Nantes

The Machines de l’Ile is an artistic, touristic and cultural site in Nantes since 2007. Three major artworks, the Great Elephant (2007), the Merry Go Round of the Marine Worlds (2012), and the next project of the Heron Tree symbolise doors to the world of dreams and magical journeys. A mixture between the invented worlds of Jules Verne and the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci.

The Castle of the dukes of Brittany houses the Nantes History Museum. This former ducal palace also holds temporary exhibitions and cultural events all year round. A free-access rampart offers many viewpoints of the fortress and of the city.

Renovated and extended in June 2017, the Fine Arts Museum has been renamed the Musée d’arts . Steered by the Stanton-Williams Agency (Royal National Theatre, Tower of London, Belgrade Theatre, etc…), it houses a total of 17,000 m2, several exhibition halls and an auditorium. A key change is a 30% increase in exhibition space for one of the only ‘generalist’ museums in France. It is the only one outside of Paris able to present such an extensive and broad panorama of art stretching from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century. It has 10,000 works of art (paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and contemporary installations), and several hundred masterpieces painted by De la Tour, Ingres, Courbet, Chagall, Kandinsky, Picasso…

Nantes was the capital of the slave trade in France: it organised 43% of the French slave trade shipments in the XVIII century. The City wants to assume its past and give shape to the memory via a powerful political gesture. The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery in Nantes is the biggest in Europe. Located on the Quai de la Fosse, a symbolic place in the city that has seen many slave ships to Africa, the Memorial has been open to the public since March 2012. Following an international competition, the city of Nantes has entrusted the design of the Memorial to Krzysztof Wodiczko, a Polish artist and Julian Bonder, an Argentinian architect.

Formerly occupied by the shipyards (closed in 1987) and by industries, this area is in complete rehabilitation and finds some harmony between the conservation of industrial heritage and the development of a new modern space. The Isle of Nantes is a perpetually changing area with contemporary architecture. On both sides of this territory perched on the Loire river are standing resolutely original and innovative buildings built by the greatest international architects: Jean Nouvel, Alexandre Chemetoff, Christian de Portzamparc, Marcel Smets…

All year long, from Nantes to Saint Nazaire it's an open air art collection. Each creation, signed by an internationally renowned artist leads you to an atypical place or to a remarkable site of the estuary of the Loire river. Since 2007, over 33 artworks have now been the stones of a monument scattered along 60 km. This artistic trail will make you discover a fascinating territory, its heritage and its natural resources.

Built in 1788, the Graslin Theater is an impressive building with an entrance boasting eight Corinthian columns and marble, gold and royal blue velvet inside. It is home to the Opera of Nantes and marks the focal point of the Place Graslin. The famous brasserie La Cigale is in front of it.

The museum inside this great bourgeois mansion depicts the life and works of writer Jules Verne (born in Nantes in 1828), one of Nantes’ most famous citizens.

The Muscadet vineyards are just a stone-throw away and are easily accessible from Nantes. A special itinerary has been put in place to make the most of what this authentic region can offer: visit of Clisson, a lovely city with Italian-style architecture, wine tasting and specific viewpoints. Discover the new belvedere in Chateau Thebaud!

Take advantage of a river cruise to reach the point where the Loire runs into the ocean and see the estuary from the unique viewpoint of… the river: working docks, remarkable natural areas, and the Estuaire art installations communicating with their surroundings. Embark on a colourful rhythmic night time river cruise from July to October.

Since 2014, artists have been commissioned to imagine the signs for a series of shops in Nantes. Along the green line, discover this collection of shop signs. Like unexpected apparitions, these artists' works disturb the continuum of signs in the downtown streets of Nantes.