Visiting Nantes in 3 days means having time to discover the city's main museums, gardens, activities, hotels and restaurants. But it is also a way to feel the soul of this city with a rich port past that has reinvented itself to face this new millennium.
In this article, we offer you a detailed itinerary that will allow you to discover the city under its different facets: cultural, creative or gourmet.
But first of all, we give you some practical advice to avoid unnecessary inconveniences during your stay.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Practical advice to visit Nantes in 3 days
1. Getting around in Nantes: prefer public transport
Having some experience in this field, we can assure you that the city of Nantes is a nightmare to drive in. This is due to the growth of the city in recent years and to the Loire and its tributaries, the crossing of which is always a headache, the number of bridges being necessarily limited.
But Nantes is one of the French cities with the best public transport facilities. It was one of the first to reinstate the tramway, in 1984, and already offers 3 lines, 83 stations and 44 km of tracks. 3 other lines will be created by 2026.
It was also a pioneer in the development of the"Busway" or exclusive right-of-way bus system, with buses running on lanes that are exclusively reserved for them and with appropriate signage.
Finally, it has deployed a self-service bicycle solution with more than 120 stations and 1,000 bicycles available.
2. Opt for the city-pass
The city of Nantes provides city passes, called Pass Nantes, which exist in a 3-day package.
It will give you access to the public transportation network we just mentioned (including the airport shuttle), to the main museums and sites of the city (Dukes of Brittany castle, Art Museum, Elephant of Nantes...) and even to dedicated tours (Voyage à Nantes, Petit Train, CityTour bus)
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.
3. Weather: be prepared
During the 3 days in Nantes, it is more than likely that you will discover the joys of the Nantes weather! The city is indeed subject to the winds and rains that arrive from the Atlantic and that can in a few minutes transform a beautiful day into an intense shower.
On average, it rains 168 days a year for 89 days of sunshine, but in lesser amounts than in many French cities. It is common to say that in Nantes, the weather is nice several times a day!
In any case, bring something to protect yourself from bad weather. We don't recommend umbrellas, which can easily be turned over if the wind picks up!
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.
4. Choose one or two hotels in the center of Nantes!
The city of Nantes has a quality hotel offer with several hotels that have a just incredible soul. One thinks of the Sozo hotel, installed in an authentic 19th century church, or the Blu Radisson, which has found a place in the former courthouse. You can also opt for the mythical Hôtel de France Océania, installed in the former mansion of Jean Joseph Graslin, one of the builders of Nantes.
As you can see, there is no lack of beautiful addresses in Nantes and you should not hesitate to change hotels from one night to the next, if you have the courage to discover these beautiful places full of hope. Luggage storage facilities are available at these hotels so that you don't have to carry your luggage around with you during the day.
In any case, we strongly advise you to choose a hotel in the center, to avoid wasting time in traffic jams during office hours.
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5. Make choices
You will see in this article, there is no lack of visits in Nantes, with a beautiful diversity and sites that require a minimum of time to visit.
We are really in favor of"less is more" so as not to overload your 2 days in Nantes and soak up the special atmosphere of the city.
6. The map of the main monuments and visits of Nantes
Finally, we offer you a simplified map of the main places to visit in the city, as well as the names of the districts that make up the city center.
Essentials of Nantes in 3 days - our itinerary
3 days may seem like a lot, but when you see all the things to do in Nantes, the days will be quite full. We have taken care to optimize travel time, which can be done either on foot (distances are reasonable) or by streetcar (when tired).
Are you ready? Let's go and discover the many treasures of Nantes.
Day 1 - 9h-11h: The Elephant of Nantes and the machines of the island
Your journey begins on the island of Nantes, in the heart of the city, between two arms of the Loire.
In less than 10 years, the Elephant of Nantes has become theemblem of the city. From an industrial and port city, it is becoming a creative and cultural city, without turning its back on its roots, its know-how and its history.
Located on the site of the former shipyards, this site immerses visitors in the fantastic world of the Nantes-based author Jules Verne, with its bizarre metal and wood machines, including the gigantic 12-meter-high Elephant (a 4-storey building).
The visit takes place in 3 stages:
- The Elephant's walk: several times a day, the Elephant goes out on the esplanade of the old building sites for a long stroll. It carries 52 visitors for each half-hour trip. If you want to go on board, we advise you to make a reservation or to try your luck when you arrive on site, as some tickets are only sold on site.
- The gallery of machines: a surprising visit in the bestiary of Jules Verne between heron, hummingbird and other monarch butterflies, but also a discovery of the know-how of the designers of these fantastic animals.
