A journey through time in the heart of the neo-classical Graslin district

Le Passage Pommeraye

📍 At the beginning of the 19th century, new covered passageways were all the rage in Paris. And in the Pays de Retz, between Nantes and the Atlantic, M. Pommeraye was born. He became a notary, married well and settled comfortably into life. This success enabled him to create and finance the first real Nantes passageway. But although this superb luxury shopping arcade was a great success from the moment it opened in 1843, Mr Pommeraye went bankrupt ten years later. Despite this, he bequeathed to Nantes a superb passageway covered by a large glass roof, spread over three levels, which is very rare. It links the corner of rue Santeuil and rue Crébillon at the top to rue de la fosse, 9 metres below. Its creaking wooden staircases and floors, uniform shop windows, statuettes and mirrors and even its clock make it, even more so today, a passageway with an inimitable atmosphere, unavoidable when visiting Nantes. The Passage Pommeraye was immortalised in 1961 by Jacques Demy in his first and iconic feature film, Lola.

Today, the Passage Pommeraye remains one of the city's most striking architectural masterpieces. With its wide range of shops, it's by far one of the best places to shop in Nantes. A must-see!

📍 In the middle of Place Graslin, between the aptly named rue Scribe, rue Molière and rue Corneille, stands the Théâtre Graslin. This sublime neoclassical building, the work of architect Mathurin Crécy, is well worth a visit, if only because Nantes is one of only four French cities that can boast of having preserved a theatre dating back to the 18th century. It is also one of the few theatres where the velvet of the seats and curtains is blue rather than red. The impressive fresco on the ceiling cupola was painted by Hippolyte Berteaux, who was the official painter of the City of Nantes at the time. It depicts several mythological characters such as Orestes and the God Momos, allegories linked to Music and Theatre.

🕑 The theatre, whose programming focuses mainly on opera and music, organises monthly guided tours lasting 1h15; suitable for all ages to discover all the secrets behind the making of the shows. A great idea for a family activity!

Le Katorza cinema 📍

Opened in 1920, Le Katorza cinema is one of the city's most legendary cultural venues. With a high-quality Art et Essai programme that also gives pride of place to programming for young audiences, Le Katorza has managed to retain its old-fashioned charm. Why not take refuge there in case of bad weather, or simply to take a break from your hectic visits?

Le Cours Cambronne 📍

Designed by Mathurin Crécy (him again!) in the 19th century in a majestic neoclassical style, the Cours Cambronne is perhaps one of the chicest parks in Nantes. Nestling between two white facades of middle-class buildings and lined with lime trees and magnolias, this Parisian-garden-style promenade will give your picnics and snack breaks a nostalgic charm. There are two entrances to the square: rue Piron and rue des Cadeniers.

The Nantes Natural History Museum 📍

This is another must-see in the Quarter. Boasting one of the most extensive collections of specimens in France, the Natural History Museum, will delight the whole family. There is the zoological collection with its 1,600 mammal specimens, its 25,000 bird specimens (the second largest in France in terms of number of species and variety) and its 387 fish specimens (including a Coelacanth specimen thought to have disappeared 65 million years ago, which was caught in the Comoros in 1968), the botanical collection (6,000 sections of wood, nearly 100,000 herbarium plates and a large number of seeds and fruits), the mineralogical collection (around 5,000 samples), the geological collection and the animal and plant palaeontology collections. Not forgetting the vivarium housing reptiles and regional species! Among the exceptional exhibits, you can admire the skeleton of an 18m-long fin whale and a stuffed specimen of the Great Auk, a species that has been extinct since the 19th century. The permanent and temporary exhibitions are always well documented and well put together. The Museum also offers guided tours and workshops for children.

12, rue Voltaire 44000 Nantes

☎️ Tel: 02 40 99 26 20.

⏰ Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm, except Tuesdays.

👛 Admission: €4 (over 18s); free for children under 7.

📍 Perhaps the most beautiful brasserie in the world! Designed by ceramics architect Emile Libaudière in 1895, La Cigale has been the talk of Nantes for more than a century! Situated on Place Graslin opposite the theatre, this brasserie with its exaggerated Art Nouveau decor is the haunt of celebrities passing through Nantes. In the 1930s, it was the haunt of surrealists André Breton and Jacques Prévert, who made it their Nantes stronghold. Both a brasserie and a tearoom, you can go there for breakfast, dinner or brunch. Whether sweet or savoury, come and immerse yourself in the unreal atmosphere of the earthenware and gilding that will leave a marvellous impression on your retinas! And what about the food, you might ask? Well, it's as good as its sublime setting. From oysters to beef tartare, the classic French brasserie dishes are prepared with great refinement. All accompanied by excellent Loire wines, of course! With such a plush setting, the menu is not cheap, but it's not unaffordable. An experience to treat yourself to that's out of the ordinary!

🍴 Another good address in the neighbourhood for good burgers in a modern, trendy atmosphere: Bistrot le B . Here, everything is homemade with fresh produce. The menu is tempting and the prices very reasonable!