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Atlantic Coast
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Overview
With quiet country roads winding through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sand interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where France gets back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with almost as much sunshine), this is the place to slow the pace right down.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Les Machines de l鈥櫭巐e de Nantes
Nantes
Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world 鈥 a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled鈥
La Rochelle
La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a鈥
Parc Naturel Interr茅gional du Marais Poitevin
Atlantic Coast
Parc Naturel Interr茅gional du Marais Poitevin is a tranquil bird-filled wetland dubbed the Venise Verte (Green Venice) due to the duckweed that turns its鈥
Bordeaux
The complex world of wine is explored in depth at ground-breaking La Cit茅 du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter鈥
La Rochelle
In a series of boldly coloured, red, blue and yellow canopied hangars at the Bassin 脿 Flot, the Maritime Museum evokes the history of La Rochelle port,鈥
Bordeaux
A fountain of sorts, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3450 sq metres of black granite on the quayside opposite鈥
Bordeaux
The Cath茅drale St-Andr茅, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates鈥
脦le de R茅
For an overview of the island, follow the crowds to Phare des Baleines, the island's scarlet-tipped, 59m-tall lighthouse on its northwestern tip. Scale鈥
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