- The carousel of the marine worlds: find your childlike soul for a ride on the ingenious carousel that will take you 20,000 places under the sea.
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- All our advice and many photos to prepare your visit to the Elephant of Nantes and the machines of the island.
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Day 1 - 11h-11h45: The Museum of Men and Technology
Installed in the historic building of the Ateliers et Chantiers de Nantes, this museum perpetuates the memory of the"shipbuilders" who settled on the island of Nantes for over 200 years.
More than 120 objects illustrate the know-how of the 7600 workers, technicians and engineers who worked on the site at its peak in 1954.
11:45-12:15 Buren's rings
A little after the Museum of Men and Techniques, at the tip of the island, is the lively Quai des Antilles with its many restaurants, its Voyage à Nantes canteen, and its theaters.
The French artist Daniel Buren, who made French cultural history by installing his 260 "columns" in the main courtyard of the Palais-royal garden in Paris, needs no introduction.
In Nantes, the artist invites you to see the city from a new angle in each of the 18 rings that punctuate the quay.
Each ring bears his visual and artistic signature , an alternating white and colored band 8.7 centimeters wide, which he has been carrying around the world since 1965.
Day 1 - 12h30-14h: lunch at the restaurant Le 1
We remain on the island of Nantes for the lunch, with the excellent restaurant Le 1.
For several years, it has symbolized the gastronomic revival of the city. It always offers a modern and creative cuisine that attempts to merge the 4 continents.
On sunny days, you can eat on the banks of the Loire for a magical moment.
Day 1 - 2:30-3:30 pm: Jules Verne Museum
We cross the Loire to discover the rebellious district of Chantenay. The family of the famous writer Jules Verne from Nantes owned a house in which he forged memories that would populate his work.
It is undeniable that Jules Verne's numbers are directly inspired by his youth in Nantes and continue to irrigate the city even today, like The Elephant of Nantes and The Machines of the Island.
The museum offers you a journey to the center of Jules Verne's work, from the sources of inspiration (railroads, travels...) to the publication of the novels (role of the publisher of the illustrated books Pierre-Jules Hetzel). This tour is proposed through manuscripts, illustrations or objects that belonged to the writer.
Day 2 - 3:30-4:00 pm: The Lookout Walk
Starting from the museum, discover the walk of the 7 belvederes which give you a beautiful view on the Loire and the city, as well as on the extraordinary garden for some of them. We particularly like the belvedere of the Hermitage designed by the Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata, with its wooden overhang above the void.
16h-17h30: Exploration of the Extraordinary Garden
Installed in a former quarry in the rebellious district of Chantenay, this garden is an evocation of thedreamlike universe of the writer Jules Verne, populated by numerous animals and unusual plants.
The program includes a waterfall, cliffs of 25 meters high, tree ferns, banana trees or papyrus and lotus that enjoy the omnipresent water!
A change of scenery guaranteed...
Day 1 - 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery
On your way back to the city center, by foot or by streetcar, visit the discreet memorialof the abolition of slavery.
A long gallery of rough concrete, under the riverside of the Loire, takes you into the memory of slavery, but also to the discovery of the enlightened minds that led to its abolition.
A solemn and necessary place, in the heart of one of the main former French slave ports of the not so distant 18th century. Admission is free.
Day 1 - 7-8:30 pm: dinner at imagine restaurant
Because creativity does not stop at the restaurant door, we invite you to taste the cuisine of theyoung chef Anne Lise GENOUËL who opened, at 28 years old, her restaurant Imagine 2 steps from Place Graslin in 2018.
In addition to the warm atmosphere, we liked this combination of incredible flavors where the spices come to divert our palates for our greatest pleasure.
Proof of the creativity of the chef, the menu changes every week at lunchtime and at least once a month in the evening!
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Day 1 - Your night, choose your hotel in Nantes
We have a full article with our selection of the 12 best hotels in Nantes, but we offer our top 4 options in relation to this itinerary:
- Sozo Hotel: 2 steps from the Jardin des Plantes, sleep in an authentic 19th century church converted into a 4 star hotel with a strong design. See our detailed article on the night we spent at the Sozo Hotel / see prices, photos and availability.
- Blu Radisson Nantes: housed in the former courthouse, an incredible neoclassical building, the Blu Radisson condemns you to a quiet night. See our detailed article on the night we spent at the Blu Radisson Nantes / see prices, photos and availability.
