• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Loire Lovers

Loire Lovers

To awaken your senses in the Loire Valley - Claire & Manu's Blog

  • LOIRE VALLEY CASTLES
    • 12 most beautiful castles
    • Best castles with children
    • 3-day itineraries
  • THINGS TO DO
    • Best villages
    • Best gardens
    • Cycling
    • Wines
  • TOWNS + CITIES
    • Nantes
    • Saumur
    • ANGERS
    • TOURS
    • AMBOISE
    • BLOIS
  • WHERE TO STAY
    • Staying in a castle
    • Best hotels in Nantes
    • Best hotels in Angers
    • Best hotels in Saumur
    • Best hotels in Tours
    • Best hotels in Amboise
  • English
    • Français
    • Nederlands
    • Deutsch
    • Italiano
    • Español
Home » Nantes and its surroundings

8 best museums in Nantes (tips+photos)

by Emmanuel ROBINSON, Region Lovers | February 23, 2024 | no intrusive ads, no sponsored content, just some affiliate links - if you use them, we get a small commission (read more)

The museums of Nantes are particularly rich and exciting and the main difficulty will be to make your choice.

From art, to history, to the trades of yesterday and today, there is something for all tastes and all ages in Nantes. The city having taken the turn of culture and tourism since the 1990s, the museums are generally of very high quality, a true happiness!

In this article, we present the 8 must-see museums in our opinion, with photos and practical tips to help you prepare for your visit.

4 illustrations of museums in Nantes : Arts, Jules Verne, Machines de l'ïle, Imprimerie.

These reviews are completely independent, we visited anonymously and paid our entrance fees in full.

Content
Preamble - The Citypass
The map of the museums of Nantes
1. The elephant and the Machines de l'île
2. The Museum of Arts
3. The Museum of Natural History (Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle)
4. The Museum of the History of Nantes (Musée de l'Histoire de Nantes)
5. The Jules Verne Museum
6. Museum of Printing and the Book Trade (Musée de l'imprimerie)
7. The Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery
8. House of Men and Technology (Maison des Hommes et des Techniques)
Other museums in Nantes
Other museums around Nantes
The exhibition rooms

Preamble - The Citypass

The city of Nantes offers city passes, called Pass Nantes, for 1 day, 2 days, 3 days and even 7 days, which are particularly interesting.

Visual of the Nantes city pass in one hand
The City Pass Nantes

They will give you unlimited access to all the museums we talk about in this article and will save you time to enjoy the exhibitions even more.

They also include access to the public transport network (including the airport shuttle) and even dedicated tours (Voyage à Nantes, Petit Train, CityTour bus) and mini-cruises on the Erdre or the Loire.

We strongly recommend that you buy it in advance to avoid wasting time on site and waiting in line. See the conditions and book your City pass.

The map of the museums of Nantes

Map of the 8 best museums in Nantes
Map of Nantes museums

1. The elephant and the Machines de l'île

View of the elephant of Nantes
The Elephant of Nantes on the road

Why visit it? Our review

  • True emblem of the city of Nantes, the Elephant and the Machines de l'île embody the cultural revival of the city, after the decline of the port activity.
  • Absolutely unique in France, and surely even beyond, this unclassifiable museum will take you to discover the fantastic bestiary of the Nantes author Jules Verne.
  • Beyond this creative and artistic dimension, these funny animals made of wood and metal are technical feats. In the Galerie des Machines, machinists will explain how they work, before you can see the craftsmen at work, from the Terrrasse des Galeries, which overlooks the workshop in operation.

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The Elephant's walk: accompany the Elephant in one of his daily outings on the square of the old shipyards. Impressive to see this 12-meter high, 48.4 ton monster in action!
  • The flight of the Heron: in the gallery of the Machines, take your time, to attend the flight of the Heron. Poetic and surprising!
View of the heron flying in the machine gallery
The heron of the Machines de l'île in full flight
  • The Carousel of the Marine Worlds: rediscover your child's soul on a ride that will take you 20,000 places under the sea.

