Near Pornichet

[Russethouse]

 We are going to have two or three days in Pornichet , we are planning on looking at the salt marshes in the Guerande but as our hotel will be near the station I did think of going into Nantes by train...does any one know if the station is central ? And what would be good things to see while we are there ? Or if we go by car  is parking easy and again fairly central ?

Any other suggestions of interesting places to visit gratefully received too

Many thanks

 

[Loiseau]

The train for Nantes is a great idea. "North exit" is the one to get you to the sights. You can walk to the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, and to the cathedral, easily. The Jardin des Plantes is just opposite the station, and makes a wonderful open- air "waiting room" between trains.

You can take a tram westward from the station; I think there is a one-day ticket which is good value for hop on and hop off all day; you just compost it in the first tram the first time you use it.

Don't miss the elephant!

http://www.lesmachines-nantes.fr/en/

Les Machines de l'Ile is a collection of fantastical structures that includes a vast elephant which makes sorties in stately demeanour. I think watching it go out is probably best; if you actually ride on it it's probably a bit less awesome, though perhaps you would get to see the machinery better. Check the website for openi days; eg it closes on Mondays for September, I think.

Interesting museum about the old naval dockyards adjacent to the Machines de l'ile, or there was a few years back last time I visited.

Angela

[Loiseau]

Ooh, just checked the location of Pornichet...

To the west you have Guerande, which is very attractive though very touristique.

Le Grand Blockhaus, just to the west near Batz sur Mer is fascinating; well worth a visit if you don't mind scrambling up the odd ladder to see every bit of this German defence building.

To the east, the submarine pens at St Nazaire are truly awe inspiring; follow signs to "ville port". You can get up,onto the roof of them too, for wonderful views and to read about the events of ww2. Around the other side of the inner harbour, you can tour a real submarine, the French "Espadon" dating from the 1950s, and go on the roof there to see where HMS Campbeltown was rammed into the lock gates with a cargo of explosives to disable the submarine port.

And just to the SW of Saint Nazaire, the little resort of St Marc sur Mer was the setting for "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday", so not to be missed if you remember the film.

I'm not very struck on La Baule itself, but it may be more your thing than mine. Lots of people rave about it.

Angela

[Russethouse]

 I stayed in  La Baule about 5 years ago, with the Quimper Club. Not that keen on it but seemed to offer easy access to the Guerande, and plenty of choice of restaurants etc  and as this budget hotel is close to the station - it may be nice to have a car free day esp for the OH. He'd probably like to see the Natural History Museum in Nantes, but I haven't mentioned it yet....

Thanks for the tips - as I once wrote an article about Anne de Bretagne I'd really like to visit the Chateau....

[Loiseau]

Anne of Brittany's parents are buried in Nantes cathedral. She paid for the magnificent effigies tht adorn their tomb.

I think her heart may be on display in the Chateau des Ducs. It used to be in the Musee Dobrée, but when that closed I seem to remember having seen in (in a jewelled casket of course) in the chateau.

Angela

[Gardengirl]

Pornichet - Reading the name took me straight back 50+ years to my first visit to France; La Baule, Pornicher. Le Croisic, Guerande, lovely beaches, days of sunshine and chocolate stuffed down baguettes for picnic lunches.

I was on a school exchange to St Nazaire, and it was the start of my love for France and the French, despite a dreadful sea-sick ridden overnight crossing and a first meal of mussels, oysters etc while still feeling so ill and wobbling around.

[andrew44]

Hello RH,

I live in Pornichet (East) and I'll try to help.

The first point is that it's crowded, but then it's August on the Côte d'Amour. So don't expect to be able to drive/park easily in town. Guérande will be worse ! If you're coming after the 15th, things should be a bit easier. The whole of the Presqu'île Guérandaise can easily gridlock, especially if the weather is not good.

Pornichet has two 'centres' -

1) the area round the station which has commerces, restaurants etc.

2) The Place du Marché which is at the other end of avenue Gen de Gaulle.

From 1) you can of course take the train to Nantes and do the things previously suggested.

You can also walk direct to the seafront and all its crowded delights in August !

From 2) you have the office du tourisme, commerces, restaurants etc. Also the Port de Plaisance and the seafront called 'le Remblai'. This goes 8 km to the west via La Baule to Le Pouliguen (pronounced to rhyme with 'vin') at the other end. This is what they call 'la plus belle baie/plage d'Europe'.

For your transport locally there are buses, navettes, which do different circuits (see Office du Tourisme.

There is also the 'Petit Train'. This is bumpy, and a trial for the behind on the wooden seats,

but very convenient for a trip along the remblai.

You catch it at the east end (near the O de T). In fact, I think you can ride it to the Casino de La Baule and then change to another that tours Le Pouliguen and goes through the salt marshes as far as Guérande. I don't know about hop on hop off, but I suppose it's possible (see O de Tourisme).

I'll be happy to answer any other questions.

I hope that this gives you a start to your visit, and I wish you a very bon séjour !

@+

Andrew 44

[Russethouse]

That's terrific Andrew, thanks. We are not visiting until the last weekend in September so I hope to avoid most of the crowds ;-) The hotel has a car park and we've reserved spaces

I loved the salt marshes, a friend and I took a wrong turn and ended up literally driving right across them, fascinating!

Any recommended restaurants ?

[andrew44]

I thought my post was too late ! I'm pleased to hear that it wasn't.

So you can ignore the dire warnings about the crowds, as it's 'back to school' time.

If you enjoy les marais salants, you may well enjoy our corner of 'La Grande Brière', a Parc National consisting of flat marshland with canals (like Norfolk, my wife says because she doesn't like it much and I come from Norfolk !).

If you go north to Saint André des Eaux, and thence north towards Saint Lyphard you will find the villages of Bréca (to the right) and Kerhinet (to the left). In Bréca you can take a trip in a chaland  (a sort of punt). Kerhinet is a sort of reconstruction of a typical Brière village.

Both have good Auberges/restaurants - eels and froglegs are available - well, I like them !

More locally, for a brasserie, we enjoy a 'Retour de Mer' at la Galerne, a bar/brasserie on the Port de Plaisance. This is a sort of cheeseburger without the bun - steak haché, jambon, fromage avec or sans egg 'à cheval' with chips and a bit of salad. Curiously, they don't do much fish - though the market (open on Wed and Sat) and Les Halles (open every morning I think but am not sure) are just down the road.

More up market, there are bars/restaurants de plage - La Signature is good and has reasonable prices, or 'Le Grain de Folie' located in the Hotel Régent on the seafront, which can propose curious combinations but is very good.

Voilà, I hope this helps !

@+

Andrew

[andrew44]

Bump for RH