- Hôtel de France Océnia: The former mansion of Jean Joseph Graslin, modern builder of Nantes, became a mythical hotel of Nantes in the twentieth century and has been completely updated in 2014. See our detailed article on the night we spent at the France Oceania hotel / see prices, photos and availability.
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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!
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Day 2 - 9h-11h: Nantes Castle (Dukes of Brittany)
To start this second day, we went to the impressive castle of Nantes and the Dukes of Brittany. Built from the 13th century, it enters the history of France at the end of the 15th century, under the impulse of Anne of Brittany. Through her successive marriages to 2 kings of France (Henry VIII and Louis XII), she ensured the attachment of Brittany to France.
The castle can only be visited from the outside, but there is much to see:
- Thedefensive structures (towers, bastion, old keep (XIIIth century), châtelet and enclosures) to be admired first from the moat and then by walking the covered way.
- From the courtyard, the royal dwelling with its tower of the golden crown and its beautiful loggias very richly sculpted, at the crossroads of Gothic and Renaissance styles.
- The great Government built by Louis XIV in a neoclassical style to replace part of the house destroyed by fire in the 17th century.
- The other buildings of the castle: the conciergerie, the small government and the harnessing building.
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Day 2 - 11am-12:30pm: Nantes History Museum
Located in the castle of Nantes, the Museum of the History of Nantes traces the history of the city, from prehistory to the most contemporary periods. No less than 1150 objects are presented in the 32 rooms (+1 dedicated to families) of the Museum.
The museum quality is really exceptional, with a lot of interactivity, beautiful settings, a comprehensible division...
Day 2 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm Lunch at the restaurant l'Amenité
After this very dense visit, we propose you to have lunch at the restaurant l'Amenité. Located in the Bouffay district, not far from the castle, it is for us one of the best restaurants in Nantes.
In the kitchen, the truculent Richard Cornet, also a London trader and psychotherapist, who had the happy idea to reconvert to cooking.
They offer a market cuisine with multiple flavors and a perfect mastery of cooking and textures, all for an unbeatable quality/price ratio in Nantes, in our opinion.
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Day 2 - 2pm-3pm Parc de l'île de Versailles
To digest your good meal, we suggest you to discover the small park of the island of Versailles which is surrounded by the river Erdre. On former swamps, a beautiful small Japanese garden, with traditional tea room, rockery composition and mini waterfalls.
The Maison de l'Erdre offers exhibitions on theecosystem of this river which crosses Nantes before flowing into the Loire via the Saint-Félix canal.
Day 2 - 3:00-3:45 pm: Feydeau Island and Place Royale
On the way to your next visit, take the time to admire 2 surprising places in the city:
- The Royal Square: one of the largest squares in the city, with its Haussmannian and neoclassical quarter-circle buildings
- The Feydeau district: formerly an island, it has only been attached to the right bank since 1938 and has an impressive 18th century architectural heritage that we owe to the city's rich shipowners and merchants.
Day 2 - 16h-17h: Museum of Printing and Graphic Arts
Just a stone's throw from the Passage Pommeraye, discover the very surprising and enchanting Museum of Printing and Bookmaking. You can discover the machines that preceded our digital presses.
Far from being a dusty museum, the machines are still in working order and make art prints before your eyes! Numerous training courses allow to perpetuate the memory and the know-how of the printing trades: master printer, typesetter...
The icing on the cake is a small exhibition of printed works to conclude the visit. We were lucky enough to come across an exhibition of printed drawings by the talented Doctor Paper who reinterprets the world (almost the same passion as ours!).
Day 2 - 17h-17h30: Cours Cambronne
Formerly the seat of the Capuchin religious congregation, the Cours Cambronne was entirely redesigned under the impetus of the influential Joseph Graslin , who transformed the entire district of Nantes at the end of the 18th century.
A landmark of middle-class life in Nantes in the 19th and 20th centuries, it is bordered by 16 listed neoclassical buildings, and the park is home to rare Magnolia species, of which the city of Nantes preserves the national reference collection.
Day 2 - 5:30-6:30pm: Discover the Passage Pommeraye
Leaving La Cigale, go down the luxurious and commercial street Crébillon to reach the high entrance of the passage Pommeraye on rue de Santueil.
This magnificent covered shopping mall built between 1840 and 1843, is a jewel of neoclassical art that symbolizes the gentrification of the city of Nantes carried by its flourishing port activity in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Inspired by the many Parisian passages, it is unique in Europe because of its sloping plan, with a difference in level of more than 9 meters between its high and low points, which was to be easily climbed by the elegant ladies.
