The City

The City That Turned Itself Into an Artwork

How Nantes answered post-industrial collapse not with glass towers and tax breaks, but with a giant elephant and a green line on the pavement — and quietly became Europe's most creative reinvention story.

By the Citizen Nantes desk Feature 6 min read

The Loire and the Island

The river that made and unmade Nantes, and the island at its centre — from filled-in arms and shipyards to the city's most ambitious quarter.

By the Citizen Nantes desk Feature 5 min read

Nantes in a Weekend

A first-timer's Nantes done right — the essentials in two days, from the château and the elephant to the island and a Muscadet by the water.

By the Citizen Nantes desk Feature 1 min read