Location: Nantes
Top Things to do in Nantes
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Top 10 Things to do in Nantes, France
Nantes in France, from Europe region, is best know for Gardens. Discover best things to do in Nantes with beautiful photos and great reviews from traveller around the world here!
Restaurants in Nantes
1. Jardin des Plantes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
The Botanical Garden: at the heart of plants The Botanical Gardens of Nantes, with 7 hectares of green spaces in the centre of town, more than 10,000 living species, 800 square metres of greenhouses and more than 50,00 flowers planted each season, holder of the Remarkable Garden label, is among the four leading botanical Gardens in France. The collections have developed and specialised over 150 years. The Botanical Garden, which is both a scientific and a pleasure garden, has become a world reference, especially for its camellia collection which is unique in France, for the culture of epiphytic* plants in a semi-natural setting and for its permanent concern for the re-introduction of rare species. As an example we will cite the wild tulip, which disappeared in the 1970s and was reintroduced in 2010 in the vineyards of the region. Its great beauty in all seasons and its remarkable specimens (Hectot's Magnolia, American tulip tree and more recently a Wollemi pine, etc.) make the Botanical Garden a major tourist attraction in Nantes, visited every year by more than 1.2 million visitors. * Plants that grow on other plants without being parasites. The Botanical Garden Rue Stanislas-Baudry - Nantes Summer: 8:30 am - 8 pm Spring, autumn: 8:30 am - 6:30 pm Winter: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Tram line 1, SNCF train station stop Bus 12, SNCF train station stop Greenhouse visit (by reservation) Wednesday: 3:15 pm Thursday: 12:30 pm Friday: 3 pm Saturday: 3 pm and 4 pm (all year round); 5 pm (from 15 January to 17 November). Sunday: 10 am, 11 am, 3 pm and 4 pm (all year round); 5 pm (from 15 January to 17 November). Additional services Orangery cafe Restaurant - Tearoom Merry-go-round All year round from 10 am to 6 pm
Reviewed By traveller123456277 - Portsmouth, United Kingdom
We had a pleasant walk round this park. Lots of really interesting trees and bushes as you can see from the photos others have put on.
There was lots of work going on in the park to keep it neat and tidy and the effort that gets put in is plain to see in the Gardens. so well done to them.
Good place for a walk even if you are not a garden person
2. Passage Pommeraye
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
A narrow passage covered with a glass ceiling consisting of three levels of shopping galleries.
Reviewed By RonJulia - Hereford, United Kingdom
We stayed at Hotel Pommerade, so this was on our doorstep and we walked through it every day on our way around Nantes. Very high class and ornate - each day we found something new to goggle at, but our wallets and purses stayed firmly in our pockets!!!
3. Le Voyage A Nantes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 472 reviews
Reviewed By Bint-batota
If you follow the green line you will cover all the highlights of le voyage a Nantes. It's around 12 Km long and you won't lose your way. It's a very smart way for sight seeing. We enjoyed it a lot.
4. Parc de la Beaujoire
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 146 reviews
Reviewed By YoutanPoluo - Bengaluru, India
Go for relaxing.The rose garden is really big , well maintained and beautiful! So many types of roses are there! The park is just beside Erdre river .You can sit and relax here or jog.People come here with kids and have small picnics.It closes at 8 pm in Summer. Saw 2 security cars patrolling .Little deserted.
5. Parc de Proce
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 253 reviews
Reviewed By KentishPrincess - Aylesford, United Kingdom
We stopped off here enroute to Nantes on the first day we arrived and what a lovely first impression. The park is huge, and well looked after. The sun was shining and there were lots of people just sitting relaxing or Reading books. Many of the chairs were the same, so I believe they will loan you chairs to sit on if you don't want to sit on the grass. (not sure if there is a charge for this). I could have sat here enjoying the silence for ages but teenage children were less impressed.
Easy free parking around the outside of the park, if you're in the area and its a lovely day you'd be a fool to dismiss it.
6. Les Machines de L'ile
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
The Machines de l’Ile is an artistic and a tourist project. It is a blend of the invented worlds of Jules Verne, the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci, and the industrial history of Nantes, on an exceptional site in the former shipyards. A ride on the 12-meter tall Great Elephant, climb aboard the Marine Worlds Carrousel of 27 moving sea creatures or the Heron Tree to fly over the hanging Gardens.
Reviewed By PduFou
Well worth a visit if you are in the area. The machines created have the form of surreal animals and impress by their imagination. Great place for small & big children although it can get busy.
7. Cathedrale de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
This Gothic Cathedral features a high nave and many tombs, including that of François II.
Reviewed By John M - Lyon, France
The construction of Nantes Cathedral, officially called La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul (or simply Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in the vicinity) took more than 400 years to complete. Begun in 1434, it took 457 years to finish, finally reaching completion in 1891. Since 1862 it has been listed as a historic monument in France. The striking white stone is especially impressive and the rich colors of the stained-glass windows make for a striking contrast. The architecture in this classic Gothic Cathedral, with the imposing main nave and aisles, great organ and the immense inner column all combine to create a Gothic atmosphere inside the Cathedral and make it even more memorable than others, such as Note Dame and Quimper. The beautiful Tomb of Francis II, the Duke of Brittany, and his second wife, Marguerite de Foix the parents of local heroine Anne of Bretagne, with its haunting sculptures of white Carrara marble is considered to be a French renaissance masterpiece. Also noteworthy is the tomb of Gen. Juchault de Lamoricière, a Nantes native and a great African campaigner; sculptor Paul Dubois completed the tomb in 1879.
The cathedral's crypt, dating from the 11th century, shelters a museum of religions. The Cathedral was bombed heavily on June 15th, 1944; this necessitated a prolonged restoration which was almost completed in January 1972 when a disgruntled labourer started a massive conflagration with a blow torch. The restoration is nearing complete; an attempt was made to reconstruct the decor of the west façade to the state it was originally in the fifteenth century. This restoration proceeds on the other facades. The cathedral's crypt, dating from the 11th century, shelters a museum of religions. All in all well worth a visit.
8. Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany houses the Nantes History Museum, displaying more than 850 historic objects with multimedia installations in a contemporary layout. The former ducal palace also holds temporary Exhibitions and cultural events all year round. Besides, the rampart walk offers a number of viewpoints of the fortress. The night-time illuminations further reveal the architectural complexity of the site. A restaurant and a gift shop are as well at your service.
Reviewed By Mariner79 - Mons, Belgium
We visited on the 1st Sunday of the month, which allows free entry. Even if we’d paid the full amount it would have been worth it; the Chateau houses an excellent museum dealing with the history of Nantes across the Centuries. Excellent exhibits, including an animation sequence which is a work of art in itself. The Chateau is nicely situated next to the old quarter of Nantes, with many excellent restaurants and shops a stone’s throw away.
9. Le Maille-Breze
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 122 reviews
Reviewed By Lingfeng G - Beijing, China
This is an old warship of France. There are only guided tours in this ship - you can't visit by yourself. It's open only in the afternoon from 2.30pm. The guided tours are totally in French, but non-French speakers are given a booklet explaining the...MoreThanks
10. Musee d'histoire naturelle de Nantes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 256 reviews
Reviewed By Shawn B - Brisbane, Australia
This is a really cool museum that is quite cheap considering - it has a lot of exhibits with animals, dinosaurs and geology that really stick in my mind. Staff were really friendly and spoke some English. You need to set aside about two hours here to enjoy the museum. The museum is quite popular with locals as well. I would say it would have been better with more English commentaries on the exhibits.
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