Rain
What to do in Nantes when it rains
The Machines de l’île, the Château des ducs, the Musée d’arts, the natural history museum, the Passage Pommeraye and the Talensac market: our ideas for a rainy day in Nantes.
5 min read
Nantes has enough to fill several rainy days: great museums, the Machines de l’île under the halls of the former shipyards, and a centre you can cross from covered passage to arcade.
The Machines de l’île
The machine gallery and the workshop, where you see the creatures being made, are visited under the shelter of the halls. The Great Elephant goes out in any weather: a ride in the rain has its charm.
The castle and the museums
The Château des ducs de Bretagne houses the Nantes history museum. The Musée d’arts, the Musée Dobrée and the natural history museum, with its whale skeleton, complete a day of museums without ever being outside for long.
Under cover in Nantes
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.- RestaurantLe CoquillageSaint-Méloir-des-Ondes · 3 to 4 hoursAt Château Richeux, Hugo Roellinger creates a unique seafood cuisine without meat, where seaweed, spices, the fishermen’s catch and the garden’s produce make up a sensory journey facing the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Le Coquillage holds three stars in 2026.
The Passage Pommeraye and Talensac
The Passage Pommeraye, a 19th century shopping arcade on three levels, is one of the most beautiful covered passages in France. The Talensac market, in its market hall, opens from Tuesday to Sunday morning.
The covered markets
Where to stay in Nantes
Stay in Nantes
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