Nantes Nightlife Tips by chess_machine Top 5 Page for this destination

Coude a coude: Cheap beer, cool atmosphere

The bar is in the heart of Nantes, near Place Graslin, and has one of the cheapest beer in town: 2€ for a half pint. The atmosphere is cool and the bar gets quite crowded during the weekend. A good place for starting drinking. The people there are mainly students. Its name: "coude à coude", means litteraly, elbow against elbow, which means there are so many people that your elbow touches your neighbourg's one.

Dress Code: Casual

Directions: Quartier Graslin

Theme: Other

Hangar à Bananes: New nightlife place

Le Hangar à Bananes is not a bar or a club but a SET of several bars and clubs. It was founded in mid 2007 and when I was still living in Nantes it had a big success during the beautiful days. I think it is less popular during winter time.

Le Hangar used to be a range of warehouses, just at the extremity of l'Ile de Nantes, the island in the city center of Nantes, surrounded by the Loire river. Hence, its a good spot to go, at night or during the day, due to its location, its newness and the diversity of places to go - at least 7-8 different places.

One of the clubs, LC Club has very often famous DJ playing and is the most important club in Nantes.

Just next to the Hangar à Bananes are the "Anneaux de Buren", ie the Buren rings, which is a modern art composition of colored rings, that are set next to the Loire. Some like it, some dont. I personnaly like it and think it is already part of our visual identity as a city.

Anyway, if you think about nightlife, you will probably hear about le Hangar à Bananes, as it is now one of the main nightlife spot in the city.

Dress Code: Casual for bars. More stylish for clubs, like LC Club.

Address: Ile de Nantes

Theme: Nightclub

LU: Unique

LU is abbreviation for "Lieu Unique", "Unique Place" and the owners not lied on the "customer promess".

LU is unique. Used to be the old factory for extremely famous Nantes' homemade biscuits, les Petits Beurres. So, the place itself is a must see, with its tower and logo overheading a small part of the city.

LU is the heart of contemporary culture in Nantes, with photo exhibitions, concerts, techno nights... Underground still everybody knows it and it does not have the snobbish atmosphere of some underground places.

If you like experiences, it is a great place to go. It is cheap, the programs are sometimes of extremely high quality and is definitely a place that gives Nantes' nightlife personality.

Dress Code: Casual

Directions: Near railway station. Anyway, you can see it from far away.

Theme: Other

Concert halls

Nantes is a quite big city but lacks a major concert hall. Last huge concert was U2 in 1992 or something like that, who rented the soccer statium on their Zooropa tour. Thing is there was a major soccer game on TV the same day and they did not booked the entire stadium and since then nobody rents the stadium anymore... probably because it is also too expensive. Anyway, their is a project for a major concert hall to be build in the next years. Before this event, you can go the several good concert halls. I know few of them but here is a list:

- Trocardière: one of the biggest. Saw one show and the hall is pretty good. Around 1000 people. Dont know enough about sound system to tell you if the sound is perfect or just good, but to me it sounded "good".

- L'Olympic. Very nice hall, used to be a cinema. Quite small, probably 500 people. Very indie programmation, which I like. Went once there to see le Festival des Inrocks (les Inrocks is THE indie magazine in France), with Joseph Arthur, Phoenix, Sigur Ros and another guy.

- Pannonica. Never been there but it is the most famous jazz concert hall.

- La Bouche d'Air. Eclectic concert hall. Great place if you want to discover new French music. No, French music is not only Edith Piaf, even though her songs are sometimes magical...

- Le Lieu Unique. Quite underground, even though it has now became an establishement place of underground culture...

And probably some other good places that I have forgotten.

Theme: Live Music

Webb Ellis: Rugby pub

Webb Ellis is a pub where South West is the main actor. South West is the France main region for rugby, maybe because it has had so many connections with the British.

Webb Ellis celebrates the South West very well. Good food (please taste some meals there, they are cheap and great, like goat cheese with berry jam on toasted bread). The beer is good. The atmosphere is nice. Good people. Not really the most trash place you will see. Only ordinary people talking, watching sports when there is a game, getting drunk and chatting up very rarely.

Dress Code: Casual, but the owners sometimes wear kilts (and do not wear underwears, as we have checked recently).

Address: rue Santeuil

Directions: City center, 2 minutes walking from Place Graslin

Theme: Other

Le Marlowe: After

Is there an After in Nantes?

Well, sometimes you may wonder, for the city has very few places to go after most bars close at 2am.

Le Marlowe is one of them. I am not telling you it is the best place ever. It is not. The music is average and the prices are really hicgh for Nantes (minimum 7-8 euros for a drink after 2am).

Still, after 2am, you may spend a good time there. The music is danceable, it is always quite crowded, some nice girls and boys.

The average age is probably 30. Still, you have many 20-30ers.

A good adress for those who are having fun and dont want to stop at 2am.

Dress Code: There are bouncers at the entrance but I have never seen them being really uptight about clothes.

Address: 1 place Saint Vincent

Directions: Near Le Bouffay

Theme: Other

Les rendez-vous de l'Erdre: Jazz festival

Every year, during August's last weekend, tehre is a cool and enjoyable jazz festival along the Erdre.

No real famous jazzmen but a good atmosphere. Some "buvettes" to enjoy drinking a beer or some ron while listening to nice jazz on a great place.

The Erdre river wasnt really a place to go out at night but no starts to be a good place. During these three days, it definitely is the heart of the city at night.

Young people and not so young get on at the same party.

Really a good festival and an interesting way to see the city differently.

Address: Quartier Saint Mihiel, along the Erdre

Theme: Other

Le Graslin: Beer and briton temple

One of the beer temple of Nantes and a high spot for Britain culture. Huge amount of beer, more than a hundreds still I have not tasted 'em all. And a definite must do for people who are interested by Britain culture - the bar has a small Britan library, plays some Britain music and... makes you test some Britan beer.

The place is always quite full. Full, not packed.

Dress Code: No special dress code.

Address: Rue Racine

Directions: Place Graslin's quarter (city center)

Theme: Other