Intercultural program
As a EURAXESS services centre, our organisation offers foreign researchers and their family a programme of events: cultural outings and social opportunities all year long. Come and meet other foreign researchers living in Nantes !
Heads-up on this Fall semester’s program (see full program below for details and fees):
- Saturday September 19th, Daytrip in South Bretagne (Vannes historical city and Monk Island) :
One day in Golfe du Morbihan, south Bretagne area. Morning visit in the historical city center of Vannes (castle and fortifications), then all afternoon on the Ile aux Moines to hike, enjoy the beach, stroll in the village with its crepe restaurant and ice cream or café places. The island is registered as a Unesco world heritage site. - Thursday October 8th: Welcome Drink at MCE
Meet and greet new fellow international researchers in a friendly atmosphere at the Maison des Chercheurs. Discover the place, meet the association’s team, all in a fun and relax afterwork set up. - Saturday October 17th: Daytrip to the Loire Valley (castle and abbey)
An intnse daytrip in the historical Touraine area, visiting the Renaissance Azay le Rideau castle in the morning, enjoying free time in the medieval city of Chinon and a guided visit in English of the Royal Fontevraud Abbey (Unesco World Heritage Site). - Saturday November 7th: Nantes historical Guided Tour on the Slave Trade Past of the City
A 2-hour guided tour in English of Nantes city center: professional guide will present and explain the historical traces of the slave trade past of the city that took place in the 17th and 18th centuries. The docks, the slave owner mansions, the city’s slave memorial. - Saturday November 21st: Classical music concert (Tchaïkovsky and Rachmaninov)
Pays de la Loire symphonic orchestra will perform at the Debussy auditorium of Nantes’s Conservatory of Music. On the program for that evening: Rachmaninov’s rhapsody and Tchaïkovsky’s 5th symphony. - Tuesday December 1st: WELCOME PARTY at the Nantes Castles and Celebration of the association’s 25th birthday !
Organized by Nantes City Council, a formal evening at the Castle to honor the 2026, recently arrived, international researchers. - Tuesday December 15th: Christmas Party at the MCE
A “give back” Christmas party: bring a present for local charities who will give them out to less privileged families. Entertainment, French snacks and Christmassy atmosphere on the menu of the evening at the Maison des Chercheurs Étrangers!
Daytrip to South Bretagne : Vannes and Monk Island
Saturday September 19th, 2026 from 8.30 am to 7.30pm
Day Trip to Southern Brittany (Vannes and Île aux Moines)
A day exploring the Gulf of Morbihan, 1,5 hour from Nantes, in a region designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the French people’s favorite destinations.
In the morning, you’ll have free time to explore the historical center of Vannes: former capital of Brittany, this charming little town will captivate you with its cobblestone streets dating back to the Middle Ages, its half-timbered houses, its cathedral, and its fortifications. You will stroll through its streets on a Saturday morning bustling with local market activity.
In the afternoon, the group will take a very short boat ride (5 minutes) on a small ferry across the Gulf of Morbihan, from Port Blanc to Île aux Moines. You’ll then be free to explore the island on your own. Whether you rent a bike or go on foot, whether you’re the active type or prefer to take it easy, everyone will have nearly 3 hours to wander around this Breton gem. You'll be able to read on the beach or go hiking along the coastal path, explore the small local menhir (standing stones), enjoy a crêpe in the tiny village of the island, or cycle around the whole island.
Feel free to check out the websites to get a sense of these unique Breton landscapes!
Fee: €23 per person (includes bus and boat transportation; does not include lunch, admission to the Château de Vannes, or bike rental or any individual activity)
A maximum of one guest per researcher registered with the association, unless the researcher has children. In that case, the researcher is allowed to reserve additional tickets for his/her child.ren (maximum of 4 tickets total per family).
Online registration is mandatory. The link will be emailed to you by the association in late August.
Tickets go on sale on September 1st, at 6:00 p.m.
If the registration site indicates that the event is sold out, please send us an email to be added to the waitlist..
A day at Mont Saint Michel
Saturday June 27th, 2026 - from 7.30 am to 8.30pm
A day at the Mont Saint Michel, a must see!!!
Meeting at 7.30am in MCE neighborhood, we leave Nantes by private bus for a 2.5hr coach ride. Once at Mont St Michel, we first have a one hour guided tour in English to learn about this unique place history and its village gathered on that tiny rock in the middle of the bay. At 12.15, you'll have 1.45 hours of free time on Mont St Michel to wander, visit, and admire this historical world famous site. Either you take time to stroll and eat or you visit the abbey and rush for a sandwich.
At 2.15pm, we meet again to start a two hour guided tour in the bay, walking barefoot on the humid sand, to discover the unique ecosystem of the bay (quick sands, tidal bores...).
At 5.15 pm we meet back at the coach to ride back to Nantes. Arrival in city center scheduled around 8 pm
28€ per person (The fee includes the 2 guided walks and bus transportation. The fee does not include lunch or the abbey entrance ticket, if you choose to visit it.)
Tickets are not refundable unless you have a medical note from a your doctor.
Online registration will start on Tuesday June 9th at 6pm. Limited seating.
Registration links and details is sent by email.
Contact us if you didn't receive it.
One guest possible per researcher member of the association. Kids welcomed if 10 and older, but parents please keep in mind it is a LONG day and parental supervision is mandatory during the visit of the bay (quick sands are real and dangerous for a unsupervised kid !)
Daytrip “Nature and Culture” : Guérande, Le Croisic, marais salants
Saturday May 30th, 2026 from 9.15am to 8.15pm
Come spend a day enjoying land and ocean, histoy and nature, Bretagne and Pays de la Loire. The association organises a daytrip starting with an 1.5hr private bus drive to Guérande where you'll enjoy a one hour guided tour (in English) of the medieval city center, followed by some free time in the city to lunch or shop and explore. Then we'll enjoy a discovery visit of the salt marshes with a professional guide explaining in English the eco-system and the hand harvested salt craft of this region. We'll finish the afternoon in the little sea resort and harbor of Le Croisic where you'll be able to stroll, shop, go to the beach or take a little hike by the coast line, according to your preferences. The bus will bring us back to Nantes around 8pm.
Registration (mandatory) opens on Monday May 4th at 6pm on Hello Asso (details and link sent by email)
Fee is 24.50€ per person (it includes the guided visits and private bus transportation, does not include lunch)
No reimbursment unless presenting a doctor's note.
1 guest maximum per registered researcher, unless you came to Nantes with your spouse and a child/children, possibility of getting a third or fourth ticket only in that context. Children need to be 6 years old at minimum.
Little streets of Guérande
Salt marshes
Salt marsh guided tour
Le Croisic harbor