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Saint-Nazaire proudly teaches its contrasts: it is rbana and marine, industrial and natural, traditional and innovative, but, above all, it is great and, at the same time, cozy. Its vast shipyards (they are the largest in Europe and the Atlantic coast, in addition to one of the most important in the world), its immense underwater base used by the Germans in World War II and today converted into a cultural center, its promenade full of restaurants and cafes facing the sea or its wide collection of contemporary art scattered around the Loire Estuary (which reaches Nantes) are proof of that magnetism. There are plenty of reasons to visit this town; Here are six.

1. FILM SCENARIO

In this coastal villa there are beaches for all tastes. Those of Port Charlotte or Petite Vallée for those who prefer privacy, the central beaches for a quick dip and the most cinephile , Saint-Marc-sur-Mer known as Mr. Holut's beach. There was filmed the French film The Holidays by M. Hulot, who still watches the beach from one of its panoramic balconies. And, not only cinema is impregnated Saint-Nazaire, it was also the scene where, a hundred years ago , Tintin, Captain Haddock and Milou looked for Professor Tournesol in The Seven Crystal Balls. Today we can see immense reproductions of these cartoons throughout the city.

The city has the largest shipyard port in Europe.

2. A JOURNEY IN TIME

Specifically until the golden age of maritime transport, at the time of Normandy or the Espagne ship. With multimedia devices, original objects, works of art from various ships built in the city and a recreation of the cabins, the engine room and the control bridge, the Escal'Atlanctic museum reproduces the bowels of one of those huge ocean liners that once They crossed the Atlantic. Another way to travel to the past is through the imposing French submarine Espandon , the first in the country to cross the icy waters beyond the Arctic . Today, docked in the fort of the city, allows you to discover its claustrophobic spaces and all its old technology.

3. THE BEST VIEWS, FROM A SUBMARINE BASE

Mysterious, imposing and full of history, the underwater base built by the Germans in World War II has already been integrated into the landscape of Saint-Nazaire. Its alveoli, as the submarine garage spaces are called, house the Escal'Atlantic museum, the LIFE or VIP contemporary art center, a cultural center dedicated to music. In addition, there are concert halls, recording studios, a documentation center and all kinds of spaces dedicated to culture. But the crown jewel is its terrace, from which the best views of the city and the Penhoët are contemplated , the first shipyard that was built there.

Interior of the city's submarine base.

4. CONTEMPORARY ART IS IN THE WATER

Or near her. This is the collection of the Loire Estuary, a succession of works of contemporary art of remarkable dimensions, which score the last 60 kilometers of the river, from Nantes to Saint-Nazaire. The tour can be done on foot, by bike, by car or by boat and all works are freely accessible; but the most beautiful of all is that they break schemes and are in atypical places. The artist Felice Varini chose the buildings of the port as his canvas, painting a series of giant red triangles that can be better appreciated from the panoramic terrace of the underwater base. There is also the work of Gilles Clément, a flourishing garden in the middle of so much concrete.

5. THERE IS NATURE TO BREATHE

More than a third of Saint-Nazaire is covered with gardens, forests, parks and vegetation. The Carabineros trail , for example, welcomes trees of all kinds along seven kilometers, the Paysager park, in the center of the city, is perfect for walking and picnics or the Jardin des Plantes , located facing the sea and Built in the late 1880s, it houses typical species of the Breton coast. Although, without a doubt, the prize is won by the nearby Regional Natural Park of Brière and the spectacular ride in barge (typical boat of the area) for its imposing marshes, while enjoying the calm and sound of herons, ducks or Water birds

Walking on the beach is pleasant at any time of the year.

6. FEEL IN CUBA WITHOUT TRANSFERING THE OCEAN

The old district of La Havane was one of the few areas of the city that was not bombed during World War II, so, even today, it retains the charms of the houses of the Belle Époque, built between 1900 and 1920. The This neighborhood was named after the locals who dreamed of traveling to those exotic destinations (Cuba and South America) at the beginning of the nineteenth century to which the shipyards they built in the town arrived. Today, streets like Havana, Veracruz or Santander, remember with charm the past of the ships of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, called in the same way. In this port, in addition, the largest transatlantic cruise ships on the planet such as Queen Mary 2 have been built .

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