Les Machines de l'Île
Les Machines de l'Île things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Nantes, France | The Enchanting Machines de l'Île 🏗️🐘🎠
Gerda WhiteGerda White
242
Les machines is a place with mechanical machines, from a huge elephant to an ant, to a spider, a plane and a few other machines, the staff members walk you around and talk about the machines whilst demonstrating them, the staff will pick out children to help demonstrate them, me at 45yrs of age wasn't going to be out done by these children so i asked if I could ride the ant one to which they said yes to, so me and 4 other children sat on this ant and moved it's legs about to make it look like it was walking while going along, but the thing is we knew you had to pay to get in to see the machines and also if you wanted to you could pay extra to ride on the mechanical elephant and also extra to go on the carousel, we just wasn't expecting this, we expected it to all be in this big enclosed place but it wasn't, the elephant walks outside where you queue up to pay to see the machines and walks along out to the river bank and back again so if you didn't want to ride on the elephant or even see the machines you can see the elephant walking about for free and also the carousel is outside by the river Bank too and not in with the machines, if you want to ride on the elephant you have to queue in the same one as the machines queue, we got there about 1 o'clock and queued for an hr or so, I would also advise if you wanted to ride on the elephant to book inadvance as they sell out quickly on the day so you're not disappointed otherwise I'd recommend getting there early to get tickets, if you want to go on the carousel you can pay at the carousel without having to queue up in the machine queue, if you do go and see the machines and keep your card you get a discount for the carousel, it was good and I do recommend seeing it but it is one of those places where you've been there done that and don't need to go again places
Samantha AbrahamSamantha Abraham
10
Machines de l'Île is an exceptional adventure for those who love Jules Vernes, steampunk and mechanics in action. This was on my list for a long time, and I was surprised that this visionary project is already running since 2003. If you can plan ahead buy tickets online 48h ahead. You cannot buy tickets in advance the day before you go or the same day. We did have to queue, but even with a large crowd waiting, we got tickets after only 45 to 50 minutes wait. The wait is somewhat eased by very attentive staff, well-designed booklets in various languages and the mechanical elephant which will pass by, if you are lucky. The whole experience consists of three separate attractions you can buy combo tickets for the exhibition and the elephant ride at the booth, yet for the carousel, you will have to queue again at the venue. I recommend to visit all three, especially with children as the carousel will allow them some activity by riding one of the mechanical sea creatures. Just mind the opening hours of the carousel rides before booking as during school holidays these might differ. The exhibition is a guided tour in French, but it is done in such a jovial manner that you can easily follow without understanding every word (or none at all). The arboretum is not too special, though. The elephant ride is worth the wait. The mechanical giant circles the premises in 1.5h hours. Each ride lasts 30 minutes and there are three points to (dis)embark depending on your slot. Also waiting in the main hall for the elephant to arrive is great fun. The driver can splash water out of the gigantic snout amd children love getting soaked! And do not miss the video about the history and vision of the project. There is still so much more that is dreamt of. I cannot comment on the carousel, as we did not make it that day.
Stefankai SpoerleinStefankai Spoerlein
00
THE MACHINES DE L’ILE IS an extraordinary artistic project like you’ve never seen before. Born from the imaginations of François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice, it is a blend of the invented worlds of Jules Verne, the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci, and the industrial history of the French island of Nantes. From the website “A team of machine builders have set up their workshop in the industrial warehouses of the former shipyards, at the heart of the Ile de Nantes. The designers let their imaginations roam from the treetops, the savannah to the ocean depths, building a bestiary of living machines to populate this area under redevelopment.” The machines themselves are created in “the gallery” a workspace in Nantes former shipyards. Here, machinists work on the Machines in direct contact with the public. Visitors guided by the machinists can even operate the controls. Perhaps the most famous of the creations of the Machines de l’Ile is the Gigantic Sultan’s Elephant. The massive elephant is a 12-metre high by 8-metre wide, elephant automaton-sculpture which can take “up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk.” In the words of one viewer “When the majestic animal goes out for its walk, it is like architecture in motion departing a steel cathedral.. Each time the pachyderm goes out, it is a unique spectacle for everyone to enjoy.” The Elephant debuted in its home city of Nantes, France, and also appeared in 2006 in London. It can now be visited at the Machines de L’Isle. 2 Boulevard Léon Bureau Nantes, 44200 France 47.2056, -1.5640 View on Google Maps Visit Website NEARBY Nantes' Natural History Museum 0.47 miles House in the Loire 7.14 miles The Grotesques of the Chapel of Bethlehem 7.88 milesp
