Self-guided audio walks

Self-guided walking tours in Nantes

8 walking toursPays de la Loire, France

The overview

Nantes lines up along the Loire, with a castle, a cathedral and medieval lanes on one side and the old shipyards on the island opposite. On foot you can follow the green line between brasseries, covered passages and riverside quays, then cross the river to Trentemoult or climb the Butte Sainte-Anne for the quarry garden. The walking itself is flat and compact, and the city's big story is told on the streets.

Choose a walk

Tours in Nantes

The essentials

Gardens, Biscuits and Back Lanes

One east-side walk through Nantes: a grand art museum, a 19th-century botanical garden, a biscuit factory reborn as an arts centre, and the street-art lanes beyond.

4 stops1.7 km25+ min

The local mix

Stone and Timber: Old Nantes

A one-hour walk through old Nantes, from the free ramparts of the ducal castle to the old lanes where the city once traded and drank.

7 stops1.3 km25+ min

The hidden side

The Island the Trade Built

A short walk through Nantes' shipowners' island, where 18th-century houses still wear the faces of Atlantic trade, and down to the Loire quay where that trade's human cost is written in glass.

6 stops1.3 km25+ min

The hidden side

From Cliff Top to Quarry Floor

Start above the Loire beside Jules Verne, step out over the cliff on a wooden walkway, then follow a workers' stair down into a tropical garden with a 25-metre waterfall and finish with a pint at the bottom.

7 stops2.5 km40+ min

The local mix

From Ships to Machines

A walk along the western arm of Nantes's river island, where a closed shipyard now launches a 12-meter elephant, a three-story sea carrousel and rings of steel along the Loire.

5 stops1.4 km25+ min

The hidden side

A Nantes Morning on the Erdre

Start the day where Nantais actually shop: a Saturday flea market square, an 89-year-old covered market, then a quiet quay and a free Japanese garden before the lunch crowd arrives.

5 stops1.7 km25+ min

The hidden side

Trentemoult by Water

An eight-minute river crossing from Nantes lands you in a former fishing village of narrow lanes, painted houses and quayside terraces that all face the Loire.

5 stops1.2 km20+ min

The local mix

One Century, One Quarter

Walk the Graslin quarter the way its 1780s planners laid it out, then trace the shopping layers the next century added: a glass arcade, a fountain to the port, and an Art Nouveau brasserie.

5 stops0.8 km15+ min

Across every walk

What you'll see

44 stops mapped across 8 walking tours in Nantes. A few of the places the routes take you past:

Musée d'arts de Nantes
Jardin des Plantes
Lieu Unique
Olivettes
Château des ducs de Bretagne
Jardin de la Psalette
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul
Porte Saint-Pierre
Rue de la Juiverie
Place du Bouffay
Place du Change
Allée Duguay-Trouin

Good to know

Before you go

Are the Nantes tours free?

Your first tour is free, no account needed. After that you can buy tours one at a time, or subscribe for access to every city. Cancel whenever you want.

Do I need signal while walking?

No. Download a tour over Wi-Fi before you set out and it all runs offline, including the audio and the map. Handy for skipping roaming charges abroad.

How long is each walk?

The walks in Nantes run from 15+ min to 40+ min at an easy pace. That covers the walking and the audio. You can pause any time and pick the route back up later.