Practical advice

  • Open from February to December
  • Opening hours: all day from April to October, afternoons the rest of the year
  • Suitable for children
  • Duration of the visit: 2h30
  • Full adult price : 8,50
  • The Machines de l'île website

Read more

  • Read our complete article on the Elephant of Nantes and the machines of the island

WHERE TO STAY IN Nantes

Downtown

Would you like to sleep in the heart of Nantes and enjoy its invigorating vitality? We liked it:

  • Blu Radisson Hotel - see our article - see photos prices and availability
  • L'Oceania - hotel de France - see our article - see photos prices and availability

Near the station

A train to catch at dawn, there's a truly magical address just 2 steps from Nantes train station:

  • Le Sozo Hotel - see our article - see photos, prices and availability

On the banks of the Erdre

Looking for a bit of peace and quiet, without straying too far from the city of Nantes? 2 addresses on the banks of the Erdre river:

  • La Rivière House - see photos, prices and availability
  • Le Best Western Plus Hôtel de la Régate - view photos, prices and availability
all our tips

2. The Museum of Arts

View of the great white stone staircase with the giant fresco "Bretagne Laborieuse" on the left
The grand staircase and the fresco Bretagne laborieuse realized by Hypollyte Berteaux

Why visit it? Our review

  • Certainly one of the most beautiful museums of fine arts, both for the richness of its collections and for the building with its grandiose decorations.
  • Installed in the current premises since 1893, the museum has just been enlarged and refurbished from top to bottom (6 years of work!), offering the best exhibition conditions.
  • In one place, you will be able to visit eight centuries of art history, with a diversity and depth of collections that are truly exceptional.

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The grand staircase and the fresco "Bretagne Laborieuse": a magnificent monumental staircase with double flight, decorated with a giant fresco that we owe to the artist Hyppolyte Berteaux.
  • The Dream of Saint Joseph - Georges de La Tour: we loved the atmosphere of this room, where the darkness only makes the paintings more luminous. In this 1642 work, an old man (Joseph) sees an angel symbolized by a child figure.
Painting representing an old man (Joseph) and a young girl (the angel) with an extraordinary light
The dream of Saint Joseph - Georges de La Tour - circa 1640
  • The Kandinsky collection: in the section devoted to modern art, you can see a rare collection of works by the Russian painter Vasily Kandinsky. A real dive in this pioneer of abstract art.

Practical advice

  • Open all year round
  • Opening hours: from 11am to 7pm
  • Suitable for children (although it will be necessary to select the works to be seen)
  • Duration of the visit: 1h30, minimum
  • Full adult price: 8€.
  • The website of the Nantes Museum of Art

3. The Museum of Natural History (Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle)

Facade of the Natural History Museum of Nantes

Why visit it? Our review

  • Inaugurated in 1810, the natural history museum is one of the most important in France.
  • A major port city for more than two centuries, Nantes was a place of departure and arrival for many scientific expeditions. The museum's collections have been enriched considerably over the years.
  • Marked by illustrious curators, the museum offers a greatdiversity of themes. What to admire the genius of the living under all facets (animals, geology, plants ...).

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The skeleton of a whale 18 meters long in the zoology gallery of the museum which presents 1000 specimens of animals (stuffed or skeleton).
  • Pieces of meteorite in the middle of the 3000 rocks preserved in the museum in the gallery of sciences of the Earth and the Universe.
Photo of a meteorite and in the background the room dedicated to geology at the Natural History Museum of Nantes
Saint Aubin meteorite - 177kg
  • More surprising, a collection of more than 5000 gastropod shells (snails, slugs and other slugs)!

Practical advice

  • Open all year round
  • Opening hours: from 10 am to 6 pm
  • Suitable for children
  • Duration of the visit: 2 hours if you do all the rooms
  • Full adult price: 4€.
  • The website of the Museum of Natural History
Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Get away from it all with Region Lovers' beautiful destinations!
  • Once a month
  • Advertising-free

RGPD(Required)
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

4. The Museum of the History of Nantes (Musée de l'Histoire de Nantes)

view of the house of the castle of Nantes
The royal dwelling of the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany which houses the Museum of the History of Nantes.

