Car rental Nantes
Travelling to a new location presents its own share of challenges, particularly when it comes to transport. The great thing is that you can always make use of car rental services. If you are planning on visiting Nantes or you are already there as a visitor and wondering where to start with car hire, read on to find out more. Getting a car to hire in this city is quite easy and there are several options at your disposal.
Nantes Guide
From the fashionable resorts of the magnificent Côte d’Azur to the famous boulevards of Paris, France is home to some of the most spectacular scenery on the globe. The country captivates romantics with soaring cathedrals, fairy-tale castles, and picturesque villages, and still manages to impress realists with progressive and contemporary style. It is in this country you find Nantes, a city located on the Loire River in Western France. The city boasts a long history as an industrial and port centre. Besides, it is home to Château des Ducs de Bretagne, which was once inhabited by the Dukes of Brittany.
Nantes is the 6th most populated city in France, with approximately 309,346 individuals. The population growth in the city has been tremendous in that whereas some cities sometimes register a drop in their total population, it has managed to maintain an upward growth. One of the things that make the city to stand out is its historic nature. Many attractions within the city have a history behind them, and it is this rich history that attracts visitors from all over the world. Top on the list of these attractions arethe Dukes of Brittany castles and Musee d’Arts de Nantes.
- Nantes is am historic city with so many breathtaking sceneries to visit
- The people in the city are quite friendly and hospitable, making it an ideal holiday destination.
Nantes has worked really hard to maintain its aesthetic view, a factor that keeps tourists flooding the city year in year out. Specifically, it is located on the Southwest of Paris, approximately 56 km or 35 miles from the sea. The distance from Paris, the capital city of France to Nantes is roughly 380 kilometres (236 milhas). This means that if you choose to travel by air from Charles de Gaulle Airport, the largest airport in Paris, it will take you approximately 1 hour 5 minutes to get to Nantes Atlantique Airport.
Once you get to Nantes, you can tour the various attractions in the city using a rental car. There are numerous places to visit in Nantes and surrounding towns and cities, among them Reze on the southwest side, La Contrie on the northwest, Saint-Sebastien-sur-Loire on the northeastern side, Vertou on the southeast, and Les Couets on the southwest. All these locations are just a few kilometres from Nantes, taking you only minutes to get to them. There is so much to do in this city, so read on to find out more as well as learn about car rental services.
Explore with your Rental Car
Nantes has many breathtaking places to visit. The city’s people are also hospitable, so you can be assured of an enjoyable stay. While there, explore the Dukes of Brittany old seat in Château des Ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany). It is located in the heart of the city and is home to the Nantes History Museum. The museum provides a comprehensive portrait of Nantes since it was established to the modern-day. It will take you 6 minutes (1.5 kilometres) via Rue Gambetta and 4 minutes (1.2 kilometres) via Rue de Strasbourg to get to the castle.
The castle overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, so once you are here, make sure you take time to indulge in various water activities including swimming, water surfing, boat riding, and snorkelling. The Lu Tower is the other place that you should pass by using a rental car once you are in Nantes. It is on the front side of the Castle and is quite photogenic with its blend of blue and gold colours. It will take you roughly 7 minutes to get to the tower from Nantes town via Rue de Strasbourg or Avenue Carnot.
Another scenery you can visit with a car hire is the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. The cathedral’s white stone front side is surrounded by 2 huge towers. You can also take a walk through the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden with over 50,000 flowers. Further, you can drive your rental car or have a driver drive you to the Erdre riverside, where you get to enjoy walking or bike riding along the river, which is lined with several parks, castles and manor houses.
Then there is the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle where you get to admire photos for all branches of natural science. The specimen that is guaranteed to turn your head is the whale skeleton located in the zoology gallery. It measures18 metres and is suspended on the ceiling. From Nantes city centre, it will take you 2 min (2.5 kilometres) via Quai de la Fosse to get to the museum using a car rental. The other interesting places you can visit in Nantes using car hire services are Cours Cambronne, Musée de l’Imprimerie, the Passage Pommeraye, and Les Machines de l’Île.
Airport
Nantes is serviced by only one airport, Nantes Atlantique Airport. The airport is on the southwest side of the city in Bouguenais. It is 5 miles away (8 kilometres) from the city centre, so it will take you roughly 10 minutes to get to the city using a rental car. The airport is also used by visitors visiting nearby towns such as Reze. It is also connected to major airports in France including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Orly Airport, Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport, and Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.
Nantes Atlantique Airport is one of the largest airports on the west side of France. It is also one of the busiest, handling millions of passengers every year. The airport has a streamlined layout, which enables you to spend a little time on tasks such as check-in and security checks. This way, you will be left with more time to enjoy the beauty that the city has to offer as well as indulge in activities like shopping and partying.
On top of this, there are diverse options for car rental companies in proximity to the airport. With this. you will not encounter any challenges trying to find a car to hire to use during your stay in Nantes. Some of the companies offering car hire services include; Avis, Europcar, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Thrifty, YourRent, and Absolute Car Rental. You can go with the rental options that best meet your needs and budget.
Traffic
Driving in Nantes is fun and smooth, thanks to the well-maintained roads and smooth traffic. Traffic is busy in the morning hours and in the evening, but this is only the case around the city. If you do not wish to be caught up in traffic, you can avoid being around the city around this time. However, should you find yourself getting there during this duration, don’t pans since traffic usually flows, and you will rarely find yourself stuck.
When taking a car hire, you can either choose to drive yourself or hire a driver. If you go for the former option, make use of GPS and maps technology like Pocket Earth and Google Maps. This will help you to have an idea of how traffic is like in Nantes and the areas to avoid. It will also help you locate the places that you wish to visit.
The speed limit that you should observe while driving in Nantes is 80 km/hr. This goes down to 50km/hr when in residential areas or within the city centre. Ensure you observe this speed limits to avoid any trouble with the local authorities. There are five parking zones, including Red, Red Dotted, Orange, Blue, and Green. All are open from Monday to Saturday apart from the Green Zone which is open every day and is free. More so, you are not allowed to park on the Black and Black Dotted Zones. Overall, Nantes is a great place to visit.