Nantes

Sturdy moated castle built from 1207, though most of it is from 1466. It was a ducal and royal seat, notably of Duchess Anne, whose dynastic marriages sealed the union of Brittany with France in 1532. The Revolution did it little harm until a powder magazine explosion of 1800. It became a museum in 1924 but closed for reconstruction in 1990, re-opening in 2007. The main entrance is west by the tourist office and you can also approach north or south; these all bring you into the courtyard and the ticket office for the museum. Courtyard, ramparts and garden are free to enter.

Magnificent Gothic cathedral built in fits and starts from 1434. In modern times it has been seriously damaged by Allied bombing in 1945, by an accidental fire in 1972, and by arson in 2020. It therefore remains closed. The arsonist was later given shelter in a church mission, in the spirit of "turning the other cheek". He then murdered the mission priest.

A beautiful building of 1801 with an extensive permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. It has absorbed Chapelle de l'Oratoire, a baroque chapel of 1655 now used as an exhibition space.

Huge collection of minerals, fossils and stuffed animals, plus live snakes.

This T-47 destroyer was commissioned in 1957 and named for a 17th century admiral. Her only battle action was in 1962 as a troop carrier against the OAS uprising in Algiers. She retired in 1988 and is moored here as a museum. Visit by guided tour starting every 30 min and lasting 90 min.

The novelist Jules Verne was born in Nantes in 1828; shipping and the sea figured largely in his early life. He went to Paris to study law in 1847 and a thwarted love affair on a visit home soured him against Nantes. This museum of his life and works opened in 1978 and was renovated in 2005, the centenary of his death. He never lived here but it has his original furniture and personal items.

Gallery of wacky mechanical animals. A guided tour continuously circulates, which you need to join as the guides stir each animal into life, and visitor movement is limited while these are in motion. (You especially don't want to be caught in the path of the monstrous spider.) The highlight is the Great Elephant, which stomps alongside the gallery spraying water at everyone. Those over 13 can ride it for an additional charge - book this in advance, as there are limited seats.