Follow the line
There is a green line painted on the ground through the centre of Nantes, and following it takes you past the permanent artworks, the main museums, the château, the arcade and out to the island. It is the single most useful piece of wayfinding in any city on this network.
It is free, it needs no app, and it does not run out.
What is on it
Permanent installations sit along the route year-round — Buren's rings on the quay, the machines on the island, works tucked into courtyards and passages. In summer the city adds a temporary layer of commissions on top.
The summer additions are seasonal; the line and its permanent works are not.
Doing it properly
The full line takes the better part of a day on foot. It is not a loop you must complete — join it, follow it as far as you want, and leave it where it stops being interesting.
Les Machines de l'Île
Passage Pommeraye
Le Lieu Unique
Hangar à Bananes & the Rings