*** (26/07/2017 23:54)
Disappointed after big queue for tickets that elephant ride sold out and that after paying to enter the gallery that the children couldn't go on any machine at all. This is quite misleading as brochures and website show children on machines. We did however enjoy looking at the elephant even though we didn't get on it. And getting sprayed by the water. We also enjoyed the carousel and thought it reasonable value. We would advise going at 10am to get an elephant ride. Skip the gallery and go on the carousel and have an ice cream. ..

*** (18/11/2016 00:47)
If you happen to be in Nantes, it's definitely a place to visit. They aim to create emotions with motion and they deliver. It may sound abstract, but it's difficult to describe. Seeing the machines live is a wonderful experience.

*** (01/09/2017 15:44)
This place is fantastic, the machines and the carousel are incredible our children (and adults) were completely in awe of everything, especially the elephant. The elephant itself is worth a trip to Nantes, it is absolutely amazing!

*** (22/11/2017 14:42)
It's a really lovely and awesome area
It has some awesome structures and spots to check out
For example, there's big mechanical elephant
There's the carousel , big glown circles on the river that are breath-taking at night time.
In addition , there's the Hangar a Bananes which used to be old warehoused to store bananas but now it's like an area for some nice pubs and nightclubs.

*** (29/07/2016 15:31)
This place was amazingly unique. Everything was meant to be played with. You could pull all of the levers, switch switches, and more. These would all move parts of the machines. There is also a giant mechanical elephant ride, in which I would totally recommend. It was 30 minutes on a giant walking elephant. If you don't particularly like loud noises, you may want to grab some earplugs, located in a box on the lower floor of the elephant.

*** (10/10/2016 09:42)
As someone who has always been fascinated by automatons, and wind-up toys, I thought this place would be interesting. It surpassed by expectations by a mile! From a purely mechanical point of view, all the machines are marvels of engineering. But beyond that, they bring out the wonder in all spectators. Riding the elephant was incredible especially being able to watch the way the gears moved from so many perspectives. The carousel was amazing. Each creature on the carousel had its own personality. I loved that they were all so interactive. The demonstration of the machines in the gallery was really interesting to watch, too. My French wasn't good enough to follow the commentary from the guides, so it would have been nice to have an audio guide of some sort in English. But since this place is really visually oriented, it wasn't a big minus. I will definitely return.

If you want to go on the elephant be warned, arrive early ass it gets booked really quickly.

*** (01/11/2016 05:00)
This has to be seen to be believed, wonderful machines in the style of joules vern. You pay to ride on things and enter the workshop, but if you want you can have a free wander around. There is a reasonably priced multi story car park almost opposite the entrance and two or three places to eat and drink. They have great plans for new attractions and they look amazing too. This is a good day out, very different and well worth a detour to get to. See their Web site for loads of info.
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The detail, mechanics and workmanship that has gone into the carousel's (the permanent one and a smaller mobile carousel) is staggering. Once they start moving, with the children (and adults in the big carousel) making the creatures and machines do different things it's magical. There were adults of all ages on the large carousel which has a floor that young children aren't allowed on. Their faces looked like they were transported back too their childhood with childish glints in their eyes.

*** (27/11/2017 10:43)
A visit to Nantes would be incomplete without a visit to this outstanding attraction. The mechanical Elephant is a triumph of creative engineering and artistic design. But there is much more to discover in the Machines of the Isles attraction and design workspace. Inspired by Jules Verne and Leonardo di Vinci, the giant spider, heron and inch worm are a revelation to behold. Their latest creation is a massive mechanical Long-Ma Dragon.

*** (11/09/2017 01:26)
Great fun day out. The huge elephant is the star attraction. Arrive early to ensure tickets, you can only pre book on a very few times/rides. Restaurant on site very good, fast service.

*** (04/08/2017 13:33)
Be selective about the 3 attractions:
1. The workshops are quite small, and there are 3 main animal builds. When you go across to the main workshop there is an aerial platform to view the main workshop, that's it!
2. The elephant ride, worth a look, but I expect you'll have more enjoyment on the ground watching it stroll past.
3. The merry go round, of all 3 this is the best, more views of the mechanisms, and fun for the younger children too.

If you are visiting or anywhere near Nantes try to make some time to visit the machines! You won't regret it!

*** (10/08/2017 15:47)
To start-- book ahead of time if you think you want to ride the elephant. We knew we just wanted to watch so had no problems. Read the other reviews and consider what you like and don't like and whether the price makes sense for you. You can watch the elephant and carousels for free. Unfortunately their website is not as helpful as it could be. It is fascinating to watch and appreciate the mechanical and artistic accomplishments.

Our only minor down point was that the machines gallery exhibition itself is very small and only takes about twenty minutes or so to see everything. The demonstrations which would have made the visit a bit longer seemed only to be in French (we couldn't see anything regarding translations) so they were a bit lost on us.

*** (30/10/2016 04:32)
Very good attractions. The museum is very interesting and children (and adults) are fascinated by the elephant and merry go rounds. A great day out.