The 10 Best Things to do in Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire

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.

A narrow passage covered with a glass ceiling consisting of three levels of shopping galleries.

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.

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

Inside the former submarine base in the harbour of Saint-Nazaire, a hidden treasure lies in store for you. Escal'Atlantic, the ocean liner experience, is a unique interactive visit for the whole family. Audiovisual displays and hands-on activities, display areas inspired by the interiors of ocean liners, 200 authentic objects which were on board liners built in Saint-Nazaire and much more tell the incredible story of the luxurious giants of the oceans. Guided tour in French at 11 am

The French submarine Espadon ("swordfish" in French) is open to visitors inside the fortified lock of the harbour of Saint-Nazaire. This 78-m long submarine was built in Le Havre and launched in 1958 before taking up service in 1960. During its 25 year long career, the Espadon covered 360,547 nautical miles, i.e. the equivalent of 17 times the circumference of the earth! Welcome for an audioguided tour, available in French, English, German and Spanish.