France · Region
Nantes
Photo: Foursquare user content (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany (Château des Ducs de Bretagne))
Nantes blends a fairy-tale medieval château with some of France's boldest contemporary art and engineering, most famously the giant mechanical elephant and fantastical creatures of Les Machines de l'île on a former shipyard beside the Loire. Once a major slave-trading and shipbuilding port, the city has reinvented its docklands into a green, bike-friendly showcase of urban renewal without losing its half-timbered old town.
Top attractions
attraction Château des ducs de Bretagne: Nantes Travel Guide (4.5★)
The Château des ducs de Bretagne sits right in central Nantes at 4 Pl. Marc Elder, open daily 10am–7pm. 4.5★ (24,811 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Le Jardin Extraordinaire: Nantes Travel Guide (4.4★)
Le Jardin Extraordinaire sits in the Malakoff district of Nantes, built into a disused quarry with cliff walls, palms, banana trees and a man-made waterfall. 4.4★ (4,839 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Place Royale: Nantes Travel Guide (4.6★)
Place Royale is a pedestrian square in central Nantes, a short walk from the Bouffay district and Passage Pommeraye, built around a stone fountain that personifies the Loire and its tributaries. 4.6★ (2,695 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Musée Dobrée: Nantes Travel Guide (4.5★)
Musée Dobrée sits on Place Jean V in central Nantes, a granite-walled 19th-century palace built to house shipowner Thomas Dobrée's private collection of medieval art, manuscripts and coins. 4.5★ (1,030 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
Top-rated things to do in Nantes
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Where to stay in Nantes
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Frequently asked questions about Nantes
How do I get to Nantes?
Most travellers fly into Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE), located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of the city, in Bouguenais, then take a shuttle bus into the centre; by rail, high-speed TGV services link Nantes station, which connects to Paris Gare Montparnasse, with the fastest trains covering the route in 2 hours and 0 minutes, though journeys of ~2.5–3 hours are also common.
How many days should I spend in Nantes?
Plan on ~2-3 days to explore the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the historic centre, and the Île de Nantes with its mechanical creatures, with an extra day if you want to add a Loire Valley or coastal side trip.
What is Nantes known for?
Nantes blends a fairy-tale medieval château with some of France's boldest contemporary art and engineering, most famously the giant mechanical elephant and fantastical creatures of Les Machines de l'île on a former shipyard beside the Loire. Once a major slave-trading and shipbuilding port, the city has reinvented its docklands into a green, bike-friendly showcase of urban renewal without losing its half-timbered old town.