Île Feydeau was once an island in the Loire, and that fact explains its unusual elegance. In the 18th century, wealthy shipowners and merchants built grand stone houses here, their carved balconies and masks showing off money made through Atlantic trade. The river channels have since been filled, so the island is now marooned in the city centre, surrounded by traffic rather than water.
Walk it slowly and look up. Some facades lean slightly, a reminder of the soft alluvial ground beneath the old island, and the ornament is richer than you might expect from a short street grid. It is one of the best places in Nantes to feel the old port city behind the modern tram lines and shopping streets.