Main character energy: Nantes and its living art will delight your kids

Want a France city break full of living art, history and inspiration? Lisa McGarry heads to laid-back but vibrant Nantes, where everything’s always evolving and Le Voyage à Nantes is free.

History and modern art: tram, Nantes ©Philippe Piron

An effervescent city full of playful creativity: welcome to Nantes

Nantes in Southwest Brittany was the capital of the country Bretagne back in the day, and has lost none of its main character energy in 2025.

A city connected to and by the Loire river, seeming to fuse the past and present through its very currents, Nantes is a heady mix of stunning historical buildings alongside exciting new architecture, with a rich seam of maritime flavour thrown into the mix.

It’s a dynamic hub for artists, creative folk and ex-Parisians; too cool for school without trying too hard. You’ll find playful art around the city everywhere you look, from street signs and shopfronts to classical statues with modern additions. It’s basically a limitless treasure hunt, and endless fun for kids: just one of Nantes’ unique charms.

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L’homme de bois, Jardin des Plantes, Nantes

Le Voyage à Nantes – the outdoor summer art festival

Perhaps the biggest draw in Nantes’ packed events calendar is Le Voyage à Nantes, which runs from 28 June to 31 August, turning the city into a literal open‑air art space with around 50 installations along a painted green line. And the best thing of all? It’s free, so perfect for a France city break, and means you can explore the city at leisure whilst keeping an eye on your Euros.

But outside of high summer, there are less crowds and lots happening in Nantes: we visited in June, when artists were preparing their works and merging them with existing pieces and architecture all around the city’s streets.

Autumn is a great time to go too – colourful, cooler, but still warm enough to enjoy all the outdoorsy activities this city is famous for.

Add wonderful museums, all the riverside vibes, parks full of cool installations and amazing plants,  lip-smacking food at reasonable prices and a lot of roaming with the help of our wonderful guide, and it’s no surprise we left with our heads turned by a city that’s always on the up.

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Philippe Ramette’s Eloge du Pas de Côte Place du Bouffay, Nantes ©Philippe Piron

Get around Nantes and all its attractions with Pass Nantes

We got a 72-hour Pass Nantes to cover our trip (there are 24, 48, 72-hour or 7-day options), and it worked out perfectly – not only were we able to hop on and off buses and trams (which seemed to run like clockwork, unlike our home country!) but we got into the museums we wanted to visit for free – there are 50 different attractions included in the pass, including Les Machines de l’Île (except the elephant ride), airport shuttle, ferry shuttles, and more.

An adult 7-day pass is €75, and there are reductions for kids and students – the ultimate no-brainer for a France city break.

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Place Graslin, Nantes

Oceania Hôtel de France Nantes is in the middle of the action

We stayed at Oceania Hôtel de France Nantes, a 4-star boutique hotel located in the heart of the historic city at 24 Rue Crébillon, just off Place Graslin, and steps from Théâtre Graslin, so close we could hear opera singers rehearsing.

It’s a renovated 18th century mansion with a grand lobby, and the heritage charm is offset by some quirky modern decor: zebra-print walls at the bar and statement chandeliers in the stairwell. It’s a great hotel for single parents with one child, but larger families will need an extra room.

Also, we loved having all the good shops nearby; from Sephora – every beauty-loving teen’s first point of call – to upmarket French boutiques for window-swooning, and the art deco dream of Passage Pommeraye shopping centre is just around the corner.

It’s simple to get around from the hotel – just head down the pedestrianised streets towards the river, and you’ll find most places you need as well as all the cool city vibes. The Musée Dobrée, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Nantes, Musée d’Histoire de Nantes and the amazing Musée d’Arts de Nantes are all within a few minutes’ walk too.

Free opera at Place Graslin on a France city break with kids

There was a bonus live performance of the Magic Flute in Place Graslin during our stay, on a giant screen in the square, courtesy of Angers Nantes Opéra. We got to see the famous arias live during our alfresco dinner at La Cigale, alongside a well-behaved, family-friendly crowd of thousands thronging the theatre steps and square.

