La Machine de l'Île - The Grand Éléphant

The Grand Éléphant is the best-known creation of Les Machines de l'île, a project of mechanical art in Nantes that has turned part of the city's old shipyards into a place of invention and play. It is a walking elephant twelve metres high and eight metres wide, built of wood and steel, and it carries around fifty passengers on its back and in its belly as it lumbers slowly along the quays of the Île de Nantes. It weighs about forty-eight tonnes and moves at the pace of a stroll, but its size and the whooshing of its mechanism draw crowds wherever it goes.

The project was created in the early 2000s by the artist and designer François Delarozière and the theatre director Pierre Orefice, who had worked together on the street theatre company Royal de Luxe, famous for its giant marionettes. They drew inspiration from Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes, and from the machines imagined by Leonardo da Vinci, and the result is a world in which industrial heritage meets fantasy. The workshops where the machines are built stand in the Halle 1 of the former Dubigeon shipyard, and visitors can look into the workshop and see the craftspeople at work, which helps to explain how the machines are made.

A ride on the elephant is the main experience. Passengers sit on the terrace on its back or in the gallery, and from this height, equivalent to a fourth-floor window, they look out over the river and the shipyard cranes. A machinist explains how the elephant works, and the mechanism of pistons, cylinders and gears is visible as it moves. The elephant raises its trunk and sprays water over the crowd, to the delight of children and the surprise of adults who stand too close. Routes vary, and the trips depend on the weather, so check the schedule before you go.

The site includes more. The Carrousel des Mondes Marins, a three-level merry-go-round in the form of a deep-sea world, has dozens of sea creatures that visitors can ride and operate, and it rises to about twenty-five metres. The Galerie des Machines displays smaller creations, and a giant tree with heron-shaped machines is under development. These attractions make the site a destination in its own right, and you can easily spend half a day here.

The Île de Nantes is also a place to walk, with public art along the river, cafés and a marked route called the Ligne verte that links the city's creative sights. The Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, the Passage Pommeraye and the Place Royale are a short tram ride away in the old town. The elephant suits families with children, lovers of engineering and art and anyone who wants to see a different side of Nantes. The tram line 1 stop Chantiers navals is nearest, and tickets should be booked ahead in summer.