Located on an island, in the middle of a river, in the north of France, a beautiful Japanese garden emerges like a vision. This special wonder is a must-see for garden-lovers and those fond of a unique attraction who book one of our vacation rentals in Brittany.
Called the Jardin Japonais de l'Île de Versailles (Île de Versailles Japanese Garden), this lovely lush space in the city of Nantes was built on the artificially formed island of Île de Versailles, which was created in 1831 using soil excavated during the construction of the Nantes–Brest canal and which originally housed workshops for carpenters, boat builders, engineers, and others working on the canal. These remained there for over 100 years until the island eventually fell into disrepair as they began to be closed.
In the 1980s, the city acquired some land on the island with the intention of developing it into a site of natural beauty that would be a space for recreation for locals and that might also encourage tourism. The city opened an architectural competition for ideas of what to do with the space and it was won by a team composed of Jacques Dulieu, Claudine Breton, Michel Cormier, Michel Dudon, and landscape architect Louis Soulard, with a project on the theme of Japan.
Inspired by the gardens of Kyoto, the layout is centred around three buildings inspired by traditional Japanese structures. There is a Harbour Master's office, where the activities of the quays can be managed. Then, at the centre of the garden is the Maison de l’Erdre, inspired by a Japanese tea pavilion where a host might receive his guests. This is a rectangular building framing a zen garden and that is used to host exhibitions on the theme of the river and its environment. It has several aquarium tanks housing 20 fish and other aquatic animal species native to the Edre River. The third main building in the garden is La Cocotte en Verre, a restaurant at the northern end of the island that is unfortunately now closed.
In addition, the beautiful space is home to rockeries, ponds, waterfalls, covered walkways, a raked garden and plants such as bamboo, bald cypresses, rhododendrons , camellias, and Japanese cherry trees. Inaugurated in 1987, the garden was then completely renovated in 2019. Despite being the smallest of the eleven major parks in Nantes, it is the city's second most visited and welcomes 1.2 million visitors each year.
The Jardin Japonais de l'Île de Versailles is open from 8.30am to 8pm each day and entrance to the garden is completely free of charge. So, if you want to add something interesting to a day-trip to Nantes during your stay at a holiday rental in Brittany but you also want to have a little extra in your travel budget, this unique garden is an ideal addition to your itinerary. Discover all that a villa in France has to offer – from fascinating gardens, to delicious meals, to astounding scenery, to major attractions, and more – by booking a perfect getaway with Easy Reserve.