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Le Galerie des Machines, Nantes ©Jean-Dominique Billaud

Les Machines de l’Île: a Jules Verne journey that’s perfect for kids

The Machines de l’île is a very Nantes mix of steampunk, Jules Verne, workshop and theme park all in one.

Tucked away in the old shipyards on the Île de Nantes, the machines range from an elephant standing 12m tall and weighing nearly 50 tons which can carry 50 passengers, to a mechanical caterpillar which one lucky kid in Le Galerie des Machines gets to operate per demonstration, a chameleon with rolling eyes, a fish that flaps and blinks, a fire-breathing dragon, and a heron with beating wings which can rise off the ground, operated by a team of technicians, Phileas Fogg style. The gallery has a hothouse feel, with water sprays and an area dedicated to weird and wonderful botany, and feels like its own little kooky world – we could have stayed all day.

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Le Carrousel des Mondes Marins ©Lisa McGarry

Fantastical carousels, and bouncing on the moon

Outside, beyond the workshop areas, and projects under construction (including a giant tree structure you can climb, giving Avatar on top of all the other references) you’ll find the insanely creative Carrousel des Mondes Marins: three levels of rideable sea monsters spinning against the skyline. We rode the dragon, with controls to make it move up and down, and enjoyed gorgeous Loire and city views as we went around.

Once you’ve had your fill of the Machines there are picnic spots nearby, a compact but lovely Jules Verne museum, cafés overlooking the Loire, and a playground imitating the lunar surface with a trampoline, so kids can feel like they’re literally jumping on the moon. It goes without saying that this is essential stop in Nantes if you want to feed your kids’ imagination and wonder!

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Jungle Intérieure, Nantes ©Lisa McGarry

France city breaks where education is fun and often outdoors

There are so many great experiences for families in Nantes, and many of these are outdoors. We had a wonderful guide who took us on a 2-day walking tour which we booked through the local tourist office, and can highly recommend taking this route – there are many tailored tours to choose from, and it helps you see everything without having to think too much.

For gardens, we loved Jardin Extraordinaire, with its 25m waterfall, cliffs, and scenic viewpoints overlooking the Loire. Situated in the former Miséry quarry, the lush vegetation was totally tropical.

Then there’s Jardin des Plantes: a gorgeous botanical gardens right next to Musee d’Arts. Highlights include a grass bear sculpture next to a serene lake, and the famous ‘L’homme de Bois’, a sculpture of a man that’s also a fountain. However, if you take a closer look up in the trees, little glass caterpillar rings amazingly high in the sequoias will both delight and confound you.

We were amazed by the small but stunning Jungle intérieure: created for Le Voyage à Nantes in 2018 by the artist Evor, this urban oasis is a joyous blend of plants from all over the world, in a nod to Nantes’ early public parks, where sailors brought the first palm trees and camellias. It’s so relaxing that even kids may be content to survey it in silence as recommended, listening to the added jungle soundtrack, at least for a minute or two.

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Château des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes ©Lisa McGarry

More cultural Nantes experiences for your France city break

Nantes museums are well-run, spotless, and great for kids. The Musée d’Arts de Nantes is a stunning building, the aircon was a dream, and there’s plenty of room for kids to run around, decorously of course.

They may get bored doing both Renaissance floors (though personally I could never tire of intricate painted brocade, and it’s an incredible collection), but the Modern collection is fun and provoking. Also, there’s the Cube, the newer museum extension which hosts temporary exhibitions, including the one on electronic art we saw during our visit, and a very kid-friendly space.

Our other favourite was the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany: this stunning and lovingly-restored structure was once the fortress with which Nantes protected itself, complete with working moat. Today it’s a beautiful space hosting the Musée d’Histoire de Nantes, where you can discover all the local history from the Breton Duchy through to WWII. The courtyard is lovely too, with plenty of shady spaces to rest and have a snack on a warm day.

Although, whichever museums you visit, one thing is for sure, you’ll leave Nantes feeling inspired, and that’s a great thing for a France city break with kids. Bonne chance!

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