Visiting the castle of the dukes of Brittany (Château des Ducs de Bretagne) is one of the top things to do in Nantes France.

5. Get up to speed. I went to Nantes by TGV, in two easy stages from London. I prefer to change in Lille, but if you choose Paris there is a thrilling non-stop sprint back, 200 miles in just two ...

A visit to open-air Les Machines de L'Ile (20) on Ile de Nantes confirms it (00 33 2 51 17 49 89; lesmachines-nantes.fr; until 2 July open Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, weekends to 6pm).