Interesting things around Nantes?
October 3, 2023 8:57 AM Subscribe
What's interesting (and reachable without driving) in the general vicinity of Nantes?
An acquaintance of mine is probably going to visit Nantes with their 9yo child to see the Machines, partly at my urging. Is there anything else for them to see in the vicinity of Nantes? They're going directly from CDG by train and, being Canadian, have some facility with French but even so would prefer to avoid driving.
Alternatively, other towns/villages in that general area worth seeing?
They've got a week, and presently would prefer to not spend the entire time in Paris although I may persuade them otherwise.
An acquaintance of mine is probably going to visit Nantes with their 9yo child to see the Machines, partly at my urging. Is there anything else for them to see in the vicinity of Nantes? They're going directly from CDG by train and, being Canadian, have some facility with French but even so would prefer to avoid driving.
Alternatively, other towns/villages in that general area worth seeing?
They've got a week, and presently would prefer to not spend the entire time in Paris although I may persuade them otherwise.
Seconding Les Machines! Seeing some of their work/visiting their space in Nantes has been on my bucket list for years.
posted by Molasses808 at 11:58 AM on October 3, 2023
posted by Molasses808 at 11:58 AM on October 3, 2023
Best answer: Nantes is wonderful - I've been to many cities in France and it remains among my favourites. La Machine is great great great - good recommendation! - and nearby it on the same island (Île de Grande Biesse) the city has done a lot to revitalize the island so there are cool outdoor art installations and things to look at, especially around Les Anneaux. It's particularly neat after dark. There are also some cool bars there with foosball tables and such but I have no idea if kids are allowed in them - maybe?
Other than that there is a lovely little village called Trentmoulte that you can take a ferry to from downtown Nantes. It's kind of a walk around and look at things place, which may or may not interest a 9yo, but is colourful and vibrant and the ferry ride is great.
In Nantes there are several cool things to see. Chateau des ducs de Bretagne is a chateau you can go into and climb around - it's super cool. There's also the Jules Verne museum, which is just okay, though maybe more interesting for a kid than it was for adults. They're also going to want to eat crepes de breton, which are delicious.
In Nantes, as well as many places in France, there is a local train service that can take you to other nearby towns really easily and fairly inexpensively. You can take it to nearby Angers, which is about an hour and a half away, to see the former seat of the Plantagenet dynasty in a lovely place with another chateau and half-timbered houses. The Val de Loire has lots of chateaux in it, in fact, so there is lots to see in the area. It's also a big (and safe) cycling route, if that's their thing at all - Nantes in particular has great cycling infrastructure
Otherwise, other towns in the area that might interest them for a night or two - with chateau in them - are Amboise and Blois. Blois has a museum dedicated to Robert-Houdin called Maison de la Magie (Closed until November 5th) - either way, there is an animatronic dragon display that pops its head out of the building that is cool to see that is hopefully still in action even if the museum itself is closed.
posted by urbanlenny at 12:06 PM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Other than that there is a lovely little village called Trentmoulte that you can take a ferry to from downtown Nantes. It's kind of a walk around and look at things place, which may or may not interest a 9yo, but is colourful and vibrant and the ferry ride is great.
In Nantes there are several cool things to see. Chateau des ducs de Bretagne is a chateau you can go into and climb around - it's super cool. There's also the Jules Verne museum, which is just okay, though maybe more interesting for a kid than it was for adults. They're also going to want to eat crepes de breton, which are delicious.
In Nantes, as well as many places in France, there is a local train service that can take you to other nearby towns really easily and fairly inexpensively. You can take it to nearby Angers, which is about an hour and a half away, to see the former seat of the Plantagenet dynasty in a lovely place with another chateau and half-timbered houses. The Val de Loire has lots of chateaux in it, in fact, so there is lots to see in the area. It's also a big (and safe) cycling route, if that's their thing at all - Nantes in particular has great cycling infrastructure
Otherwise, other towns in the area that might interest them for a night or two - with chateau in them - are Amboise and Blois. Blois has a museum dedicated to Robert-Houdin called Maison de la Magie (Closed until November 5th) - either way, there is an animatronic dragon display that pops its head out of the building that is cool to see that is hopefully still in action even if the museum itself is closed.
posted by urbanlenny at 12:06 PM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You can also easily take the train to the nearby Saint-Nazaire (if they're into checking out the shipyards) and La Baule, which is a quintessential posh-ish beach town, featured in many movies, but should be very pleasant off season. It's got iconic villas and pine trees and is a really nice stroll on foot.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 12:12 PM on October 3, 2023
posted by PardonMyFrench at 12:12 PM on October 3, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you for the suggestions thus far, but to briefly interject, the Machines are the entire reason for their trip -- I'm trying to find other things in the same area that could potentially extend their stay outside Paris.
posted by aramaic at 12:12 PM on October 3, 2023
posted by aramaic at 12:12 PM on October 3, 2023
+1 to beach day. It was one of our highlights in France. Great change of pace.
posted by shock muppet at 12:38 PM on October 3, 2023
posted by shock muppet at 12:38 PM on October 3, 2023
Best answer: There is the the ligne verte (the green line), which is literally a green line painted on the ground, that you can follow all over town. It links lots of the main things to see plus art installations, exhibitions. There are new permanent works added each year, plus temporary ones (summer only?), they are sometimes participatory (slide or roller rink in previous years) or just amazing to behold (complete ship wreck installed over a public fountain). You can easily do just a part, and it can be a fun scavenger hunt for public art, mostly free. Highly recommend!
