- Castle of the Dukes of Brittany

A tangible reminder of the city's history, the Castle had remained a fortress inaccessible to visitors, a closed and imposing presence on its skyline. The courtyard, the complete rampart walk and the new moat gardens are now open free to visitors at any time. This open access is underlined by the two new entrances, (the Loire postern gate [poterne de Loire] and the Emergency Bridge [pont de Secours]). The Castle is illuminated at night.

The 500 metres of the sentry walk around the ramparts are entirely open to visitors for the very first time.

The walk offers a number of different viewpoints, most never seen before, of the Castle - the buildings, courtyard and moat - and the city: the LU tower and the old course of the Loire, which bathed the Castle walls until the in-fillings of the 1930s; the Cathedral; the mediaeval Bouffay quarter; the Brittany Tower...

The grounds around the Castle have been landscaped to create a veritable garden, planted with magnolias, emblematic trees in the history of Nantes. The moat ditches have been cleared and filled with water to restore the quality of the natural environment and support wildlife. A walk in the gardens provides the distance required for the visitor to grasp the Castle's double role as fortress and residence.