SARDAR Manpreet Singh KHALSASARDAR Manpreet Singh KHALSA
10
One of the best attractions. Loads of interactive machines. We took the tram at nantes stopped at Chantiers Navals and crossed the bridge. It was raining all day but the attraction was still open. We bought the tickets for the toured machines, botanic and the Elephant ride all together at one boot. It took around 1.5 hours in total about 1 hour with the toured machines where staff members would pick/ask for people at random to operate the machine during the explanation. The botanic is like a free house with many plants very interesting indeed for plant lovers and those than do not keep them alive but indeed appreciate them. The experience on the elephant was really nice. The driver would literally showering passer-bys it took around a good 30 minutes. Queuing was not bad at all ! We arrived and climb on top. We then walked to the souvenir shop we hoped to find a small replica of the machine elephant but there wasn't anything we particularly saw similar. We then made way tot he carousel 🥰🥰 tour and ride tickets right from the carousel. They will ask you to have a tour first and decide on which machine you want to ride. We choose the crab ! Children not allowed to ride in the middle floor machine for safety reasons made loads of sense. It was enjoyable for both us and the kid definitely want to visit in the future maybe with more.attractions it would make a great machine park 🥰🥰
Astrid CacciatoreAstrid Cacciatore
00
One-of-a-kind place for sure! There's more to the Machines de l'Île than just the elephant in the gallery (that you need a ticket for, 14,5€ for visit + carousel ride). Not only do you get to see some of the unique machines (there exists others elsewhere in the world, made by this workshop), but they also have live demonstrations of them, that participate the audience in some of them. I'm not sure if the demonstrations are running all the time. There's also a greenhouse attached with, from what I understood, rare plants that they're trying to grow. Anyway it's a nice little botanical garden! In the workshop part, they promise that you get to see how the machines are built. Except that you don't. You get a view to the actual workshop where supposedly the machines are made and maintained, but basically everything is covered with tents. There's only a 10-15min video about the history of the place, in a room without enough seating for everyone. I didn't learn almost anything at all about the machines, which was a shame. The carousel was quite amazing - especially the top level with its views. Some rides are a bit "rockier" than others (like the sailboat) and thus probably not suitable for the smallest, but there are many others to choose from.
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Nearby Attractions Of Les Machines de l'Île
Passage Pommeraye
Natural History Museum
Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery
Carrousel of the Marine Worlds
Park Building, Boulevard Léon Bureau
French destroyer Maillé-Brézé
Hôtel Mercure Nantes Centre Passage Pommeraye
Cours Cambronne
Le Grand Éléphant
Les Anneaux
Passage Pommeraye
4.6
(5.7K)Click for details
Natural History Museum
4.4
(1.5K)Click for details
Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery
4.3
(932)Click for details
Carrousel of the Marine Worlds
4.5
(845)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Les Machines de l'Île
La Cantine du Voyage
La Cigale
Ramen ya
Paola - Le Clan des Mamma Nantes
Maria Restaurant
O Deck
Crêperie Heb Ken
Le Cambronne Bistrot Chic
La 500 Nantes
Le Melting Potes
La Cantine du Voyage
4.0
(2K)Click for details
La Cigale
4.2
(3.5K)$$
Click for details
Ramen ya
4.5
(1.3K)Click for details
Paola - Le Clan des Mamma Nantes
4.6
(1.3K)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Parc des Chantiers, Bd Léon Bureau, 44200 Nantes, France
Map
Website
lesmachines-nantes.fr
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Reviews
Overview
4.6
(14.8K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
entertainment
family friendly
Description
The Machines of the Isle of Nantes is an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France. The project is based in the old covered buildings of the former shipyards in Nantes that were at one time used for ship construction, and later used as business sites.
attractions: Passage Pommeraye, Natural History Museum, Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, Carrousel of the Marine Worlds, Park Building, Boulevard Léon Bureau, French destroyer Maillé-Brézé, Hôtel Mercure Nantes Centre Passage Pommeraye, Cours Cambronne, Le Grand Éléphant, Les Anneaux, restaurants: La Cantine du Voyage, La Cigale, Ramen ya, Paola - Le Clan des Mamma Nantes, Maria Restaurant, O Deck, Crêperie Heb Ken, Le Cambronne Bistrot Chic, La 500 Nantes, Le Melting Potes
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