Here are our ideas for days out with kids in and around Nantes, each one checked, for little ones and older kids alike. Here are 30 ideas picked from over 8,500 outings in the Trottimap app.
Castles and heritage
Château des ducs de Bretagne · Nantes (44)
In the heart of Nantes, the courtyard and wall walk of Anne of Brittany's castle are free to access, and children walk the ramparts looking down over the city.
Leisure parks
Les Machines de l'île · Nantes (44)
In the former shipyards on the Île de Nantes, the 12-metre Grand Éléphant carries some fifty passengers while spraying the crowd with its trunk.
Castles and heritage
Château de Goulaine · Haute-Goulaine (44)
A quarter of an hour from Nantes, this Renaissance château surrounded by marshes can be explored freely with a smartphone audio guide.
Pools, beaches and water
Piscine du Petit Port · Nantes (44)
In the north of Nantes, the Petit Port pool draws families with its domed wave pool and two slides: a 75-metre black tube for older children and a shorter one for younger…
Leisure parks
Planet Park Nantes · Nantes (44)
Opened in summer 2025 in a former warehouse in the Nantes Est district, Planet Park lines up 1,000 m² of space-themed inflatables.
Leisure parks
You Kids Nantes Atlantis · Saint-Herblain (44)
In the Atlantis area of Saint-Herblain, this air-conditioned park welcomes children from 6 months to 12 years.
Leisure parks
CRAZY FLOOR - LE JEU QUI REND OUF · Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire (44)
Upstairs in the City Kart complex, an air-conditioned room hides a 42 m² interactive floor that lights up under your feet.
Leisure parks
Royal Kids Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire · Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire (44)
In a business park in Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, east of Nantes, this indoor park welcomes children up to 12.
Leisure parks
Palomano Nantes Sud · Vertou (44)
In Vertou, south of Nantes, Palomano sets up an 800 m² miniature town for 0 to 10-year-olds.
Leisure parks
Parc des Naudières · Sautron (44)
Ten minutes from Nantes, this wooded park in Sautron brings together rides, a roller coaster, a summer toboggan run, inflatables and a water zone with a sandy beach and a big slide.
Parks and nature
Aire de jeux de Cheix · Cheix-en-Retz (44)
In the leisure area on Rue des Quarterons, this municipal playground has two large play units with ladders and slides, two rockers for toddlers and a roundabout.
Leisure parks
Mini-golf Petits Voyages Extraordinaires · Nantes (44)
In the wooded grounds of the Petit Port campsite, the 15 holes of this crazy golf were decorated by the artist Jean Bonichon.
Sport and adventure
Patinoire du Petit Port · Nantes (44)
In the north of Nantes, this Olympic size rink holds public sessions all year, with themed evenings and events.
Pools, beaches and water
Bateaux Nantais, promenade sur l'Erdre · Nantes (44)
From the river station, the boat heads up the Erdre for an hour and a half, past manor houses, pleasure villas and wooded banks.
Parks and nature
Parc de la Gaudinière · Nantes (44)
On the north bank of the Cens, this park tumbles down wooded slopes planted with mountain species, crossed by small winding paths.
Leisure parks
Ludo-biblio du Port-Boyer · Nantes (44)
Near the Erdre, north-east of the centre, the Port-Boyer community centre hosts a toy and book library where families come to play without planning anything.
Shows and workshops
Mixt, terrain d'arts en Loire-Atlantique · Nantes (44)
Born from the merger of Le Grand T and Musique et Danse en Loire-Atlantique, Mixt stages theatre, dance and circus on rue du Coudray.
Pools, beaches and water
Floating, base de l'île de Versailles · Nantes (44)
On the Île de Versailles, just past the harbour office, Floating rents licence-free electric boats, kayaks, canoes and paddleboards to head up the Erdre right in the heart of Nantes.
Parks and nature
Île de Versailles et jardin japonais · Nantes (44)
On this small island in the Erdre, you follow footbridges between waterfalls, rocks and carp pools inspired by Japanese gardens.
Leisure parks
Ludo-biblio de la Boissière · Nantes (44)
In the Boissière district in north Nantes, this toy library and book corner welcomes young and old in a living-room setting, to play on the spot, read or borrow games.
Shows and workshops
Pannonica · Nantes (44)
A jazz club near Place Viarme, the Pannonica also opens its stage to children with Panno'Kids, concerts designed for them and often mixed with live drawing or images.
Shows and workshops
Théâtre La Ruche · Nantes (44)
Opened in the Viarme district by the team behind the Théâtre de Poche Graslin, this intimate theatre stages Guignol on some Sundays in the late morning.
Shows and workshops
Ateliers Pagaille, La Générale · Nantes (44)
On Wednesday afternoons in term time, the Ateliers Pagaille association runs a modelling class for children from age 6 at La Générale, in the former Mellinet barracks, where they shape clay by…
Shows and workshops
Théâtre du Cyclope · Nantes (44)
On rue Maréchal-Joffre, this forty nine seat venue gives a large share of its season to children, often from twelve months.
Leisure parks
Ludo-biblio du Breil · Nantes (44)
At the Breil neighbourhood centre, the Accoord toy library and book corner opens several half-days a week for playing on site, reading or borrowing games and books.
Leisure parks
Leave in Time · Nantes (44)
In the pedestrian heart of the city centre, Leave in Time offers three missions: a liner in distress, singers who have lost their voices and an archaeologist missing in a temple.
Parks and nature
Aire de jeux du Dépodépo, Jardin des Plantes · Nantes (44)
At the north end of the Jardin des Plantes, opposite the station, the Dépodépo playground was designed by illustrator Claude Ponti as the back garden of a giant.
Leisure parks
Parc de Procé et son Babybob · Nantes (44)
In west Nantes, this large English style park hides a small rail sledge that children have been riding in bobsleighs for over thirty five years.
Shows and workshops
Salle Joséphine B. · Nantes (44)
Near Place Graslin, this small venue regularly hosts Thamani's children's shows on Saturdays: clumsy pirates, enchanted farms, dragon experts and compulsory pyjamas.
Museums and science
Musée d'arts de Nantes · Nantes (44)
Between the botanical garden and the cathedral, the art museum shows eight centuries of painting and sculpture in a bright palace.
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