Marsh and Moorland : Frances second largest Swamp just outside Saint-Nazaire. A destination for a Weekend Break or a Holiday p. 11

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2 Table of contents Highlights of 2018 Impressions A City by the Sea Visitors attractions : the Port where all Journeys begin Marsh and Moorland : Frances second largest Swamp just outside Saint-Nazaire p. 3 p. 4/5 p. 6/7 p. 8/9 p. 10 A destination for a Weekend Break or a Holiday p. 11 Press contact - Social media p. 12 Saint-Nazaire Agglomeration Tourisme Office Intercommunal de Tourisme 3 boulevard de la Légion d Honneur BP SAINT-NAZAIRE cedex - France 2

3 Delivery of two new cruise ships Highlights of 2018 Once again, Saint-Nazaire builds the biggest cruise ship in the world! In late March, Symphony of the Seas will be delivered to its owner Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and greeted by thousands as it will sail out of Saint-Nazaire. It is 362 m long and can carry 6,780 passengers. Later in the year, in autumn, a second cruise ship will leave Saint-Nazaire. Celebrity Edge (Celebrity Cruises) is only 306 m long and has a capacity of 2,900 passengers, but it is announced as a very innovating ship. The precise dates will be communicated later in the year. Symphony of the Seas is the sister-ship of Harmony of the Seas, which left Saint-Nazaire two years ago. A new meeting-place by the sea Just in time for the summer season, the City of Saint-Nazaire will inaugurate a series of new restaurants and bars facing the seaside on Place du Commando, a very attractive and lively new place opening onto the beach. Fun for everybody at place du Commando! Music festival Les Escales, July 27 to 29 : musical focus on Melbourne For three evenings, the whole harbour site becomes a larger-than-life stage for dozens of concerts with internationally renowned bands and interesting new artists. Every year a city or country is the festival s guest of honour: in 2018, Melbourne will be represented in Saint-Nazaire with several bands and a street art painter. 3

4 IMPRESSIONS A beautiful seaside promenade, along the Loire estuary. Some fine villas from the 1900 s Children love this dragon in the city centre. Spindly legs and huge nets: Saint- Nazaire s fishing cabins. The music festival Les Escales on the last weekend of July is one of the highlights of the year. Even Tintin has already come to Saint-Nazaire! 4

5 IMPRESSIONS A great play area directly on the beach. The sea. That says it all The elegant ships built in Saint-Nazaire are the pride of a whole city. Long walks on windy beaches: winter pleasure in Saint-Nazaire. Saint-Nazaire has cycle lanes with a view. The Brière marshes are hardly 15 km away. 5

6 A City by the Sea With its ideal location both on the Loire estuary and the Atlantic Ocean, Saint-Nazaire is quite literally a city by the sea: not a seaside resort but a bustling city which is lively all year long and which enjoys an outstanding geographical situation. The city is large enough to offer very different atmospheres in its various parts and the sea is never far away! Seaside and coast The city is wide open unto the ocean, and the seaside promenade is the place to be. It attracts crowds strolling, cycling, rollerblading or simply enjoying the sunshine on one of the over-dimensional wooden benches. The lively skate-park is on the seafront, as is the peaceful botanical garden Jardin des Plantes, surrounded by villas dating back to the late 19 th century. The typical fishing cabins and the coastal footpath contribute to a maritime atmosphere. The seaside promenade is popular all year round. City centre Shops and boutiques, hotels and restaurants can be found in the city centre with flowers and trees adding colour and shade. The pedestrian areas around the shopping centres Paquebot, right in the city centre, and Ruban Bleu near the docks, become every now and then open-air stages for cultural events. Sidewalk café in the city centre. Ville-Port Ville-Port, the intersection of the city and the harbour, is probably where you can best feel Saint-Nazaire s heart beat: ships, docks and locks, and also cultural venues such as the Theatre with its regular program of drama, music, dance; the VIP concert venue for today s music and modern sounds; LIFE and Grand Café for exhibitions of contemporary art. Famous artists Felice Varini and Gilles Clément created specific open-air works of art for the harbour site. And inside the huge submarine base, there is a hidden gem: Escal Atlantic (see p.8). Cruise ships under construction and huge windmills are regular features in the harbour of Saint-Nazaire. 6

7 Saint-Marc-sur-Mer Saint-Nazaire s very own seaside resort with a huge beach for perfect summer happiness! No wonder film maker Jacques Tati chose Saint-Marc-sur-Mer as the location for his famous film Mr Hulot s holidays, in the early 1950 s. A little further on, the sandy beaches give way to steep rugged cliffs, with breathtaking panoramas best to be discovered from the coastal footpath. The cliffs at Saint-Marc-sur-Mer. Mean-Penhoët and the shipyard Between the huge bridge that spans the Loire estuary and the famous shipyard, this neighbourhood is almost a little town in itself, with a distinctive atmosphere. View from the submarine base towards the shipyard. A green city More than one third of Saint-Nazaire s surface is green, with public parks and gardens, countless private gardens and almost 2,500 acres of agricultural and marshland which are part of the Brière marshes. Ponds and little lakes near L Immaculée, a landscape park at Océanis and a lovely wood at Porcé, canals and herons at Le Vivier, where the Brière marshes take over The beaches Saint-Nazaire is proud of its twenty beaches: sheltered little coves, family beaches begging for sandcastles, and wide open beaches where surfing fans ride on the rolling waves. The five most visited beaches are watched over by lifeguards during the summer, and two of them provide special equipment to disabled holiday makers. Three beaches have been awarded the eco-label Pavillon Bleu ( Blue Flag ). Saint-Nazaire s Jardin des Plantes (botanical garden) Monsieur Hulot s beach is one of the Blue Flag beaches. 7

