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- Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul. Flamboyant Gothic style finds perfect expression in the ornate facade and soaring vaulted interior of this 15th-century cathedral.
- Château des Ducs de Bretagne. At the heart of Nantes, this monumental medieval fortress was founded by Francois II in the 15th century. The imposing construction testifies to the building's defensive purpose, ensured by seven crenellated towers, 500 meters of sturdy granite ramparts, and a deep moat that was once filled with water.
- Musée d'Arts de Nantes. In 1801, Napoléon Bonaparte founded the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) in Nantes with a small collection of artworks donated from the Louvre.
- Quartier Bouffay. To discover the old-world charm of Nantes, tourists should explore the area around the Château des Ducs de Bretagne. This medieval quarter, known as the Bouffay district, is a maze of winding cobblestone streets lined with quaint half-timbered houses, as well as 15th- and 16th-century buildings.
- Château Des Ducs de Bretagne
- Les Machines de L’Île
- Passage Pommeraye
- Jardin Des Plantes
- Île Feydeau
- Muséum D’Histoire Naturelle
- Nantes Cathedral
- Cours Cambronne
- Mémorial de l’abolition de l’esclavage
- Musée de L’Imprimerie
The old seat of the Dukes of Brittany is the final château on the Loire before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The fortified palace is in the eastern part of the old town, although it’s hard to miss the hefty walls and towers that encircle the refined Grand Logis where the dukes lived. The castle was built in the 13th century and occupied for 3...
The west side of the Île de Nantes is inhabited by whimsical animatronic creatures inspired by Jules Verne’s writings and Leonardo da Vinci’s fanciful gizmos, and brought to life by the artist François Delaroziere. All these extraordinary machines are interactive: The Grand Éléphant for example is 12 metres tall and carries 52 passengers on its bac...
Between Rue de la Fosse and Rue Santeuil, this shopping arcade from 1843 isn’t just a sophisticated place to shop but an ingenious piece of architecture and a photo-worthy sight. The passage was built on a steep slope, and it adapted to the nine-metre height difference with a clever intermediate floor between the two street levels. Passage Pommeray...
Classified as one of France’s “remarkable gardens”, the Jardin des Plantes packs 10,000 species into its seven hectares. The gardens are right in the middle of the city, just ten minutes on foot from the Château des Ducs de Bretagne. It’s no ordinary park: The Palm House here is a fabulous late-19th-century metal and glass structure with plants fro...
When you’re exploring Île Feydeau you may wonder why this district just south of the centre is called an island, or why streets have names like Quai Turenne when there’s no sign of water. Well, it was an island up to the 1930s when one of the arms of the Loire was blocked off. Before the 18th-century Feydeau had been uninhabitable marshland when a ...
Nantes’ Natural History Museum has a fine setting in the city’s old mint, and has galleries for every branch of natural science: There are zoological, paleontological, mineralogical, ethnographical and a host of other collections from fields with long names, assembled since the 1700s. The specimen guaranteed to turn heads is the fin whale skeleton ...
Begun in 1434, it took more than 400 years to build the city’s cathedral. Construction continued through the 1600s in the flamboyant gothic design despite it being long out of fashion by then, because it matched the earlier work. Another intriguing titbit is that Nicolas Fouquet, the high-living Superintendent of Finances in Louis XIV’s court, was ...
Part of a new city district built in the 18th century, Cours Cambronne is a magnificent square between two 180 metre-long terraces of neoclassical mansions. Step along the regal central avenue to see the statue of Pierre Cambronne, a military general born in Nantes and injured in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Sixteen of the glorious pilastered ma...
It helps to remember that much of Nantes’ Ancien Régime splendour was financed by the slave trade. Nantes was the first city in France to ship slaves on an industrial scale and during the 18th century the largest proportion of France’s slave ships departed from this port. So the memorial commemorating the abolition of slavery next to the Loire on Q...
Nantes has had a long relationship with the printing press since publishing its first title, Les Lunettes des Princes by the Breton poet Jean Meschinot, in 1493. This museum was founded in 1986 by master printer Sylvain Chiffoleau and typesetter Robert Colombeau, and has built up an astonishing collection of manual and mechanical printing presses. ...
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- A journey to Nantes and the green line. To start this list of things to do in Nantes Nantes, here is an original project that takes place every year from July 1st to the end of August in the city.
- The château des Ducs de Bretagne. The château des Ducs de Bretagne (The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is Nantes most important historical monument and one of the main touristic attractions.
- Lu Tower. Just in front of the château des Ducs de Bretagne is the Lu tower (“tour Lu”). As its name suggests, it was part of the former factory that produced the famous Nantes biscuits, the “BN” (“Biscuit Nantais”).
- Nantes cathedral. Another historic monument of Nantes: The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes. The construction of the cathedral has spanned over 500 years.
Jul 16, 2023 · Nantes enchants year-round, but the best time to visit is May to June when blossoms perfume the warming air and it seems like the Nantais find every excuse for celebration. Easy-going Nantes is a comfortable-shoes town. October to March can be cold so bring layers and a raincoat.
- The city art trail. Nantes is the only city in France to boast a 22km-long art trail, cleverly linking more than 120 artworks from international artists with the city’s heritage, its stunning vistas and lively neighbourhoods.
- Mechanical beasts. Head to the Île de Nantes for a ride on le Grand Éléphant, a colossal machine which carries up to 49 passengers 12m up on its back while spraying spectators with water from its trunk.
- The Château of the Dukes of Brittany. The Château des ducs de Bretagne, built in the late 15th century and expanded by Anne of Brittany, is the city’s most important historic building.
- Museum of Arts. Nestled between the cathedral and the botanical gardens in the heart of the city, the Musée d’arts de Nantes boasts a unique collection spanning nine centuries and featuring 13,000 pieces ranging from the Italian Primitives to contemporary art.
May 25, 2021 · Ranked sixth largest city in France, there are plenty of things to do and places to visit in Nantes. Indeed, it is a very dynamic city with rich cultural and art life. In this guide, we’ll tell you about the things that you should definitely have on your to-do list while in Nantes.
Jan 3, 2019 · Nantes is the perfect destination for a city break. It’s a vibrant university city where history and the present day are fused to offer visitors art, culture and fun (not to mention really tasty cuisine… you’re in France, after all). Here are Culture Trip’s top reasons why Nantes should be on your holiday radar.
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