Why visit it? Our review

  • This museum is an architectural feat. Installed in the dwelling of the castle of the Dukes of Brittany, he had to play with the constraints of a building that was nearly 6 centuries old and absolutely not adapted. The result is impressive, even if you will have to find your way through the 32 rooms that make it up.
  • Historically Breton, the city of Nantes is an important place in the history of France, but also one of the most important ports of the triangular trade that took place in the 18th century. This fascinating story deserved a museum!
  • The result of a long work of collection, it is 1150 objects which are in particular highlighted in beautiful reconstitutions.

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The models of the city of Nantes which allow to better understand the geography of the city, and the place of water in the development of the city.
  • The chilling objects that trace the dark hours of the triangular trade, with the trade of black slaves, and particularly the neck restraints.
Neck restraint worn by slaves who tried to escape
  • The reconstruction of life in Nantes under the occupation, a strategic city with its industrial and port capacities.

Practical advice

  • Open all year round except Monday
  • Opening hours: from 10 am to 6 pm
  • Suitable for children
  • Duration of visit: 2h minimum (thematic visit from 30' and family in 1h30)
  • Full adult price: 8€.
  • The website of the Museum of the History of Nantes

Read more

  • Read our complete article on the castle of Nantes and the Museum of the history of Nantes.

5. The Jules Verne Museum

The Jules Verne Museum in Nantes

Why visit it? Our review

  • Jules Verne is the most emblematic writer of Nantes. There is no doubt that he drew his inspiration for these fantastic journeys around the world from his childhood spent just a stone's throw away from the ships in port.
  • Housed in a house on the heights of the rebellious district of Chantenay where the Verne family owned a weekend house, the museum offers a real immersion in the work of the writer in search of his sources of inspiration.
  • It is surprising to see how Jules Verne's thought remains current and how the writer continues to irrigate the city and its imagination. The proof is in the Elephant and the machines on the island!

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • Facsimiles of the manuscripts of Jules Verne's novels, reminding us that writing is often a painful process for the writer.
  • Golden age of the illustrated albums discover the secrets of the setting in image and the publication of its works.
Manuscript of the novel "Around the world in 80 days" by Jules Verne
Manuscript of "A floating city" - Jules Verne - 1871
  • Some objects that belonged to the writer are presented, taking you back to a time when you would have loved to talk to him...

Practical advice

  • Open all year round except Tuesday
  • Opening hours: from 2pm to 6pm from September to June from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, in July and August.
  • Suitable for children even if it will not be obvious to interest them, the museography being a little dated.
  • Duration of the visit: 1 hour
  • Full adult price: 3€.
  • The Jules Verne Museum website
A LITTLE MORE patience

All the photos, maps, information, good addresses to make your stay in the Loire Valley a success, will soon be gathered in a single ebook!

If you wish to be informed of the publication of our guide on the Loire, register:

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Box Ebook Corsica FR

6. Museum of Printing and the Book Trade (Musée de l'imprimerie)

View from inside the museum, with a person in a blue coat making prints on a hand press
At the heart of the printing industry

Why visit it? Our review

  • A true living museum, the Museum of Printing and Book Trades invites you on an original and enchanting journey to the land of typographers and other hand presses.
  • Beyond the discovery of the machines, you will see them in action, with their characteristic noises and smells. The museum still publishes art prints, preserving the memory of the printing trades.
  • The visit ends with a short exhibition by an artist who still uses these old-fashioned prints. We love it!

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The Ave Maria and the Our Father in microscopic engraving on the width of a cadratin. Who said that ancestral methods were not accurate?
  • The 85-key keyboard of the first"Rogers typograph", invented in Canada in 1889 by John Rogers.
Letterpress plate with lead character sets
Letterpress plate
  • Even if we write horribly, what a joy it is to be able to consult the marvelous Caslon 1716 matrix type library, originally designed for the New Testament edition.

