Saint-Nazaire

Understand

The town has a fine port and shipbuilding has long been an important industry. In the 20th century, aircraft manufacture became important; Airbus have a large factory in the town.

During World War II, the drydock at Saint-Nazaire was the only one on the Atlantic coast of German-held France that could repair large vessels such as battleships. British raiders put it out of commission in 1942 by ramming it with a destroyer (an old ship that had been built for the US Navy during World War I) packed with explosives; it was not repaired until 1947.

Get around

A free electric shuttle connects the theater car park (free parking) to the city center in a few minutes, passing through the Tourist Office and the city's flagship tourist facility "Escal'Atlantic".

Saint-Nazaire and the other municipalities of its agglomeration are served by a fairly dense public transport network, managed by STRAN. It has a bus rapid transit (BRT) line. In addition to getting around town, the buses can, for example, also help you cross the Grande Brière (Lines 2, 3 & 4, towards Saint-André-des-Eaux, Saint-Joachim , Saint-Malo-de- Guersac , or Line 9 towards Besné), then drop you off near the "Most beautiful beach in Europe" La Baule and Pouliguen (Line 6 & 7, towards Pornichet). For a minimum price of €1.2 per trip (transfers are prohibited for single tickets). The "FREEDOM TICKET" ticket, valid for one day on the entire STRAN and TY'BUS network. Price: €3.5

The Hélyce bus route connects Saint-Marc sur Mer to Saint-Nazaire station in less than 20 min.

See

thumb|Pont-Mindin across the Loire City-port zone: the submarine base, the port, the forms of construction of the liners. Very nice point of view from the roof of the submarine base. The wild coast: Follow the customs path that runs along the coast from the beaches of Saint-Nazaire to the beaches of Saint-Marc-Sur-Mer and beyond to Pornichet. Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, with its pleasant beach immortalized by Jacques Tati in his film Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1951-53). thumb|Le Grand Café contemporary art centre

Do

Boat trips ply the river between Saint-Nazaire and Nantes. They sail May-Oct several days a week, daily in August, taking 2 hr 30 min each way. The riverbank is dotted with wacky artworks. You can return on the train, which you'll have to do if you take an afternoon boat.