Tintin in Saint-Nazaire

Along with Brussels, Saint-Nazaire is one of the very few real towns that can boast of having received a visit from Tintin. In The Seven Crystal Balls, Tintin accompanied by Captain Haddock and his dog Snowy comes to Saint-Nazaire in search of their friend Professor Calculus who has been abducted.

Tintin in Saint-Nazaire

On to Saint-Nazaire, billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!

In the story of The Seven Crystal Balls,Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock came to Saint-Nazaire when it was still a transatlantic harbour. They looked for their friend Professor Calculus who had been kidnapped by villains.

You can quite literally follow in Tintin’s footsteps because six giant reproductions taken from The Seven Crystal Balls have been put up at different places in town and around the harbour.

The visuals also bring the history of Saint-Nazaire to life, when the city was a point of departure for cruises to Central America.

Tintin: a panoramic map

In Saint-Nazaire Port, near the old jetty called ‘Le Vieux Môle’, you’ll find a panoramic map all about Tintin: this is the last part of the trail ‘Following in the Footsteps of Tintin’, also featuring Captain Haddock and Tintin’s faithful dog, Snowy.

It shows 13 real ports (other than those in Saint-Nazaire) visited by Tintin, plus two imaginary places.

Where to find the illustrations

Throughout the town, you’ll see 6 giant cartoon reproductions and a panoramic map telling the story of Tintin’s visit to Saint-Nazaire in the story, The Seven Crystal Balls.

Following in the footsteps of Tintin

Since 1986, the local association called “Les Sept Soleils” (The Seven Suns) has celebrated Tintin’s visit to Saint-Nazaire.

To find out more about the different illustrations and the transatlantic history of Saint-Nazaire, ask the Tourist Office for the free brochure ‘Following in the Footsteps of Tintin’ – or download it here!