Nantes, a city in western France, at the exact centre of the Earth's land hemisphere, is located on the banks of the Loire River, at the confluence of the Erdre and the Sèvre Nantaise, 55 km (35 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the sixth largest in France, while its metropolitan area is the eighth with almost 3/4 of a million people inhabiting the metropolitan area of Nantes where the city center is composed of about a quarter million people.

Being considered one of the most desirable places to live in France, especially for young professionals who enjoy the arts and don't want to live in Paris, in 2004, Time described Nantes as "the most livable city in all Europe".

Recommended attractions to visit that of Nantes are Nantes Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Château des Ducs de Bretagne, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, Passage Pommeraye, Musée Thomas Dobrée, the Museum and the native house of Jules Verne, Musée des Beaux-arts, Église Notre-Dame de Bon-Port, the Planetarium, and La Tour LU (LU Tower).