Cathédrale de St-Pierre et St-Paul

The cathedral's two square towers dominate the facade; the more impressive is the 100m (335-ft.) long interior. Its pièce de résistance is Michel Colomb's Renaissance tomb of François II, duc de Bretagne, and his second wife, Marguerite de Foix.   After a 1972 fire destroyed the roof, the interior was restored. The white walls and pillars contrast with the rich colors of the stained-glass windows. 

Château des Ducs de Bretagne

Between the cathedral and the Loire is Nantes's second major sight, where the Edict of Nantes was signed. Large towers and a bastion flank the castle, which contains a symmetrical section (the Grand Gouvernement) built during the 17th and 18th centuries. The duchesse du Berry, royal courtesan, was imprisoned here, as was Gilles de Retz ("Bluebeard"), one of France's most notorious mass murderers. The castle's rich collections are being shaped into a museum of the history of Nantes from the 17th century to the present. 

Musée Jules Verne de Nantes

The novelist Jules Verne (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days) was born in Nantes in 1828. This museum is filled with memorabilia and objects inspired by his writings, from ink spots to a "magic" lantern with glass slides.

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes

In one of western France's most interesting provincial galleries, you'll find an unusually fine collection of sculptures and paintings from the 12th to the late 19th centuries. The street level is devoted to mostly French modern or contemporary art created since 1900, with special emphasis on painters from the 1950s and 1960s.

Jardin des Plantes (THE BOTANICAL GARDEN)

Opposite the train station and place Sophie Trébuchet, the botanical garden is located on Boulevard Stalingrad.  Here you'll find collections of rare plants covering 18 acres, plots of medicinal plants, as well as many varieties of camellia and cactus - plus a playground for children.