The old seat of the Dukes of Brittany is the final château on the Loire before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The fortified palace is in the eastern part of the old town, although it’s hard to miss the hefty walls and towers that encircle the refined Grand Logis where the dukes lived.
The castle was built in the 13th century and occupied for 300 years by the Dukes until becoming a French royal residence in the 1500s.
The courtyard and ramparts are free to enter, but you pay to visit the Nantes History, which reveals the different stages in the city’s evolution, from the slave trade to its time as an industrial port.
The green space by the deep moat, the Douves du Château, is a spectacular spot for an afternoon break in summer.
