The historic Capital of Brittany, Nantes is ambitiously transforming – honouring its port city past while charting a course into the future. Its Île de Nantes grows ever more – a post-industrial dream district, the focus of a regeneration project that began in 2000 and should continue into 2037. The former shipbuilding site is now a showcase for urban design and the stunning Les Machines de l’Île: a cultural playground where you can find the towering Grand Éléphant and the rotating Carrousel des Mondes Marins, both striking in their Jules Verne-inspired glory. Just across the Loire, the Musée d’Arts de Nantes – founded by Napoleon – remains one of France’s finest regional art institutions.
This abundance of culture earns points with travellers who find Nantes a quieter, more sustainable alternative to Paris. They find it easier to navigate, too: a green line snakes through the city, providing a self-guided foot tour that bounces from landmarks to gardens and beyond. The work of city organisation Le Voyage à Nantes, it cements the city’s #11 Walkability ranking. Ongoing efforts bolster the city’s stellar cycling (#9) as well, and the new Doulon-Gohards “agro-district” in eastern Nantes is a go. It should bring urban farming and 3,000 new housing units to the riverbank by 2034.