.