The Gare de Tours is the most architecturally ambitious 19th-century railway station in provincial France. The façade is a riot of allegorical sculpture: cities of the Loire valley sit in niches above the doors, and the interior is lit by an enormous glass canopy supported on cast-iron columns.
The station functions as much as a city gateway as a transport hub. Even if you are not catching a train, walk inside under the canopy and look up — the steel-and-glass roof is one of the most beautiful in any French station. The square in front, with the city hall opposite, is the formal entrance to the city for arrivals from Paris.