Tourist attractions Tours

Laid out over four terraces, Villandry’s gardens are the epitome of Renaissance architectural convention. On the upper level the garden of the sun is a former meadow surronded by lime trees and dominates the whole ensemble. The water garden is th..

Occupying the guest quarters (11C) and monks’ dormitory (16C) above the chapter house of the abbey of St Julien, this museum traces the history, customs and practices of the town guilds’ journeymen. It explains trades (some extinct, some not), tools ..

A huge cedar of Lebanon stands in the main courtyard of the former archbishop's palace (17C-18C). The interior, embellished by Louis XVI woodwork and Tours silk, displays works sourced from castles destroyed by Richelieu and Chanteloup, and importa..

Less frequented by the tourists than the old town of Tours, with private residences, gardens, the Archbishops' Palace , (which houses the Fine Arts Museum ) and of course, the Cathedral . The area is full of charm. At the corner of rue Petit-Cupid..

Around Plumereau square , we find pedestrian streets, often lined with old houses and restored blocks of buildings. An abundance of cafes, restaurants and terraces, in old Tours which has been restored, makes it a particularly pleasant area for stro..

Started in the middle of the 13C and finished in the 16C, this cathedral illustrates the whole evolution of the Gothic style. The Flamboyant façade is particularly beautiful. Inside there is great purity of line. The chancel , one of the most beau..

Built at the end of the Renaissance, the Château de Villandry has retained the keep of an earlier fortress. Heralding the emergence of Classical architecture, its interior decor is particularly impressive. The chamber with the 13C Mudejar ceiling f..

This was the residence of Beaune-Semblançay, the unfortunate finance minister of François I who ended up on the gallows at Montfaucon. Among the surviving Renaissance features are an arcaded gallery surmounted by a chapel, a fine pilastered façade in..

Located near the bridge over the Loire River, the district suffered much from bombing. Some pleasant small squares and historic vestiges are concealed behind the rectilinear façades of rue Nationale .

Although burnt down in 1940, the building’s delicately sculpted Renaissance south façade survives, as does its tower staircase to the north. Inside is the Archaeological Museum of Tours The collections range from the prehistoric and Gallo-Roman p..

Place Pluereau is located in the pedestrianised centre of old Tours and lined with pretty half-timbered houses (see the beautiful façade with wooden crosspieces at the corner of rue Rôtisserie). On sunny days, the square is lively on account of its c..

The street is lined with old Tours residences: Romanesque façade at n°35, Gothic façade at n°31, Renaissance dwelling decorated with wooden statuettes at n°32, a beautiful spiral staircase which marks the entrance to place St-Pierre-le-Puellier, clas..

Beautiful view over the cathedral's chevet and the medieval gable of the Archbishops’ Palace . Nearby, a beautiful canonical house in rue Manceau; and in rue Racine the Justice-des-Bains , a 15C house built of tufa with a sloping roof, standing o..

The progress of the transportation corps, from the Empire to the present day, is recalled at the Condé Pavilion, the last vestige of Ste-Marie-de-Beaumont Abbey. Those who wish to continue their museum visit can go to the Doumenc Centre (rue du Pla..

Valmer’s 80ha-park and gardens are in a remarkable spot overlooking the Brenne Valley . The château was destroyed in a fire in 1948, but its grounds retain terracing and the layout of fine italianate gardens . The terraces head down to a histori..

Mainly devoted to European freshwater fish, this aquarium houses 70 species in open-air ponds. The advantage of this technique is to let the fish follow the rhythm of the seasons just as they do in their natural environment.

Leonardo would undoubtedly turn in his grave if he saw this daring structure with “hood”, created by Jean Nouvel , housing three auditoriums, conference and exhibition rooms!

Built in a Neo-Byzantine style from 1886 to 1924 by Victor Laloux. Inside the crypt, Saint Martin's Tomb draws numerous pilgrims around November 11.

Built in the 18C for the merchants of Tours, the building has a façade of sober elegance and a decorated courtyard.

The history of wines from Tours is explained in the storerooms of the church of St Julien. Tools and documents explain the viticultural process, the grape harvest, wine-making and the tufa-carved wine cellars.