Nantes Travel Guide

  • A city of art, history and innovation

    Nantes is one of France’s most delightful dichotomies. An ancient port known as the city of art and history, it is also a town thriving with youthful creativity and inventiveness. Indeed, half of its population is under the age of 40.

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  • Sights

    Crossing the fairy-tale moat of the 800-year-old Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, visitors might expect to find a palace full of dry and dusty relics. Instead, the multimedia exhibits inside offer a modern perspective on the city’s past, present and future.

    The Musée Jules Verne is dedicated to “The Father of Science Fiction,” the city’s most famous son. It houses artefacts, 1st-edition books, replicas of his futuristic inventions and memorabilia inspired by his writings, like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days.

  • Crêpes and other delightful foods

    Gourmands head to the Crêperie Heb Ken for varieties of crêpes, Brittany’s national dish. Sweet tooths add a bolée of lait ribot (thickened milk) to their order, while savoury lovers opt for a tart glass of cider.

    Hardly changed since its 1895 opening, the Brasserie La Cigale is a high-ceilinged, mosaic-filled extravagance frequented by perfectly coiffed old ladies for its fresh seafood and French classics. A bona fide belle époque treasure.

  • Outings

    An unprecedented artistic project, Les Machines de L’Île de Nantes is a magical menagerie of mechanical creatures dreamt up with Verne and Da Vinci’s invented worlds in mind. Young and old are wonderstruck by The Great Elephant, a 12-metre-high walking pachyderm that can be ridden by 50 people at a time.

    A former biscuit factory in the city centre, Le Lieu Unique is now a space for artistic exploration and cultural conviviality. Tourists have a bite at the industrial-chic restaurant before catching a dance or theatre performance, eclectic concert, philosophical session or modern art exhibition.

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