Last Updated: 07 October 2002
Hotel
You really need to reserve it in advance. The day I arrived it was a congress of some sort in the city, and all hotels were booked, including Joules Verne Hotel. This was really a nasty surprise. I was supposed to take the train and look for hotel in another city. But then, after several hours of exhausting fruitless search, when some locals made phone calls in my behalf all turned out for the better. I slept at Auberge de Jeuness at Place de la Manu for just 13 EUR a day. This made me really happy, as I could stay 2-3 days each time and make sure I am well after the intervention.
Auberge de Jeuness
2 Place de la Manu
44000 Nantes
Tel: 0240292920
Here you get a locker with personal key if you ask for it, and will sleep with others in the same room. I had each time lots of fun talking to and getting to know new people. I met some great guys, but I also have to warn you that some of the young travelers may not be on everybody's taste. Shower is very small and not in your room, but this did not bother me.
The most inconvenient thing is that each day you have to live he room between 11 and 15 Mo-Fr and 11-17 Sat and Sun. This should be in general not a problem, as it is not healthy to stay in bed day and night. However the next day after my injection was raining, and I wanted to stay in bed, yet there was no exception. Luckily I realized I could visit the city by tramway. It turned out great. I visited IKEA and more that day.
Telephone Cards
This card is great, I love it. You buy it in France at larger newspaper stands, for example in railway stations. For 7.5 EUR it give me 44 min with Canada and USA and lots more with Germany or locally. I really talked relaxed and all I needed using it.
Unfortunately in Germany I could not find such a card. There I paid 15 EUR and only talked 19 min to Canada.
Taxi
To get to Dr Labat, Dr Bensignor, and Hotel Dieu I never paid more then 9 or 10 euros for taxi, sometimes even 6. It is all very close. 5 euros is the minimum fare anyways. In one instance I walked.
Maps
At FNAC (is a commercial place - very close to Hotels Mercur or Jules Verne)
is a tourists office, you can get a map for free there.
Tramway
1 EUR per ticket, valid one hour. I went all the way line 1, 2 and 3 to see the city. At one end on line 1 is a huge new commercial complex, including IKEA store, etc.
Coin operated vending machines are in all stations, and you really need coins, as they will not take paper money or plastic cards.
The Atlantic Beach
I visited St Brevin L'Ocean and Pornic (you need different bus).
The bus was almost empty and I could lie down for the entire duration of over one hour drive one way. Swimming in the ocean was great, the entire trip well worth it.
The ticket is EUR 10 one way.
Take this bus from the railway station (I think there is only one railway station, the one close to Jules Verne Hotel). You got to get underneath on the other side of it and ask for details there.
Food
Kebab 3.50 EUR and Bier 1.50 EUR.
I wanted a soup or something else, but sitting in a restaurant was not appealing to me, and also price wise probably much higher. I think one can do better then me on this.