8 Visitors attractions: the Port where all Journeys begin The harbour of Saint-Nazaire offers a unique range of visits and experiences under the name Le Port de tous les Voyages. Come to the port where all journeys begin. Le Port de tous les Voyages (which means literally «the Port of all Journeys») is the name under which we present tours and visits, all based in and around the harbour of Saint-Nazaire, which have already welcomed 4 million visitors. All of them are really about journeys of some kind. On the very spot where ocean liners used to moor alongside Saint-Nazaire s quays, in the former submarine base, Escal Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience, turns its visitors into passengers. They are invited to lounge in a deckchair, take a break in the bar and admire the beautiful collections from ships built in Saint-Nazaire. This is definitely not a journey like any other. The audio-guided tour of the submarine Espadon, which was in active service between 1960 and 1985, offers captivating insight into the life of the submariners. The Ecomusée, located on the banks of the Loire estuary, is a museum about the historic, industrial and maritime heritage of Saint-Nazaire and its surrounding area. Industry tourism is increasingly popular, and Saint-Nazaire has outstanding visits on offer. Visitors have access to the shipyard where legendary liners such as the Normandie and the France were built in the 1930 s and 60 s, and which is today the birthplace of the biggest cruise ships in the world : Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, MSC Meraviglia Other spectacular discoveries lie in store during the guided tour of the huge Airbus factory. Visitors are taken inside the very workshops where the planes are assembled and equipped. The impressive harbour terminals along the Loire estuary can be seen either on a bus tour or, between June and September, during two-hour cruises along Saint-Nazaire s shore and upriver. Specific guided or themed tours (in French) are also on offer during the summer. The neolithic barrow of Dissignac, or tumulus, which is approx. 6,000 years old; the submarine base, built by the German army during World War 2, still towering over the harbour site; a walking tour of 90 minutes taking visitors through Saint-Nazaire s history since the mid-19th century. Details, practical information and safe online booking: (in French, English and German). According to the tours, admission fees vary between 6 and 20 full price. Free entry under 4, half price for children aged 4-14, reduced prices and combination tickets available. 8

9 From Escal Atlantic (left) and the universe of ocean liners to today s sophisticated shipbuilding in Saint-Nazaire s shipyard which has been in activity for more than 150 years. Inside the Airbus factory. The submarine Espadon (left) and the heritage museum Ecomusée. Harbour terminals and a two-hour cruise : Saint-Nazaire can also be discovered from the water. 9

10 Marsh and Moorland: France s second largest Swamp just outside Saint-Nazaire Walking, on a bike, in a traditional flat boat or a horse-drawn carriage : you will want to adapt a leisurely rhythm to explore the Brière marshes. The seemingly endless canals and picturesque villages with their thatched cottages deserve taking one s time. Walk over peat soil, listen to the whispering reeds, watch the flight of a heron or try to spot some of the shyer marsh birds The traditional flat boats used to be everyday means of transport. The few villages and small towns emerge like little islands. In Montoir-de-Bretagne and Saint-Joachim small but interesting museums tell the story of life as it used to be when agriculture, the building of wooden ships and the cutting of peat were the main activities in this secluded area. The Regional Natural Park Grande Brière protects the area s wildlife and implements sustainable tourism. Approximately 18,250 hectares, one third of the area, consist of wetlands, and following a decree by the Duke of Brittany in 1461, 7,000 hectares officially belong to the inhabitants of the villages. The Brière is perfect for hiking (some paths maynot be passable all year long), boating, strolling The Saint-Nazaire Tourist Office has an information desk in Saint-André-des-Eaux, a perfect gateway for the Brière area. Phone , contact-standre@saintnazaire-tourisme.com, website 10

11 A Destination for a Weekend Break or a Holiday Saint-Nazaire is very easy to get to By train: Saint-Nazaire s railway station is served by the TGV high-speed train (2 hrs 45 from Paris). By plane: the Nantes Atlantique international airport is approximately one hour s drive from Saint-Nazaire. By car: motorways and dual carriageways link Saint-Nazaire to all regions of France, Paris (440 km) and the main Channel ferry ports. Popular seaside resorts such as La Baule (15 km) or Pornic (30 km) are nearby. Getting around Driving and parking are easy in Saint-Nazaire. Car parks are either free or not expensive at all. Public transport is provided with the local STRAN busses which stop all over town and at the beaches. Good to know: the day ticket Métrocéane combines regional train TER between Saint-Nazaire and Nantes, Le Croisic or La Baule and public transport in these towns. Tourist accomodation Saint-Nazaire has more than beds on offer (hotels, bed & breakfast, apartment hotels ), and a huge campsite by the sea. Motorhome stopovers have been created in various parts of Saint-Nazaire. Restaurants and cafés of all kinds can easily be found everywhere. Sidewalk café on the seaside promenade. Information is provided at the Tourist Information Centre inside the submarine base (free WiFi access). Phone ; contact@saint-nazaire-tourisme.com. > English website 11

12 Press contact Social media Press contact If you need more information or photos, or if you plan to write about Saint-Nazaire, please get in touch with our press service: Andrea KLOSE, Saint-Nazaire Agglomération Tourisme Phone (landline) / (mobile) klosea@saint-nazaire-tourisme.com Also see the Press sections on and You can also follow us Tourisme fr.pinterest.com/saintnazaire/ 12