For antique hunters, strolling down rue Jean-Jaurès and seeing its many bric-à-brac shops, antique stores and art galleries is a must. However, none of those compare to its weekly flea market on Place Viarme, the emblematic site in Nantes’ city centre.

Every Saturday throughout the year, the 120-stalls strong flea market of the Brocante Place Viarme is a brilliant place to unearth all kinds of antiques, curios and collectibles. Nantes’ stunning location on the rugged coast of Brittany means it is easy, with a little digging, to unearth all kinds of quirky nauticalia, alongside more usual flea market finds like jewelery, old books, postcards, vintage glassware, porcelain, antique coffeemakers, embroidery, antique toys, vinyls, trinkets, paintings, pedestal tables, chairs, sofas, as well as local Quimper ceramics.

In addition to its weekly flea market, the city of Nantes hosts a big bi-annual antique fair also on the Place Viarme. Held over three days in early May and on the last weekend of September or early October, the Grande Brocante de la Place Viarme gathers more than 160 professionals antique traders selling a large variety of antique merchandises and vintage garments, ranging from antique furniture, to crockery, china, glassware, silverware, laces, embroidery, postcards, dishes, paintings, and much, much more.

Beyond its flea market, it is the atmosphere that reigns in the neighborhood that makes the Brocante Place Viarme an unmissable stop when visiting Nantes. And the nearby rugged coast provides a hive of activity for kids and grownups.