About Nantes

Nantes Metropole, France’s 6th largest city, is home to 24 municipalities covering 523 km2 and has 609,000 inhabitants. Nantes is France’s 2nd largest conurbation in terms of job growth and was elected to head Eurocities, a network that works to defend the interests of metropolitan areas before European bodies.

The eclectic landscapes and heritage, the dynamism and diversity of its cultural offerings, and the quality of its living environment, which has been hailed as the Green Capital of Europe, have earned Nantes regular top rankings in the list of cities where it is good to live. It stands out on the national and European stage for its exemplary cultural policy. The city of Jules Verne inspired the Surrealists or Jacques Demy and continues to inspire contemporary artists: the international street theatre company Royal de Luxe, Dominique A, Madeon or Christine and the Queens seem to find natural inspiration here. In Nantes, one can be guided from a work of art in the public space to a remarkable piece of heritage, from shop signs revisited by artists to contemporary architecture. All you have to do is follow a green line drawn on the ground to discover the essentials of this cultural facility. Every summer, this route is reactivated and enriched by the temporary or permanent installation of works in the public space.

Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, the leading economic hub of the Greater West, nevertheless boasts a balanced economic fabric, with a wide range of tertiary and industrial activities. Here, the largest ocean liners in the world are built, as well as mastering the latest technologies in biotechnology. Nantes Saint-Nazaire asserts itself as a leading industrial centre, in shipbuilding (1st national centre), aeronautics (2nd Airbus centre) and food-processing. Major industrial clients such as Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Airbus, Alstom and Eurofins are present, and are developing alongside an innovative and creative sector, represented by the many digital or cultural and creative industry startups. More than 6,000 industrial jobs have been created in Nantes & Saint-Nazaire between 2009 and 2017, the strongest job growth in this sector in France.