Christmas
What to do in Nantes during the Christmas holidays
Le Voyage en hiver, the Christmas market on Place Royale, the Château des ducs, the Machines de l’île and the Passage Pommeraye: our ideas for the 2026 Christmas holidays in Nantes.
5 min read
The 2026 Christmas holidays run from Saturday 19 December to Monday 4 January 2027, for all three zones. Nantes has the largest Christmas market in the west, and a trail of light installations all over the centre: Le Voyage en hiver.
Christmas 2026 events in Nantes
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 19 November to 27 December | Christmas market | Place Royale and Place du Commerce |
| 21 November to 3 January | Le Voyage en hiver, light trail | Town centre |
| All season | L’Autre Marché, producers and craftspeople | Esplanade Feydeau |
Le Voyage en hiver
Le Voyage à Nantes turns the streets of the centre into an open air gallery, with light installations to discover at nightfall. The trail is done on foot, between the castle, the Bouffay and the Passage Pommeraye.
The Christmas market
The chalets stretch from Place Royale to Place du Commerce. Come late in the afternoon on a weekday: at weekends, the crowds are thick from 3pm.
What to see in Nantes
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.
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.
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.- 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.
Where to stay in Nantes
Stay in Nantes
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
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Going further
Nantes, in the journal
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