In addition to the magnificent decorations which borrow from the renaissance style but also baroque, we invite you to enjoy the incredible light which reigns in this place. We owe it to the impressive glass roofs and to the lighting, first gas, now led, which illuminate the passage advantageously.
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Day 2 - 7:30-9:00 pm: Dinner at La Cigale - Place Graslin
After this beautiful and dense2nd day, let's go to a Nantes institution for your dinner, the brasserie La Cigale located on the beautiful Place Graslin.
On this square, a sign stands out, that of the chic brasserie La Cigale. Inaugurated in 1895, it is a real Nantes institution, as much appreciated for a tea with a small pastry in the middle of a shopping day, as for a dinner after a weekend by the sea.
But, even if its cuisine is of high quality, what makes it really unique is its art nouveau décor entirely created by Nantes artists and which humorously depicts the bourgeois mores of Nantes society at the end of the 19th century. You will notice that the cicada is a bit sulky, wearing a tutu and carrying a mandolin.
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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:
Day 3 - 9:30am-12pm: Parc Floral de la Beaujoire in Nantes
For this third and last day, we suggest you to take the tramway, to get out of the city center and discover the magnificent floral park of Beaujoire.
On more than 14 hectares, they present 16000 varieties of roses (flowering mainly in May-June), but also 400 species of magnolias (flowering from the beginning of March to June) and a beautiful iris garden (flowering March-April).
This garden was created in 1971 to host one of the most important events for ornamental plants, the Floralies.
Day 3 - 12:30-14:30: Lunch at the Manoir de la Régate
Before returning to the center of Nantes, we suggest you prolong this moment of nature, by lunching at the excellent Manoir de la Régate. In a protected setting on the banks of the Erdre, this starred restaurant has been in the hands of the Pérou family since 1995.
It is the new generation, barely thirty years old, which offers you a gustatory and gastronomic journey just incredible, between beet bread, pike-perch of the Loire stewed in clay and Bottereau nantais with kiwi and mint!
The chef, Matthieu Pérou, flavors his dishes with wild flowers and herbs picked along the Erdre River. Another way to do botany!
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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.
Day 3 - 3-6pm: Museum of Art
We hope you are not tired and that you are ready to fall under the spell of the incredible Nantes Museum of Art.
Created in 1801 and completely reinvented in 2017, it offers one of the most beautiful collections of paintings in France, in a setting that is just exceptional, both architecturally, but also in the quality of the hanging.
The ancient art, carried by the Italian painters and the religious painting, rubs shoulders with the treasures of themodern art, with in particular a very beautiful collection Kandinsky, without forgetting the emblematic painters of the XIXth century (Courbet, Monet, Delacroix).
A great moment for us, it was difficult to leave
Day 3 - 6pm-7pm: Lieu Unique
We suggest you finish your stay by discovering the Lieu Unique, which symbolizes the transition underway in Nantes. During your stay, you must have seen this art deco tower that seems to serve as a lighthouse in the old port city.
Today converted into a cultural place, the unique place was the headquarters of the famous cookie factory LU which closed its doors in 1986. There used to be 2 towers of 38 meters high, but only one survived the bombings of the2nd World War.
In addition to the visit of the tower which will allow you to better know the history of the place, do not hesitate to take the time to visit one of the current exhibitions, the programming is of very good quality.
We invite you to have a drink or a coffee at the bar of the unique place, in the hall with the indus decoration or in the terrace. You will surely come across those who keep the cultural and bohemian life of Nantes alive.
A nice way to end these 3 days of visit in our company!
Option 1 - add tours
As there is not only one way to visit Nantes, we propose you below some original ideas to discover the city differently.
Follow the green line
The green line runs over 24 kilometers of sidewalks, stairs and other narrow streets in the city of Nantes.
Every summer since 2012, as part of the voyage to Nantes, she offers tourists an artistic stroll through the city. On the program, about forty places and monuments presenting a particular cultural interest or reinterpreted by artists.
Very innovative when it was launched, the green line is in the middle of an institutionalization phase, which makes it lose some of its vitality. Nevertheless, it remains a nice alternative for those who want to see the urban space through the eyes of artists.
Original tricks
- Private visit according to your expectations with a passionate Nantais - See prices and availability.
- Visit the highlights of the city by Segway: a mode of transport now well known in tourist cities and quite adapted to travel in Nantes, outside the hyper center - See prices and availability.
- Even if the traffic is not easy in Nantes, you can opt for a discovery of the city in a 2CV Citroën, the mythical French deuche - See prices and availability.
- Guided tour of the city with an audioguide directly accessible on your smartphone, to learn all about the history of the city - See the price of the audioguide of Nantes.
