Nantes is a beautiful and pedestrian friendly city with many things to do. A lot of these things are free which is great when you’re on a budget. Here are a few of my favourites.
Jardin des Plantes
The botanical garden is across from the train station so once we got into the city the first time, we walked through the gardens to get to our Airbnb. We visited a second time to walk thoroughly through the gardens and enjoy the greenery in the middle of the city. Worth a trip and bring a picnic; there are many benches and tables for people to enjoy their surroundings.
L’île de Nantes
The island is host to a boom. From the edge of the Loire, we counted over 10 cranes. With this revitalization, new businesses are creeping up as well as new apartment/condo buildings. We walked from le Pont Général Audibert onto Rue la Tour d’Auvergne that led us to the machines. On our way back, we strolled along the Loire river which was quite nice as well.
We really liked this building that we came upon;
Les machines
You don’t need to pay to see the elephant up close (although the other machines you’ll have to pay). The elephant is also a ride and will walk across the old shipyard. It’s quite impressive to see. Beware, you may get sprayed by the elephant’s snout!
Le château des ducs de Bretagne
You can discover the chateau’s court yard, the moat gardens and the rampart walk for free! There are exhibits and a museum that you have to pay an entrance fee but it isn’t necessary.
La cathédrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul
The cathedral is quite impressive, especially when you come upon it. The inside isn’t the original because it was bombarded by ally forces in WWII and the roof caught fire in the 70s if I remember correctly. The duc of Brittany is buried there with his wife, Anne de Bretagne.
Passage Pommeraye
This passage is mostly filled with over priced boutiques but it’s nice to walk through. Its architecture is quite beautiful and worth a few minutes detour 🙂
Edre river
We walked along the Edre river and also hung out one evening with the people we’re renting the apartment from. It’s a lovely walk and also nice to just sit and have a drink and listen to music.
Japanese gardens
If you walk far enough along the Edre river, you’ll come upon the Japanese gardens. The four acre gardens sits on a man-made island and is a nice walk in a green space.
Miroir d’eau
This water fountain isn’t far from the chateau and when we walked by mostly children and some adults were playing in the water so we didn’t really see the mirror part of it. A nice spot to bring your family to cool down on a hot summer night.
Place Royal
The first time we were in Nantes, we stayed close to la Place Royal. We really enjoyed it because we were in the middle of the historic sector of the city and it is very vibrant.
If you find yourself in Nantes, make sure to check out the events going on. The city often offers free activities for families, children and adults alike.
The Daily Life Traveller 