FAIRY TALE PRINCESSE

On the Loire Princesse, the first cruise ship built for France's longest river, SANJEETA BAINS takes a magical tour of the region's finest medieval sights

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Our journey began and ended in Nantes. After a 90-minute flight from Gatwick and a 25-minute drive from the airport, we arrived at the city centre dock at midday, just in time to board.

After dropping our bags, we headed to La Cigale, Nantes’ most celebrated brasserie with gilded mirrors and sculpted ceilings setting the scene for a leisurely lunch. Out on the streets, creperies are on almost every corner.

Nantes, once the capital of Brittany, was separated from the region in 1941 - a controversial decision that, as our guide Pablo noted, still stirs resentment. Yet the city’s Breton soul hasn't faded.

Pablo describes Nantes as “culturally between Paris and Brittany.” Walking past its elegant shops, the city certainly carries the refinement of France's capital, nowhere more so than in the lavish covered shopping arcade Passage Pommeraye, adorned with examples of neoclassical statues and delicate ironwork.

Other highlights on our walking tour included the imposing Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne. Surrounded by a moat, Nantes’ grand fortress served as a fitting introduction to the showstoppers that awaited us.

Our tour ended at Les Machines de l'Île. Partly inspired by the weird and wonderful imagination of Nantes-born writer Jules Verne, this bizarre mechanical playground includes flapping steel birds, a huge hand-built elephant that lumbers along the quayside just steps from the dock.