Practical advice

  • Open all year round except Sunday (also closed on Sunday in July and August)
  • Schedule: from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5:30pm
  • Duration of the visit: 1 hour
  • Full adult price: 8€.
  • The website of the Museum of Printing

7. The Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery

Fresco of the memorial of the abolition of slavery

Why visit it? Our review

  • The duty to remember is an imperative, if we do not want to see our civilization repeat the same mistakes over and over again. As such, you must visit the Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery.
  • The choice of implanting this long gallery of rough concrete under a quay of the Loire illuminated by the lights of the river is a strong artistic gesture which deserves the detour. We owe it to the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko and the architect Julian Bonder who put this place on the list of memorials with strong emotional value.

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • On the quay, browse through the 2000 glass plates, listing the names of the Nantes slave shipments and the major slave trading posts.
  • Under the pier, walk through the 90 meters of the fresco, reading the selection of texts related to slavery and its abolition on the 5 continents.
  • You will end with a reminder of the great dates of the abolition of slavery, reminding us that at the end of the tunnel, there is often light!
Historical frieze showing the history of the abolition of slavery on a red background
The main dates of the abolition of slavery

Practical advice

  • Open all year round
  • Opening hours: from 9am to 6pm (8pm in summer)
  • Duration of the visit: 1 hour
  • Full adult price: free
  • Suitable for children who can read.
  • The website of the Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
  • Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
  • Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
  • Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
  • There is a lot of demand, book it early.
See the cars

See our tips

8. House of Men and Technology (Maison des Hommes et des Techniques)

Building of the Ateliers et Chantiers de Nantes housing the house of men and techniques

Why visit it? Our review

  • For over 200 years, Nantes has been a city of shipbuilders. At the peak of the Dubigeon shipyards, in 1954, the company had 7600 workers, technicians and engineers. This house is the memory of this history and know-how.
  • In addition to the interest of the 120 objects on display, the exhibition offers us a real immersion in the daily life and culture of the workers.
  • Installed in the historical premises of the site, the visit of the House of Men and Techniques can be completed with a walk on the old site. It has kept its launching holds and the famous yellow Titan crane, which could lift 80 tons by itself. Listed as a historical monument, it reminds the people of Nantes of their glorious naval past.

The 3 things to see during your visit

  • The visit begins with a series of representations of Nantes over the centuries, which will make you fully aware of the place of water in the city and its importance in its development.
  • The model of the Emile Paraf will allow you to understand how apprentices were trained in shipbuilding, which was impossible in real size.
Educational model of the Emile Paraf
Model of the Emile Paraf used for the training of apprentices in the navy
  • The reconstruction of a naval design office drafting table reminded us that before they were giants of the seas, they were paper tigers!

Practical advice

  • Open all year round
  • Opening hours: from 9am to 6pm (8pm in summer)
  • Duration of the visit: 1 hour
  • Full adult price: free
  • Suitable for children who can read.
  • The website of the Maison des Hommes et des Techniques

Other museums in Nantes

9. Dobré Museum

Named after a rich shipowner and merchant from Nantes, this museum presents the donations made by collectors to a public authority, that is to say a collection of 135,000 works (archaeology, stamps, sculptures, autographs...)!

Entrance of the dobrée museum under construction, with a crane in the background
Dobrée Museum, Work In Progress

It is very likely that this museum will join our top 8, after its planned reopening in 2024. To be continued...

See the official website of the Dobrée Museum

10. The planetarium

The planetarium of Nantes takes you to the farthest reaches of the universe with sessions adapted to all ages. The planetarium is 2 steps away from the Jules Verne museum, in the Chantenay district. Logical when one knows that a lunar crater was named after the writer from Nantes. Travel time from 30 minutes to 1 hour!