And I second the pedestrian ferries, navibus, they are a fun way to see the city from the water and cost just a public transport ticket.
The Jardin Extraordinaire is a public garden/park in an old quarry that is very worth a visit (and the quarry walls have climbing routes as well).
And Nantes has a very maritime feel, but is not directly on the sea. It’s at least 45 min but accessible by public transport.
posted by orchidee at 1:01 PM on October 3, 2023
And I second the pedestrian ferries, navibus, they are a fun way to see the city from the water and cost just a public transport ticket.
The Jardin Extraordinaire is a public garden/park in an old quarry that is very worth a visit (and the quarry walls have climbing routes as well).
And Nantes has a very maritime feel, but is not directly on the sea. It’s at least 45 min but accessible by public transport.
posted by orchidee at 1:01 PM on October 3, 2023
Best answer: In Nantes, they can't miss the Jules Verne themed mini-golf course! It's called Petits Voyages Extraordinaires. Deping on the time of year they can also rent electric boats and canoes on the Loire, or they can book a cruise on the river. The Jardin des plantes is the botanical garden, which has some whimsical Jean Jullien artwork installed and some activities for kids. There is also the recently renovated Le Parc des Naudières, which is sort of like if you took the world's most awesome playground and added a petting zoo, some amusement park rides and some water activities. It's closed for the season but if they're going in 2024 it would be a thing to do. There's also Le Chronographe, which I did not get to, but it is a museum that shows the Roman history of the region on the site of where the roman ruins are.
One thing that would require a car but would be absolutely freaking magical for a nine year old is Univers du poète ferrailleur. This guy built this storybook fantasy village, as you do. It is huge and beautiful and wondrous to explore. The photos on the super-janky site do not do it a spec of justice.
Puy do Fou is France's most popular theme park. It is a historical theme park with a first century village, a medieval village, a 17th century village, and a Victorian village. It also has shows and labyrinths and nature areas and oh boy, if I were nine years old this would be like my favorite place in the world. There is a bus service from Angers station to Puy du Fou, so if they were staying overnight in Angers it could be done without a car. With a car it's about an hour drive, and parking is free. They also have theme hotels built around the various eras they recreate at the park.
Rennes, which is only an hour by high-speed train, is a delightful place if the weather is good, especially on a Saturday when the farmer's market is happening. (Second biggest farmer's market in France; I have been to some of the largest in the USA and they are not a patch on Rennes.) The farmer's market has a lot of prepared food. They can find literally the BEST kouign amann in the world, or if they eat meat get a galette saucisse. The storybook medieval core is well-preserved and is around the farmer's market. Parc du Thabor is a really enjoyable park. Le Champs Libres has the Museum of Brittany and the Espace des Sciences. Parc Gayeulles is accessible via Metro and it's pretty amazing. They have a treetop adventure course and peddle boats and a children's farm, and while it might have changed it all used to be free.
How long are they willing to spend on a train? St. Malo is great but would require switching trains in Rennes - would be 2 hours plus however long they were waiting at Rennes. (But if Ty Vorn is still at the station it has excellent pastries.) It is an old walled town and has a fantastic coastline, plus the walled part of the town is a lot of fun to explore.
posted by rednikki at 1:26 PM on October 3, 2023
One thing that would require a car but would be absolutely freaking magical for a nine year old is Univers du poète ferrailleur. This guy built this storybook fantasy village, as you do. It is huge and beautiful and wondrous to explore. The photos on the super-janky site do not do it a spec of justice.
Puy do Fou is France's most popular theme park. It is a historical theme park with a first century village, a medieval village, a 17th century village, and a Victorian village. It also has shows and labyrinths and nature areas and oh boy, if I were nine years old this would be like my favorite place in the world. There is a bus service from Angers station to Puy du Fou, so if they were staying overnight in Angers it could be done without a car. With a car it's about an hour drive, and parking is free. They also have theme hotels built around the various eras they recreate at the park.
Rennes, which is only an hour by high-speed train, is a delightful place if the weather is good, especially on a Saturday when the farmer's market is happening. (Second biggest farmer's market in France; I have been to some of the largest in the USA and they are not a patch on Rennes.) The farmer's market has a lot of prepared food. They can find literally the BEST kouign amann in the world, or if they eat meat get a galette saucisse. The storybook medieval core is well-preserved and is around the farmer's market. Parc du Thabor is a really enjoyable park. Le Champs Libres has the Museum of Brittany and the Espace des Sciences. Parc Gayeulles is accessible via Metro and it's pretty amazing. They have a treetop adventure course and peddle boats and a children's farm, and while it might have changed it all used to be free.
How long are they willing to spend on a train? St. Malo is great but would require switching trains in Rennes - would be 2 hours plus however long they were waiting at Rennes. (But if Ty Vorn is still at the station it has excellent pastries.) It is an old walled town and has a fantastic coastline, plus the walled part of the town is a lot of fun to explore.
posted by rednikki at 1:26 PM on October 3, 2023
At roughly 70km from Nantes Chateau D'Oiron is probably too far, but if they're big on installation-style modern art then it'll blow their minds--a stunning chateau entirely converted into a museum of contemporary art, with an emphasis on big pieces, many created specifically for the location.
posted by Hogshead at 5:28 AM on October 4, 2023
posted by Hogshead at 5:28 AM on October 4, 2023
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