- Need to motivate your children to discover the city, opt for an outdoor escape game with the city as a playground - See price and conditions.
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Option 2 - alternatives with children to spend 3 days in Nantes
If you can motivate your children for 3 days, you are very strong! But because we are realistic, we have provided you with some alternatives that might interest them and some ideas to motivate them:
Kid-friendly restaurants in Nantes
Even if your children are welcome in all the restaurants we have selected, we suggest 3 alternatives, easier for young palates, but in which we eat healthy.
Sugar Blu Restaurant
Our favorite canteen in Nantes, where everything is ultra-fresh and the atmosphere is definitely friendly, reminding us of the brown cafés in Amsterdam.
No doubt you'll find something to satisfy their sometimes fussy stomachs, and to please yourself as well! Quiches, salads, burrito... for the main course and a nice collection of desserts, each one more delicious than the other (guaranteed success): brownie, scone, carrot cake...
Restaurant "Le coin des crêpes
A sure value with children (and which does not displease the parents), a good creperie. Even if we are not quite in Brittany, we know how to make beautiful pancakes in Nantes and to marry the pancakes with the greedy tradition of the city (the cookie factories BN and LU testify it...).
So that they don't feel too cramped, we recommend"Le coin des crêpes", Cours des 50 otages, not far from the Passage Pommeraye, where we enjoyed ourselves.
Restaurant Coq Monsieur
Another great classic of the kitchen for our children: the croque-monsieur! At Coq Monsieur, it is available in 10 gourmet recipes and served with French fries (and salad).
Installed in one of the small pedestrian streets of Bouffay, it will satisfy everyone and in a good mood!
Where to have a snack break with your children in Nantes
For the snack break, you have a lot of choices. Our 2 favorites (of which Eugenie knows the map by heart):
- Near the castle, Chez Dinette, a very cosy tea room, with a brocante atmosphere, where you can taste home-made pastries: crumble (that we love...), carrot cake, banana caramel pie.
- We really like the tea-time proposal from the brasserie La Cigale, which we told you about earlier. You will have to face a formidable choice: gourmet ice creams (special mention for the nutcracker: caramel and hazelnut ice creams with cookie chips) or the terrible home-made pastries, including the famous Nantes cake.
Other places to visit with children in Nantes
The Water Mirror
The water mirror is a must-see in any large French city and is located at the foot of the castle. They can either admire the beautiful reflections or refresh themselves while exercising.
Natural History Museum
The natural history museum is a sure bet with children and the one in Nantes is in the process of updating itself to continue to captivate them with its very rich collections.
Adventurers, ship owners and other naturalists have contributed over the last two centuries to make the Natural History Museum of Nantes one of the most important in France.
Between stuffedvertebrate animal specimens, vivarium with friendly live snakes and collection of minerals and rocks, they will not know where to turn!
Option 3 - alternatives for garden and botanical enthusiasts
As you are in Nantes for 3 days, take advantage of this time to discover some of the most beautiful gardens of the city of 100 parks (actually 101, according to the official count of the City Hall).
In addition to the Extraordinary Garden and the Garden of the Island of Versaille already included in our 3-day itinerary, we offer 2 alternatives depending on your botanical interests.
Garden of plants of Nantes
On 7 hectares, the plant garden, one of the largest in France, presents more than 10,000 living species, some of which are preserved in beautiful greenhouses, which can be visited with a city gardener.
You will also come across playful works of art, which we owe to the author and illustrator for young people, Claude Ponti, but also a funny greenhouse designed by the machines of the island.
Note that if you have not succumbed to the Fraiseraie you can opt for a gourmet break at theorangery.
Grand Blottereau Park
With 22 hectares, the Grand Blottereau park is the largest in Nantes and also one of the most amazing. Its exotic vocation , inherited from its first patron, the wealthy Nantes merchant Hyppolite Durand-Gasselin, and its pedagogical orientation (headquarters of the horticultural high school of Nantes), make it a place of experimentation and learning about plants in life size.
Throughout your journey, you will discover landscapes of different continents reconstituted, from the American bayou, to the hill of Suncheon (Korea) without forgetting the Mediterranean rock garden.
You can also discover the rich collection of exotic species in the dry greenhouse (jojoba, baobab and other kapok) and in the one reproducing a humid climate (ebony, mahogany, banana trees, cocoa trees...)
The best things to do in Nantes in video
And finally, a short video to inspire you!
PLAN YOUR STAY IN Nantes
Itineraries
Visits
