The tourist books bash it (one says that it “pales pitifully” in comparison to other French towns), but it’s a good place. It was home for a month and it will be home again for another 10 or 11, but it’s a good tourist destination as well. The Cathédrale de Saint Croix is a piece of architecture considered comprable only to Notre Dame de Paris, but personally I think it’s even more impressive (and it is bigger). The old part of town is a collection of cobblestone streets, bars, and bakeries, and despite what the tourist books say, it definitely has character. Also, it’s a good home-base if you want to explore the chateaux along the river Loire, of which there are many.