Signage of the planetarium of Nantes
The planetarium of Nantes

See the official website of the planetarium of Nantes

11. Ship-Museum Le Maille Brézé

This escort ship is known to all the people of Nantes as its presence along the festive Quai de la Fosse is unexpected. It is a reminder of the role played by shipyards in the construction of warships and an opportunity for visitors to discover a ship afloat.

See the official website of Maille Brezé

View of the escort "Le Maille Brézé
The escort Maille Brezé

12. Companion museum (Musée compagnonnique)

Also in the Chantenay district, discover some of the most beautiful pieces made by the Compagnons du Tour de France des Devoirs Unis.

The companionship gathers since the antiquity men and women eager to learn and to help each other to seek together to reach the perfection in the exercise of a trade (building, art, mouth...).

Entrance to the Nantes companion museum
The companion museum of Nantes

Other museums around Nantes

13. The chronograph in Rezé

Located near the archaeological ruins of the Roman port of Ratiatum, the Chronograph Museum offers an immersive journey to discover daily life in Roman Gaul. In 9 sequences, mixing virtual reconstitution, interactive experiences and presentation of objects discovered during the excavations, you will know all about the discoveries of the archaeologists.

See the official website of the Chronographe in Rezé

14. The Nantes Vineyard Museum in Le Pallet

In the heart of the Pallet appellation, in the Muscadet Sèvres et Maine region, the vine and wine museum offers a very educational presentation of the wine cycle. From the planting of the vines to the tasting of the wines, including a presentation of the grape varieties, you will be able to learn more about the wines of the Nantes vineyard (muscadet, close-up...)!

Photo of a horizontal press
Horizontal press at the museum of the Nantes vineyard

See the official website of the Nantes Vineyard Museum

The exhibition rooms

15. Le Lieu Unique

The entrance of Le Lieu Unique

This former cookie factory has become the temple of Nantes' culture. Once a cultural squat, it has become a place of production and reception of the contemporary cultural scene of the first rank. In a naturally indus atmosphere, the spaces are flexible to accommodate any type of event. Take the time for a coffee or a drink at the bar of Le Lieu Unique, where the atmosphere is resolutely creative!

See the official website of Lieu Unique

16. The Hab Gallery

Hab Gallerie's frontage with its blue neon letters

A showroom that we particularly appreciate on the famous quai des Antilles on the island of Nantes. Dedicated to contemporary art, the gallery does not restrict itself to any medium and we love to lose ourselves in its friendly bookshop dedicated to all forms of art.

And if you are wondering why HAB, it is because it is located in the old Hangar A Bananes, place of storage of the first fruits, bananas and pineapples which arrived from Africa.

See the official website of the HAB Gallerie

17. The FRAC in Nantes and Carquefou

The Regional Fund for Contemporary Art is particularly dynamic in Pays de la Loire, and has its own exhibition space in Carquefou and recently, a second one at the Hangar à Bananes, not far from the HAB Galerie. Its mission is to accompany and support artists and it has been pursuing an ambitious acquisition policy for over 40 years.

See the official website of the FRAC in Carquefou

See the official website of the FRAC in Nantes

PLAN YOUR STAY IN Nantes

Itineraries

  • 5 thematic itineraries to visit Nantes in 1 day
  • Our advice to visit Nantes in 2 days, or in 3 days

Visits

  • 15 best things to do in Nantes
  • 8 best museums to do in Nantes
  • Our tips for the elephant and the machines
  • Visit the castle of Nantes
  • All about the village of Trentemoult

Practice

  • 12 best hotels to stay in Nantes
  • 15 best restaurants to eat in Nantes
  • How to rent a car at Nantes airport
HE MADE THE TRIP AND WROTE THE ARTICLE Manu

The 10 commitments of Region Lovers
  1. Visit all the places we tell you about.
  2. For each city, sleep in at least one hotel, visit the ones we recommend.
  3. For each city, eat in at least one restaurant, visit the ones we select.
  4. Pay all our bills in full, refuse any partnership or sponsorship.
  5. Update our articles periodically, with the help of our readers.
  6. Enrich our articles with our on-site experiences.
  7. Use 99% of our own photos
  8. Have a reasoned and transparent use of the AI tool, which we feed with our locally verified information.
  9. Inform about the traveler/writer pairing that gave birth to the article.
  10. Tell you what we do, and do what we tell you!

