-
Provided by: Tombeau de François II et Marguerite de Foix © M. Domage
Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.
*this will be downloaded as a PDF.Price
€4,95
Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul Cathedral
The guide was updated:Cathedral closed following a fire in July 2020. This impressive cathedral is home to the tombs of Francois II, the last Duke of Brittany, and his second wife Marguerite de Foix. Construction of the Gothic building started in 1434 and lasted for four centuries.
Useful Information
- Address: Place Saint Pierre, Nantes
- Website: www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/places/cathedral-saint-pierre-and-saint-paul/
- Public Transport: Bus stop at: “Foch Cathedrale”
- Phone: +33 272 640 479
Digital Travel Guide Download
Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.
*this will be downloaded as a PDF.Price
€4,95
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.
Read more
Château des ducs de Bretagne
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.
Read more
Musée d'arts
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…
Read more
Memorial to the abolition of slavery
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.
Read more
Jardin des Plantes
Visit the botanical garden, a priceless collection of exotic plants.
Trees from America, Asia and Africa.Nantes boasts 1,000 hectares of green areas open to the public, with some 1 million plants produced every year.
Read more
Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul Cathedral
Cathedral closed following a fire in July 2020. This impressive cathedral is home to the tombs of Francois II, the last Duke of Brittany, and his second wife Marguerite de Foix. Construction of the Gothic building started in 1434 and lasted for four centuries.
Read more
Lieu Unique
Located alongside the Canal Saint-Felix, the old biscuit factory LU revamped by the architect Patrick Bouchain lives to the rhythm of an atypical art centre: the Lieu Unique. Here, you will find a bar, a shop, a theatre, a hammam, a day nursery and the picturesque tower of the old LU biscuit factory.
Read more
Ile de Nantes
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…
Read more
Estuaire Nantes <> Saint-Nazaire
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.
Read more
Théâtre Graslin
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.
Read more
Musée Jules Verne
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.
Read more
Planétarium
Embark on a voyage through space as the planetarium brings our universe to life. Located near the Jules Verne museum.
Read more
Discover the Nantes vineyard
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!
Read more
Cruise on the Loire river "Estuaire Nantes-Saint Nazaire"
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.
Read more
Guided Tours
Pre-recorded audio-guide all year long
Possibility for 4 different trails translated in 5 langages (French, English, German, Spanish, Italian) to discover Nantes.
Strolling Nantes
Nantes in the middle ages
Nantes from history to memory
The isle of Nantes Western tip
Read more
Shop Signs
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.
Read more