Nantes

Nantes is the 6th largest city in France in number of inhabitants (more than 280,000) in an agglomeration of more than 850,000. The capital of the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays de la Loire region, the city is located in the west of France, 340km from Paris.

Are you afraid of losing yourself in an immense city? Do not panic ! Nantes is easily accessible, very well served by public transport and "bicloos" (self-service bicycles). In the city center, for example, the bus stop "Commerce" in a very busy area is served by 12 bus and tram lines.

As a major student city, Nantes has 47,000 students, with 33,000 students in the university alone, including 3,600 foreign students. With several campuses spread throughout the city, you will study at the hyper-center of Nantes in medicine, north of the city in sciences, letters, economics and law or elsewhere according to your formation or your school

The history of Nantes is marked by milestones and times, such as the creation of the port of Nantes around 500 AD by Saint-Felix, bishop of the city, and brought to become The most important in France around 1700 or the signing of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 by King Henry IV recognizing the freedom of worship to Protestants, thus putting an end to several years of religious wars.

With its numerous influences (Gauloises, Romaines, Vikings, Saxons, Brittany and Franks), Nantes has several places and buildings that bear witness to its rich history. For example, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral built between 1434 and 1891, destroyed and rebuilt several times, will have seen the passage of time to become the Gothic edifice that we know. The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, home of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and his daughter Anne, queen of France from 1491 to 1514, is a testimony to the Breton past of the city.

Contrary to what you could hear from the mouths of many French, it does not just rain in the west of France! (It's a legend). On average it is even more beautiful than in Paris (with 1956 hours of sunshine a year for Nantes against 1797 for the capital).

In Nantes, the summers are mild without being too hot (average temperature from June to September: 18 °) and the winters cool but bearable, temperatures rarely under 0 ° C (average temperature from December to March: 6 ° C) .