Nantes

Nantes needs 1 day: touring the Château des ducs de Bretagne, the medieval fortress where Anne of Brittany was born, and visiting Les Machines de l'Île, a park of giant artistic machines inspired by Jules Verne -including a 12-meter mechanical elephant that strolls through the former dockland area-, the same afternoon. April-June and September-October bring the mildest weather. It's cheaper than other major French cities. It was the historic capital of the Duchy of Brittany and a key Atlantic triangular trade port in the 17th and 18th centuries, and its reconversion from a declining industrial dockland into a hub for urban art and scenic machines is a frequently cited case of urban renewal in France.