The people of London are used to bizarre sights, but even they looked twice when a gigantic elephant, as tall as a house, lumbered through the capital in 2006. Two years later, a monstrous spider terrorised Liverpool. Where had these creatures been hiding? In Nantes.
Nantes has many historical monuments: the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany near the banks of the Loire; the imposing cathedral; a three-storey shopping mall built in 1843. But there is nothing else quite like Les Machines de l'Ile (the Machines of the Island).
Built in a disused shipyard on an island in the middle of the city, Les Machines was conceived as a meeting point between the mechanical inventions of Leonardo da Vinci and the imaginary worlds of the 19th-century science-fiction writer Jules Verne (a Nantes native, honoured by a museum on the rue de l'Hermitage).
The great elephant is there, or at least a specially adapted cousin, to carry up to 49 passengers on a 45-minute walkabout, spraying water from its trunk. Last year it was joined by a vast carousel, 25m high and 20m across, offering rides on its moving sea monsters made from wood and steel.
Other strange creatures and inventions can be found in the Machine Gallery and Workshop, where you can watch them being made, along with a prototype for the Heron Tree, to be launched in 2014, which will allow visitors to soar high overhead.
The fascination with nature runs deep here. Nantes has been selected as European Green Capital for 2013, and from 28 June to 1 September the town will celebrate with a full programme of special events. These include river cruises on the Loire, which will offer great views of the wonderful countryside, plus a unique perspective on the trail of artworks left to the city by the Estuaire project, a biennial exhibition of site-specific art that enjoyed its last edition in 2012.
Pause to eat local produce by the river at La Cantine, or marvel at a show in its games and performance arena.
All this will lead to further exploration of this extraordinary city and money can be saved with a Nantes pass. Just €25 for a day, €35 for two days or €45 for three (save 10% by booking online, further discounts for concessions and family) secures free public transport and free access to 30 top attractions.
To find out more about this destination, visit gotofrancenow.com/nantes
