Château des ducs de Bretagne

Work meetings, company seminars and corporate evenings for 10 to 1,000 people can be held in the Château des ducs de Bretagne, the fortified ducal residence in the centre of Nantes that now houses the city's history museum. The courtyard alone takes up to 1,000 guests for a cocktail.

Seminars and company events

The château offers companies two formats: a working day at the château and a company evening. Both are described in separate rate sheets, and a business catalogue called Classe Affaires sets out the full offer. Company bookings are handled by the business service of Le Voyage à Nantes, which runs the city's cultural sites. A day can combine a meeting in one of the buildings with time in the museum or on the ramparts, and an evening can open with a cocktail in the courtyard. The château also hosts public events, such as the Voix bretonnes festival and evening openings, which are worth checking against your dates.

Rooms and capacities

Four areas can be hired. The Harnachement, a building on the courtyard, offers three floors. The Tour du Fer à Cheval, the horseshoe tower, also offers three floors. The Salle de l'Édit de Nantes is a single room. The château courtyard takes up to 1,000 people for a standing cocktail. The château states an overall range of 10 to 1,000 guests but does not publish a figure for each room, so ask the business service for the capacity and layout that suit your group.

Catering

The official site does not describe catering arrangements. Ask the business service which caterers work in the château and what each space allows.

History and setting

The present château was begun in the second half of the 15th century by Duke François II of Brittany and continued by his daughter, Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France. It pairs a defensive curtain wall and towers with a residence in white tufa stone, built at the turn from late Gothic to early Renaissance. After Brittany was united with France it served the crown, and later the army. Following a long restoration, it reopened in 2007 with the Nantes history museum in its rooms. The château is a classified historic monument. Inside, visits run from 10:00 to 18:00 and the museum is closed on Mondays, while the courtyard and the ramparts open from 08:30 to 19:00 and are free to walk, so delegates can see the walls before or after a session.

Getting there

The château stands at 4 place Marc Elder, in the centre of Nantes. Nantes railway station, served by high-speed trains from Paris, is a short walk away, and a tram stop sits beside the château. Nantes Atlantique airport lies south-west of the city. With hotels, restaurants and the station all within walking distance, the château works well for a one-day meeting with delegates coming in by train, or for an evening event at the end of a conference held elsewhere in the city.