Nantes — The City of Imagination
Nantes is the most creative city in France — a bold claim, but one backed by evidence. The former industrial port where the Loire meets its estuary has reinvented itself around art, imagination, and urban innovation. The star attraction is Les Machines de l'Île — a workshop-cum-theme park where a 12-metre mechanical elephant walks the former shipyards and a three-storey Carousel of the Marine Worlds delights visitors of all ages. It's Jules Verne's birthplace, and the city lives up to his spirit of invention.
- Oysters from Cancale (nearby Brittany) — served on the Île de Nantes waterfront
— invented in Nantes, the classic accompaniment to pike — rum-soaked almond cake
When to Visit
- June–September: Le Voyage à Nantes art trail
- Year-round: The Machines de l'Île operate throughout the year (check schedules)