Serpent of the Ocean — Attraction in Metropolitan France

Serpent D’Océan, the skeletal sea serpent was unveiled in 2012 as part of the Estuaire art exhibition which invites international artists to create large-scale works using the environment surrounding the Loire River between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The work was created by Chinese-French artist Huang Yong Ping, who used the rough iconography of China’s mythological dragons to design the 400-foot-long art monster.

The message behind the piece seems to be one of environmental nostalgia, as though man’s mistreatment of the oceans is killing not only its life, but its very wonder and fantasy. The serpent’s curves roughly mirror the twists and turns of the nearby Saint-Nazaire bridge linking the piece to the very modern progress it seems to be speaking on. However the work is read, the aspect that is without debate is the menace projected by the fearfully undead snake.

Given its location on the shore, the Serpent D’Océan can be seen as a strangely living creature rising from the ocean waters or a purposefully preserved skeleton held above the shallow waves depending on the level of the tide upon a given visit. But despite the changing tides, fantasy, art, and horror have rarely been so steadfastly...

If you are a photographer and can choose any day of the year to visit then try for a date that has sunset around high tide and shoot between the hour before and the hour after, there are many angles all around the beach, on the sea wall and a look out platform accessed by some steps at either end of the Serpent section of beach.

Once the head is visible and accessible understandably the world and their partners will be in selfie heaven.

As an art instalation I liked it a lot. There is a caravan park (Camping Mindin) that we stayed in which has a key code gate directly onto the beach promenade very handy. The site is set in a wooded glade and was very pleasant.

As a beach holiday you are on an estuary but it is sand though small with a lot of the section being underwater at high tide, if you want a larger sandy experience walk with the sea on your right and you will come to a large sandy bay with a controlled swimming area. I...

Certainly worth a look! Extraordinary metal/plastic structure looks like the skeleton of a gigantic sea-snake.

At low tide, you can walk right up to it, even go inside the "ribs". Children love it, photographers love it.

Nearby, there's also a great view on the major shipyards across the Loire estuary, with several huge cruise-ships being built (sometimes warships, too).

Lastly, there's always the Saint-Nazaire bridge to look at, although that's not the highlight of the visit.

Take a look if you're...