Best sights in Nantes
A planning-minded collection of Nantes's strongest architecture, culture, historic places, parks, markets, and waterfront anchors — selected from the city's existing Sortie inventory.
Start with the headline architecture, then add one museum, historic area, or outdoor block to give each day a different rhythm.
30 places worth building into a Nantes itinerary · Architecture · Museums · Parks · Historic sights
À la mémoire d'un fleuve
À la mémoire d'un fleuve is a Nantes sculpture created by Jacques Raoult and dating from 1987. Visitors encounter a late-20th-century work whose title frames it as a memorial reflection on a river.
Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany is an 1822 sculpture by Dominique Molknecht in Nantes. Visitors encounter an early-19th-century representation of the historical figure, adding a commemorative element to the city’s public realm.
Aristide Briand
Aristide Briand is a Nantes sculpture created by Jacques Raoult in 2005. The work presents visitors with a modern commemorative representation of its named subject within the city’s collection of public monuments.
Arthur III
Arthur III is an 1822 sculpture by Dominique Molknecht in Nantes. Visitors encounter an early-19th-century commemorative work depicting its named historical subject and contributing to the city’s monumental landscape.
Au salut de Glenmor
Au salut de Glenmor is a sculpture made by Patrick Douet in Nantes in 1997. Its commemorative title and late-20th-century date make it a point of interest for visitors exploring the city’s public sculpture.
Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes
The Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes is a dance company based in Nantes. For visitors interested in the city’s performing-arts culture, it represents a local institution devoted to choreographic activity.
Cerf, Biche et Faon
Cerf, Biche et Faon is a Nantes sculpture by Georges Gardet dating from 1908. Its title identifies a stag, doe, and fawn, giving visitors an animal-themed work from the city’s early-20th-century sculptural heritage.
Château des ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne is the castle of the Dukes of Brittany in Nantes, with origins recorded in 1207. Its ducal association and medieval inception make it a major historical landmark for visitors exploring the city.
colonne Louis-XVI
The colonne Louis-XVI is a Nantes monument dating from 1790. Named for Louis XVI and conceived as a column, it gives visitors a surviving point of interest associated with the city’s late-18th-century monumental heritage.
cours Cambronne
Cours Cambronne is a public square in Nantes. Visitors encounter an urban open space that contributes to the city’s civic landscape and provides a distinct place within Nantes’s network of streets and public areas.
Departure of the Acadian Exiles for New Orleans, Louisiana
Departure of the Acadian Exiles for New Orleans, Louisiana is a 1993 mural by Robert Dafford in Nantes. Its subject connects Acadian exile with migration to Louisiana, giving visitors a work centered on historical displacement and passage.
equestrian statue of Joan of Arc
The equestrian statue of Joan of Arc is a 1906 Nantes sculpture by Charles-Auguste Lebourg. Visitors encounter an early-20th-century mounted representation of Joan of Arc within the city’s public monumental landscape.
Go beyond Nantes's headline sights
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