Take a stroll along the banks of the River Loire in the city of Nantes, and you’ll suddenly find yourself in a steampunk wonderland.
Mechanical spiders crawl towards the ceiling, a butterfly flaps its metal wings, and a carousel of marine monsters spins round and round.
There’s even a giant elephant at Les Machines de L’isle, blasting steam from its huge trunk, while rolling along the riverside.
Come with us and discover the weird and wonderful machines of Nantes.
Nantes isn’t high on the list of tourist attractions – most people base themselves near the magnificent châteaux of the Loire.
We’ve done that, several times, but now prefer to head a little further west, to the quieter Pays de la Loire.
Just as many castles and cities that are well worth exploring.
Nantes has its fair share of intriguing alleyways and secret spaces.
But the jewel in the crown is the Machines de L’isle de Nantes, where steampunk meets science fiction and imagination runs riot.
The disused shipyards of the old, industrial river port have been turned into a world where famous fantasists Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci would feel equally at home.
The Great Elephant of Nantes
We’ve idled away many hours watching this extraordinary beast.
An amazing construction of steel, leather and wood that strolls majestically along the dockside, trumpeting, blowing steam and taking an interest in every passer-by.
At 12 metres high, 8 metres wide and 21 metres long, it’s as big as a house and amazing to watch.
Moving gears power its legs, and it’s been refitted with a new, cleaner, greener hybrid motor.
You can pay to ride on top, in a 30-minute adventure, but there’s just as much enjoyment to be had watching its slow progress along the walkways, for free.
Carrousel des Mondes Marins
So much more than a merry-go-round!
From a distance, the mechanical marine world carousel appears to rise up from the river itself.
Strange and disturbing sea creatures revolve in the 25-metre-high structure, built on three levels, taking you from surface to seabed.
The monsters rise and fall from the abyss, under the Big Top awning, guarded by 16 fishermen from the world’s oceans.
The carousel offers views of the Jules Verne museum on the opposite bank and a glimpse of the ‘galerie’ where the majority of the Machines de L’île are housed.
Galerie des machines
You can see all of the above attractions for free, just by strolling along the riverbank. But it’s worth paying for a ticket to the interactive workshop where the machines are devised, tested and created.
It’s a living showcase, where metal plants flower alongside real ones and strange creatures take shape.
In a nest, high above your heads, a spider wakes and scuttles along its metal web. A heron with an 8-metre wingspan soars gracefully, while giant hummingbirds gather nectar.
If you’re lucky, you might get picked to take a ride on one of the contraptions, but only a few are chosen, so be prepared for disappointment.
And if you’re into the creative process, you can spend hours in the Workshop Terraces, looking at the designs, the materials used and watching the skilled artisans as they create the next wave of extraordinary creatures.
There’s a beautiful treetop walk, all steel and concrete, and a much smaller merry-go-round for those too young (or too scared!) to take on the Marine Carousel and its mighty monsters.
It is a very French attraction, although their website gives plenty of information in English, so it’s worth mugging up in advance.
But you don’t need to speak French to be able to enjoy these weird and wonderful machines.
If you have time and money, buy a combined ticket and do the lot, but even if you don’t, and you’re just dropping by for a coffee en route to somewhere else, take a moment to watch and admire the star of the show, the Great Elephant, as he strolls squirting steam and trumpeting.
It’s the height of steampunk absurdity.
More information about Les Machines de L’ile, Nantes
Getting there: Nantes is about 2 hours from Paris on the TGV high-speed train.
The Nantes Atlantique international airport is just 15 minutes from the city centre downtown and there’s a TGV connection to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
If you’re staying in the more popular parts of the Loire, like Tours, it’s a couple of hours drive and around 30 minutes from Angers, which we think is another city well worth a visit.
Visiting:
The Machines de L’isle is open between June and December each year, with some special events outside these months.
Prices in 2024 are 9.50 euros to enter the Galerie workshops, a further 9.50 euros to ride the Elephant and another 9 euros to ride the carousel, with discounts for combined tickets and concessions.
Each ticket allows you onto the workshop terraces, entry to a short film and the Heron Tree branches.
And while you’re there, enjoy breakfast, lunch or a snack at Café de la Branche.
For more information, see their website
Additional photographs courtesy of Les Machines de L’ile
Where to next?
• Holiday & Travel Competitions
• The magic of Puy du Fou
• Legends of Languedoc