Saint-Gatien Cathedral, Tours

Saint-Gatien Cathedral is the great Gothic church of Tours, and one of the best free sights in the Loire. It took several centuries to build, from the thirteenth century to the sixteenth, and the result is a building that shows the evolution of the style: a calm early Gothic choir, a more elaborate nave and a flamboyant façade crowded with carved detail. Its two towers are topped by Renaissance lanterns, a late addition that gives the skyline of the city its distinctive silhouette. The interior is best known for its stained glass. The windows in the choir date from the thirteenth century and are among the oldest and finest in the region, glowing in deep blues and reds when the sun reaches them. The cathedral also holds a Renaissance tomb of the children of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany who died young, a delicate and moving work of the early sixteenth century. Next to the cathedral lies the Cloître de la Psalette, a small cloister with a library, which is a separate visit with its own admission. The cathedral stands on a quiet square near the river, about ten minutes' walk from Place Plumereau and the old town, so it fits easily into a stroll through central Tours. Entry is free during opening hours, and the building remains an active place of worship.

Begin outside. Stand in the square and take in the façade, with its tall carved gables, the rose window and the doorways crowded with detail. The two towers are of different dates, and the caps added in the Renaissance are among the elegant touches of the building. Walking round the outside, you see the flying buttresses of the apse and the fabric of the older building, and a quiet corner of the garden to the side gives the best view of the whole.

Inside, let your eyes adjust to the light. The choir glass is the highlight, with narrative windows from the thirteenth century that tell stories of saints in small panels, and later windows in the nave and the rose window in the west add to the colour. Walk the aisles, look for the Renaissance tomb of the children of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany, and look up at the vaulting, which is lofty and light.

A guided tour on certain days can add detail on the glass and the history of the building, and the tourist office is the place to ask.

Give the cathedral about an hour, longer if you add the cloister. Combine it with a walk to Place Plumereau and the lanes of the old town, where cafés and restaurants make a natural stop. Because it is an active church, dress modestly, keep your voice low and avoid walking around during services. Opening hours vary by day and season and the building closes for part of the midday on some days, so check before you go.

It is an easy and inexpensive start or end to a day in Tours, and a good wet-weather plan. If you are staying near the station, the walk to the cathedral is short and flat, and the quiet interior makes a restful contrast to a busy day of sightseeing, particularly in cold or wet weather.