Nantes
City On The Loire Known For The Machines Of The Isle And Its Giant Mechanical Elephant, The ChâTeau Of The Dukes Of Brittany And The Voyage à Nantes Art Trail · Nantes, Pays de la Loire
Nantes is a large city on the Loire near the Atlantic, historically the capital of the Dukes of Brittany and today one of the liveliest cities in western France. Its best-known sight is Les Machines de l'île, on the former shipyards of the Île de Nantes, where a workshop builds giant mechanical animals: a wooden and steel elephant about twelve metres tall walks slowly along the quays carrying passengers, and a three-storey carousel of sea creatures turns beside the river. In the old centre, the Château des ducs de Bretagne houses the city history museum, which is frank about Nantes as France's leading slave-trading port in the eighteenth century, and the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery lines the riverbank nearby. A green line painted on the pavement links the art works and sights of the Voyage à Nantes, with new installations every summer. The Estuaire art route follows the Loire to Saint-Nazaire, and the Muscadet vineyards and the Atlantic coast are within an hour. Nantes is about two hours from Paris by TGV.
Île de Nantes and the Château des ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France
The city itself is open at all times, and the green line of the Voyage à Nantes can be walked any day. Les Machines de l'île open most of the year but close for a winter break, often in January, and are usually closed on Mondays outside the school holidays; opening days and times change with the season, so confirm. The elephant walks at set departures through the day, fewer in low season, and rides and the carousel are sold by timed ticket that often sells out in summer and school holidays; buy online in advance where possible, as walk-up tickets on busy days may be gone by midday. The Château courtyard and ramparts are free and open daily, while the museum inside usually closes on Mondays outside summer and on some public holidays. The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery is open most days with shorter hours in winter. The main Voyage à Nantes summer event runs roughly July to August, when temporary works appear along the line and some sites have extended evening hours. Most shops close on Sundays; markets run in the mornings.