Life
Nantes city life
Although not having the amazing architecture that you would see in other French cities, everywhere you walk in Nantes, you can feel the typical French elegance and charm. Some of the places that are worth visiting in Nantes are:
- Cathédrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul (or simply "Cathédrale Saint-Pierre")
- Église (Church) Sainte-Croix
- Bouffay district, including the Bouffay castle and cathedral
- Place du Commerce, the city's main square, including the Palais de la Bourse
- Place Royale historical square
- Place Graslin featuring the world famous brasserie La Cigale
- Quai de la Fosse (the historical harbour of Nantes)
- Musée d'Art de Nantes (Nantes' Art museum)
- Musée Jules Verne
Nantes has been drawing tourists with quite a unique attraction: Les Machines de l'île amusement park, inspired by Jules Verne’s tales. Here, visitors can ride on three levels mechanical sea creatures: squid and crab on the lowest level, suspended fish on the second and boats and jellyfish at the top, among many other interesting ride machines.
The entertainment scene of Nantes, covering bars, cafés, nightclubs and cinemas is mainly centred in the Bouffay area and the Place du Commerce. Do try some of the local specialties, like the Muscadet white wine, the galettes (a heavier, less sweet version of the crepe) or Curé Nantais cheese.
International atmosphere in Nantes
Nantes counts for a number of minorities, people coming from countries like Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Russia, Guinea, Greece, few people from U.K. and other European countries that chose to live here.
Regarding international business in the area, Nantes is in top ten places in terms of foreign investment projects in France. Companies related to the software and IT service sector represents almost one investment in the region, followed by agri-food, agriculture and fishing. A large part of the foreign business people are American, German, Spanish and Swedish investors.
Weather Nantes
Covering all four seasons, Nantes has frequent rainfalls all year round and cool temperatures. Autumn and winter seasons are generally rainy with cold temperatures and moderate snowfalls in the coldest months. During December and January, the highest temperatures are usually around 9 °C (48 °F). Spring and summer average daily high temperatures are 24 – 25 °C (76 – 77 °F).