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What to do in Nantes during the All Saints’ holidays
The Utopiales, the Machines de l’île, the Château des ducs, Trentemoult and the markets: our ideas for enjoying Nantes during the 2026 All Saints’ holidays.
7 min read
The 2026 All Saints’ holidays run from Saturday 17 October to Monday 2 November, for all three zones at once. In Nantes, the end of the holidays coincides with the Utopiales, the big science fiction festival, and there is no shortage of indoor visits for grey days.
All Saints’ 2026 events in Nantes
An opera for children, a science fiction festival, frightening objects at the Musée Dobrée and an escape game in a castle: Nantes has its Halloween programme, on top of its major sights.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Until 31 October | “L’Été indien aux Nefs”, family outings | Machines de l’île |
| Until 8 November | Exhibition Expression(s) décoloniale(s) #4 | Château des ducs de Bretagne |
| All Saints’ holidays | Secret tour of frightening objects, from age 10 | Musée Dobrée |
| 23 and 24 October | “Petite balade aux Enfers”, a miniature opera for children | Théâtre Graslin |
| 27 to 30 October, 2:30pm | Guided tours of the exhibition | Château des ducs de Bretagne |
| Wednesday 28 October | Halloween in the city centre, free with booking, ages 3 to 10 | Nantes city centre |
| 28 October to 1 November | “Danse Macabre”, horror escape game | Château de la Rairie, Pont-Saint-Martin |
| 29 October to 1 November | Les Utopiales, science fiction festival | Cité des Congrès |
| Friday 30 October | Halloween Cluedo, from age 10 | Musée du vignoble nantais, Le Pallet |
The Utopiales, from 29 October to 1 November
The 27th edition of the international science fiction festival takes over the Cité des Congrès for four days, on the theme “Perspectives”: around a hundred talks and lectures, a film competition, a dozen exhibitions, video game and board game areas, and a programme for children.
The festivals of Nantes
FestivalLes UtopialesNantes · Half a day to 4 daysLes Utopiales in Nantes: science fiction, literature, science, cinema, comics, games, exhibitions and debates. 2026 edition: 29 October to 1 November 2026.
FestivalLa Folle Journée de NantesNantes · One concert to 5 daysLa Folle Journée de Nantes: classical music in short, affordable concerts with great performers. 33rd edition: from 27 to 31 January 2027.
FestivalFestival des 3 ContinentsNantes · One screening to 9 daysThe Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes: cinema from Africa, Latin America and Asia, discoveries, heritage films, competition and meetings. 2026 edition: 20 to 28 November 2026.
The Machines de l’île
The Great Elephant, the machine gallery and the Carousel of Marine Worlds: the former shipyard on the Île de Nantes is the visit to make as a family. The Machines also open on Mondays during the holidays.
The Château des ducs and the museums
At the Château des ducs de Bretagne, the Expression(s) décoloniale(s) exhibition runs until 8 November, with guided tours during the holidays. The castle closes on Sunday 1 November. The Musée d’arts and the Musée Dobrée complete a rainy day.
Indoor visits
ActivityLes Machines de l’îleNantes · 2 to 3 hoursOn the Île de Nantes, Les Machines de l’île: the Machine Gallery, the Marine Worlds Carousel and the Great Elephant, under maintenance until the end of February 2027.
CastleChâteau des ducs de BretagneNantes · 2 h 30 to 3 h 30In the heart of Nantes, the Château des ducs de Bretagne combines medieval ramparts, a ducal palace in white tufa stone and a large museum devoted to the history of the city.
MuseumMusée d’Arts de NantesNantes · 2 to 3 hours, half a day for the collections and exhibitionsMore than 14,000 works and nine centuries of art, from the Middle Ages to today, in a complex combining the Palais, the Chapelle de l’Oratoire and the contemporary Cube.
MuseumMusée Dobrée, NantesNantes · 2 to 3 hoursRenovated and reopened in 2024, the Musée Dobrée spreads archaeology, the Middle Ages, decorative arts and curiosities across three buildings. Its iconic piece is the gold reliquary for the heart of Anne of Brittany.
Trentemoult and the banks of the Loire
The Navibus crosses the Loire to Trentemoult, a former fishing village with colourful houses, in a few minutes. On the way back, the Talensac market, open Tuesday to Sunday mornings, is the big covered market of Nantes.
Around Nantes
VillageTrentemoultRezé · 1 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with lunch or combined with NantesFacing Nantes, Trentemoult unfolds a maze of colourful houses, narrow lanes, little gardens and terraces on the banks of the Loire, a few minutes away by Navibus.- MarketMarché de TalensacNantes · 1 to 2 hoursIn its covered halls in the centre of Nantes, the Talensac market brings together about 150 traders from Tuesday to Sunday morning: the best-known and busiest in the city.
CastleChâteau de ClissonClisson · 1 to 1 h 30Overlooking the Sèvre Nantaise, the Château de Clisson is a mighty medieval fortress whose ruins inspired the town’s Romantic look.
ActivityPlanète SauvagePort-Saint-Père · A full dayPlanète Sauvage, in Port-Saint-Père near Nantes: a drive-through safari track and areas to explore on foot, close to wild animals.
Where to stay in Nantes
Stay in Nantes
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
Partner link: a booking made from this map may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Our hotels in Nantes
- HotelSŌZŌ HotelNantes · 1 to 2 nights for a city break in Nantes.A 4-star boutique hotel of 24 rooms and a suite in a 19th-century chapel facing the Jardin des Plantes, with a wellness area, very limited parking and three accessible rooms.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
- HotelHôtel La PérouseNantes · 1 to 4 nightsIn the heart of Nantes, the Hôtel La Pérouse is a 4-star hotel of 46 rooms in an iconic building by Barto + Barto, with the 20th-century Heritage label. Air-conditioned rooms, local breakfast served from 6 am to 12 noon, a 24-hour bar and an ideal location for exploring the centre on foot.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
- HotelOceania Hôtel de France NantesNantes · 2 nights is ideal for exploring Nantes on foot.A 4-star hotel with 72 rooms, all different, in a former mansion a stone’s throw from Place Graslin, with an arty bar, a gym, accessible rooms and a superb Prestige Terrace room over the rooftops of Nantes.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
- HotelMaison MaubreuilNantes · 2 nights is ideal to enjoy both Nantes and the hotel.An ultra-discreet 5-star hotel with 13 rooms and suites in the heart of Nantes, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, where every room has its own artistic world.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
- HotelMaisons du Monde Hôtel & Suites NantesNantes · 2 nights for a city break; longer in an apartment.A 4-star hotel with 47 rooms in the heart of Nantes, plus apartments, with five room styles, two accessible rooms, a lounge, coworking and a very local breakfast.See prices and bookPartner link Booking.com
Going further
Nantes, in the journal
All Saints’ elsewhere in Brittany
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