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Architecturally unimpressive by anybody's standards (especially if you've been spoilt by the likes of Chenonceau and Chambord), the castle nonetheless has an interesting history and hosts art exhibitions all year round.
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Tours Cathedral
A Gothic cathedral with a monolithic façade, spectacular flying buttresses and plenty of gargoyles, some of which have some rather rude appendages. The interior is no less impressive and there is very detailed information available on boards all around the cathedral. Adjoining is the Cloître de la Psallette, which may or may not be worth the small entrance fee depending on your level of interest.
Fine Arts Museum
Inside the former Palace of the Archbishops of Tours, the Musée des Beaux Arts possesses a sizable collection, including paintings by Debré, Degas, Delacroix, Monet, Roslin and Van Goyen, sculpture by Rodin as well as antiquities, objets d'art, tapestry and medieval religious artwork. There is equally a regular cycle of temporary exhibitions and events. The gardens are popular in the summer months and include an enormous Lebanese cedar and a life-sized model of Fritz the elephant, one of Tours' less welcome visitors who went on a rampage after escaping the circus.
This is the convent of the Ursulines of Tours, a sect of nuns, whose most famous sister, Sainte Marie de l'Incarnation, travelled to Quebec in 1639 to spread the order to Canada. She eventually founded the first catholic school in North America. Learn all about the life and travels of the saint in the centre's tiny museum, which is housed in a 15th century room, and take time for contemplation or prayer in the adjacent chapel.
A most unusual museum depicting artifacts of various guilds of master craftsmen, including many masterpieces of tools, sculpture, bells, clothing, shoes, decorated cakes and the exhibition hall of the museum itself, whose roof is supported by tree trunk-sized wood beams. The museum is especially welcoming to children, with quizzes available and friendly staff on hand to inform and educate. Conspiracy theorists can have fun seeing how many masonic symbols they can spot.
Contemporary art gallery.
Natural History Museum
Spread across four floors. Level 4, where the visit starts, is the natural history library. Level 3 focuses on the natural history of the Touraine, including many taxidermied specimens and geological artefacts. Level 2 is global natural history, including taxidermied specimens from the 5 inhabited continents, as well as live insects, spiders, snakes, fish, amphibians and reptiles. Level 1 has the reception, shop and temporary exhibitions, recent examples of which being snakes of the world and mammoths.