Nantes - Old Town

No visit to Nantes would be complete without a walk through the old 18th and 19th C. quarters. The Place Royale, Rue Crébillon, Place Graslin and Cours Cambronne will give the visitor a good impression of old Nantes. Farther east is the imposing Château Ducal, surrounded by a moat, part of which is laid out as a park. The original castle was built in the 10th C., and after being rebuilt in 1466 was again enlarged in the 16th C. The Edict of Nantes was signed here.

Near the gate leading into the inner courtyard is a beautiful Late Gothic well (12th C.).

From the south curtain wall, at the Petit Gouvernement, there is a fine view of the Château, with the cathedral beyond it.