Vincent Guerlais

Nantes


Nantes' self-proclaimed 'agitateur de papilles' (taste-bud agitator) lures locals into his flamboyant violet-coloured boutique with silky-smooth chocolate squares, pralines, exquisite cakes too beautiful to eat and – drum roll – shimmering gold, chocolate versions of Nantes' signature Petit Beurre biscuits that every French person knows.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nantes attractions

1. Musée d’Histoire Naturelle

0.16 MILES

Nantes' Natural History Museum has a fascinating collection of minerals, fossils, stuffed animals and an impressive whale skeleton. There are frequent…

3. Château des Ducs de Bretagne

0.67 MILES

Forget fusty furnishings – light-filled rooms inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany house multimedia-rich exhibits detailing the city's history. Look…

4. Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes

0.67 MILES

Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…

5. Cathédrale St-Pierre et St-Paul

0.68 MILES

Inside Nantes' Flamboyant Gothic cathedral, the tomb of François II (r 1458–88), Duke of Brittany, and of his second wife, Marguerite de Foix, is a…

6. Le Cale 2 Créateurs

0.69 MILES

Edgy temporary art exhibitions, events and happenings fill this old industrial slipway, shaped like a wedge of cheese at the foot of Île de Nantes'…

7. Musée d’Arts de Nantes

0.84 MILES

A six-year renovation job by London architects Stanton Williams has done wonders for Nantes’ art museum, open again since 2017 inside the historic Palais…

8. Jardin des Plantes

1.02 MILES

Opened in 1860, this exquisitely landscaped park is among France's most interesting botanical gardens. Century-old magnolia and mulberry trees, Japanese…