Claire and Manu

Learn more about the team and our history.


Primary Sidebar

A sister with a passion for travel, an epicurean brother, well-established family values, a team that’s growing from strength to strength… the team and our history



Need information about the Loire Valley? We surely have the answer:

Footer

Loire Lovers Logos baseline

our videos on Youtube

our photos on Instagram

our news on Linkedin

contact form

SEARCH OUR SITE

Search

OUR MULTI-DESTINATION BLOGS

Regionlovers.fr

ZigZagroadtrips.com

OUR OTHER REGIONS TO DISCOVER

LoireLovers.fr

NormandieLovers.fr

ProvenceLovers.fr

CanariasLovers.com

CHANGE LANGUAGE
  • French
  • English (English)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Italiano (Italian)

Mentions Légales / Conditions d’utilisation / Politique de confidentialité

Copyright Loire Lovers © 2025

Avant les châteaux et le vin... parlons cookies !
We share everything with you: our favourite places, our tips, our good plans... and without invading you
with ads! To bring you the best possible site, cookies are an essential ingredient. Do you accept them?

Find out more
Fonctionnel Always active
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est strictement nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de permettre l’utilisation d’un service spécifique explicitement demandé par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur, ou dans le seul but d’effectuer la transmission d’une communication sur un réseau de communications électroniques.
Préférences
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de stocker des préférences qui ne sont pas demandées par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur.
Statistiques
Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement à des fins statistiques. Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement dans des finalités statistiques anonymes. En l’absence d’une assignation à comparaître, d’une conformité volontaire de la part de votre fournisseur d’accès à internet ou d’enregistrements supplémentaires provenant d’une tierce partie, les informations stockées ou extraites à cette seule fin ne peuvent généralement pas être utilisées pour vous identifier.
Marketing
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire pour créer des profils d’utilisateurs afin d’envoyer des publicités, ou pour suivre l’utilisateur sur un site web ou sur plusieurs sites web ayant des finalités marketing similaires.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Voir les préférences
{title} {title} {title}
Avant les châteaux et le vin... parlons cookies !
Pour offrir les meilleures expériences, nous utilisons des technologies telles que les cookies pour stocker et/ou accéder aux informations des appareils. Le fait de consentir à ces technologies nous permettra de traiter des données telles que le comportement de navigation ou les ID uniques sur ce site. Le fait de ne pas consentir ou de retirer son consentement peut avoir un effet négatif sur certaines caractéristiques et fonctions.
Fonctionnel Always active
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est strictement nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de permettre l’utilisation d’un service spécifique explicitement demandé par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur, ou dans le seul but d’effectuer la transmission d’une communication sur un réseau de communications électroniques.
Préférences
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire dans la finalité d’intérêt légitime de stocker des préférences qui ne sont pas demandées par l’abonné ou l’utilisateur.
Statistiques
Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement à des fins statistiques. Le stockage ou l’accès technique qui est utilisé exclusivement dans des finalités statistiques anonymes. En l’absence d’une assignation à comparaître, d’une conformité volontaire de la part de votre fournisseur d’accès à internet ou d’enregistrements supplémentaires provenant d’une tierce partie, les informations stockées ou extraites à cette seule fin ne peuvent généralement pas être utilisées pour vous identifier.
Marketing
Le stockage ou l’accès technique est nécessaire pour créer des profils d’utilisateurs afin d’envoyer des publicités, ou pour suivre l’utilisateur sur un site web ou sur plusieurs sites web ayant des finalités marketing similaires.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Voir les préférences
{title} {title} {title}