Book a Flight to Nantes from €85

Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany: This impressive chateau in the heart of Nantes is the emblem of the city. Behind the granite walls and moat you will see the Gothic palace of the 15th century with its exquisite facades of white porous stone, formerly a home to the nobility and now housing the Nantes History Museum. With the help of multimedia installations and interactive software, old maps and miniature models of ships, you can travel into the past to the port which, back in the 18th century, played such a vital role in the exchange of produce, and sadly in the slave trade too.
Address: Place Marc Elder, 0033 811464644, www.chateaunantes.fr/en/calendrier

Les Machines de l'Île de Nantes: A theme park of fantasy and adventure, set on a little island in the Loire, once home to the Nantes shipyards. Visitors young and old will feel as if they are entering a time machine, embarking on a journey into a dreamlike world. The science fiction stories of Jules Verne, who lived in Nantes, encounter the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci and the industrial history of the port. Take a ride on the back of the giant mechanical elephant, 12m tall, which moves back and forth across the island; take a dizzying descent into the depth of the oceans on the Marine Worlds carousel, with the giant squid and monster fish replacing the conventional fairground ponies … straight from the pages of a book by Jules Verne.
Address: Parc des Chantiers, 0033 810121225, www.lesmachines-nantes.fr/

Nantes Museum of Fine Arts: This fine museum is home to a fabulous collection of works of art, with the emphasis on the history of western painting from the 13th to the 21st century. There are masterpieces by Rubens, Tintoretto, Renoir, Chagall, Picasso, Kandinsky and many, many others. 
Address: 10 Rue Georges Clemenceau, 0033 2 51 17 45 00, www.museedesbeauxarts.nantes.fr/

Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul: This imposing Gothic edifice with its two impressive towers reflects the wealth enjoyed by the city in the 15th century. Work began on the cathedral in 1434, and it took no fewer than 457 years to complete! The austere interior of the cathedral houses the funerary monument of Francis II, Duke of Brittany.
Address: Place Saint-Pierre, 0033 240478464, www.cathedrale-nantes.cef.fr/

Jules Verne Museum: Join us on a journey to the centre of the earth; plunge 20,000 leagues below the sea, with the aid of sketches of the Nautilus of Captain Nemo, as well as manuscripts, books and personal items belonging to the inventor of science fiction, born in Nantes. The fine old 19th century house on the banks of the Loire is home to models of the futuristic machines of Jules Verne, as well as interactive exhibits and a telescope focused on the river – the inspiration for the watery universe of Verne’s famous novels.
Address: 3 Rue de l’ Hermitage, 0033 240697252, www.nantes.fr/julesverne/acc_5.htm

Botanical Garden: An oasis of green in the centre of Nantes, created on the orders of Louis XIV, this is one of the four largest botanical gardens in France. Relax among the camellias and magnolias, the delightful ponds and topiary.
Address: Rue Stanislas Baudry, 0033 2 40 41 65 09

Cruise on the River Erdre: Take a river cruise on the Erdre in one of the boats run by Bateaux Nantais, and discover the landscape and chateaus along the banks of the river. There is commentary by a travel guide and meals are served on board.
Address: Quai de la Motte Rouge, 0033 240145114  

Estuaire: The 60km stretch of the Loire from Nantes to the mouth of the river at Saint-Nazaire has been transformed into an amazing art trail. At various points along the banks of the river you will find a permanent collection of modern art works, lending an artistic flavour to the itinerary for walkers, cyclists and cruise boat passengers. Of particular interest are the huge rings by Daniel Buren and Patrick Bouchain, illuminated at night, Roman Signer’s surrealistic pendulum above an old cement factory, and the skeleton of the gigantic sea snake at the point where the river flows out into the sea.
Address: Information Office at Nantes, 1-3 rue Crucy, 00332 40 75 75 07, www.estuaire.info/fr/

In the city centre you should seek out the small but very appealing mall known as Passage Pommeraye, with its trendy boutiques and concept stores. It’s worth visiting not just for the shopping, but to get a close look at this aristocratic arcade, a neoclassical gem of the 19th century which links two roads on different levels and is decorated with statues in the ancient Greek style and a majestic marble staircase. Here too you will find the main shopping street of the city, the Rue Crébillon. This street of chic shops is so inextricably linked with the act of shopping in the mind of the locals that they have invented the phrase on crébillone, meaning ‘we’re going shopping’!

You should also explore the tasteful boutiques on the traffic-free streets of the mediaeval quartier Bouffay. On Saturday mornings the locals stream into the open-air market on Place Viarme, where among the antiques and bric-a-brac you can come across old editions of works by Jules Verne, black-and-white postcards of Nantes and old dinner services in fine French china.

The cuisine of Nantes is a delightful blend of flavours from Brittany and the Loire region, with influences from the exotic gastronomic traditions brought into the port by sailors from all around the world. Seafood plays a leading role in many of the city’s traditional dishes: cod, lobster, red snapper, crab, prawns from the nearby Atlantic coast as well as river eel and trout. Fish dishes are usually served with a white butter sauce and a good Muscadet. You should also try the superb local vegetables and the curé nantais and machecoulais cheeses. 

Nantes is the home of the famous petit beurre biscuits, which were made in the city’s historic biscuit factory. In the patisseries and chocolate shops you should try the berlingot and butter candies, and the famous Nantes gateau with almonds and Antilles rum. There is also a local tradition of crepe-making, and every imaginable variety – sweet or savoury – can be found in the city’s creperies.

With an ever increasing number of students enrolled in its universities, Nantes has an exciting nightlife. There are discos and bars on the Île de Nantes, up-and-coming hot spots along the Saint-Félix canal and dance nights with international DJs in the atmospheric venues of the old biscuit factory – still redolent of sugar and butter – on the Quai Ferdinand-Favre.

• Three Continents Festival: The well-established Nantes film festival, held every November since 1979, showcases the latest crop of films and documentaries from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
• Folle Journée: Every February the city is transformed into the world capital of classical music, playing host to one of the most important festivals of its kind held anywhere in France. The festival takes its name from the alternative title to Beaumarchais’ Marriage of Figaro – La Folle Journée or Day of Madness.
• Fragrant Rose Biennale: Try to catch this unique competition, held in June in the La Beaujoire gardens. The world’s twelve best connoisseurs, including critics and perfume-makers of international standing, garden designers and botanists, come to Nantes to pick the most fragrant rose.
• Atlantis Festival: A three-day literary festival held in Nantes each May. Fifty French and foreign authors come to Nantes to read from their works and participate in discussions with the book-loving public. The festival also features parallel musical, theatrical and dance events.
• Les Utopiales: No hometown of Jules Verne would be complete without an international science fiction festival! Every autumn new technologies and their influence on sci-fi are showcased at this festival in the Nantes Convention Centre.

Getting to and from the airport

Aegean Airlines flights land at Nantes Atlantique international airport, located just 8km south-west of the city. This is the largest airport in western France, with fine shops, restaurants, cafes, foreign exchange counters, a post office, car rental agencies and free Wi-Fi in all areas.

The easiest way to get into the city from the airport is to take the Navette Tan Air express bus service, which takes you right to the city’s main rail station. It departs every 20 minutes and the journey takes less than half an hour. If you take a taxi, expect to pay around 30-35 Euro.