According to Balzac, Tours (toor; pop. 142,000) is “laughing, in love, fresh, flowery, and perfumed better than all the other cities of the world.” Although Balzac might have been confusing his birthplace with his idea of the perfect woman, Tours has charmed travelers and locals alike since the Roman era. Born out of the chaos of the Hundred Years’ War, the city reigned as the heart of the French kingdom in the 15th and 16th centuries. During WWII, Tours sustained enormous losses, and few monuments remain to attest to its former status. Today, joggers fill the paths along the banks of the Loire, and after sunset, the city’s 30,000 students take over the cafe-lined boulevards and the animated pl. Plumereau ( “place Plum” to locals). Famous for its lack of a local accent, this capital of “le bien-parlé” (“the well-spoken”) is the best place to perfect your French during a visit to the valley’s châteaux.
Place Jean Jaurès, with its two grandiose fountains, is the intersection of four boulevards in the centre-ville. The commercial rue Nationale, once part of the main road between Paris and Spain, runs north to the Loire, while avenue de Grammont reaches toward the Cher River to the south. Boulevard Béranger and boulevard Heurteloup run west and east, respectively, from pl. Jean Jaurès. The pedestrian vieille ville, the lively place Plumereau, and most historical sights are a 10min. walk northwest of pl. Jean Jaurès toward the Loire.
Rue Colbert and the streets around place Plumereau have dozens of pleasant outdoor options, including many crêperies with menus under €12. Bistros and pubs crowd place Jean Jaurès. Be sure to try the melt-in-your-mouth macarons à l’ancienne and anything aux pruneaux (with prunes). The light, fruity white wines of Vouvray, Monmousseau, and Montlouis are all worth a sip. In the summer, place des Halles, the indoor food market (open M-Sa 7:30am-noon and 2-7pm, Su 7:30am-1pm), extends outdoors Wednesday and Saturday mornings 7am-noon. The marché gourmand, place de la Résistance, sells gourmet products on the first Friday of the month (4-10pm). A marché traditionnel sells fresh produce Tuesdays (8am-noon) in front of the tourist office. Find groceries at the ATAC supermarket, 5 pl. du Maréchal Leclerc (open M-Sa 7:30am-8pm; AmEx/MC/V) or at the supermarket in Galeries Lafayette, north of pl. Jean Jaurès. (Open M-Sa 9am-7:30pm. AmEx/MC/V.)
Don’t forget to pick up a Carte Multi-Visites (€9; valid for 1 year), which offers access to Tours’s five museums and a guided tour of the city .
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien. Though not much is known about St-Gatien, this Gothic edifice with elaborate tracery was erected in his name. As the cathedral was built and rebuilt a total of five times over 1100 years, the intricate facade combines centuries of architectural caprice. The two Renaissance spires are unusually asymmetrical—the south is significantly shorter. It allegedly symbolizes royal power, while the north spire stands for spirituality—a not-so-subtle commentary on the balance between the two. The Psalette Cloister, on the north end of the cathedral, holds a model of François I’s staircase from the Château de Blois and was the location of a scene in Balzac’s La Comédie Humaine. (Pl. de la Cathédrale. Cathedral ☎02 47 70 21 00, cloister ☎02 47 47 05 19. Cathedral open daily 9am-7pm. Free. Bimonthly free concerts throughout the year. Cloister open May-Sept. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6pm; Oct.-Mar. Th-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-5pm; Apr. daily 10am-noon and 2-5:30pm; €3, students and under 18 €2.80.)
Musée De Compagnons. The ancestor of France’s infamous unions, the Compagnons is a semi-secret society that produces the nation’s most talented craftsmen. Though legend claims the Compagnons have been in existence since King Solomon first gathered men to build the Temple of Jerusalem, their origins can only be officially traced back as far as the Middle Ages, when the French first started building cathedrals. Discover their centuries of legacy and impressive handiwork—like a sugar palace the size of a table. (8 rue Nationale. ☎02 47 21 62 20. Open from mid-June to mid-Sept. M and W-Su 9am-12:30pm and 2-6pm; from mid-Sept. to mid-June 9am-noon and 2-6pm. €5, students and seniors €3, under 12 €2.)
Musée Des Beaux-Arts. A succession of stunning salons, the Musée des Beaux-Arts is located in what was once the archbishop’s palace. The architecture and outdoor gardens are as much of an attraction as the art within. The upper floors house art from the 17th to 19th centuries, including works by Delacroix, Monet, and Rodin. Outside, an impressive Lebanese cedar, planted during Napoleon’s reign, stretches its tortuous branches over 800 sq. m. (18 pl. François Sicard, next to the cathedral. ☎02 47 05 68 73; musee-beauxarts@ville-tours.fr. Museum open M and W-Su 9am-12:45pm and 2-6pm. Gardens open daily in high season 7am-8:30pm; in low season 7am-6pm. 1st Su of the month free. €4, seniors €2, students free.)
Musée Du Gemmail. Located in an ivy-strewn courtyard, this unique museum is dedicated to an art form that originated in Tours in the 1950s. Gemmail is a form of glass mosaic that, unlike stained glass, uses no metal in welding. Works range from original pieces to interpretations of classics, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Picasso’s Deux Femmes. Don’t miss the pieces in the 12th-century underground chapel, accessible through the door below the entrance. (7 rue du Murier. Off rue Bretonneau, near pl. Plumereau. ☎02 47 61 01 19. Open Mar.-Oct. Tu-Su 2-6:30pm. €6, students €4, ages 13-18 €3, under 12 €2.)
Towers Of Basilique Saint-Martin. The Tour de l’Horloge and Tour de Charlemagne reveal the incredible proportions of the fifth-century Basilique St-Martin. The two towers, fenced off due to their fragility, are all that remain following neglect and pillage after the Revolution. St-Martin, the city’s first bishop, now rests in the Nouvelle Basilique St-Martin, an ornate fin-de-siècle church designed by Victor Laloux, the architect of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. (Entrance on Rue Descartes. ☎02 47 05 63 87. Open daily 8am-8pm. Mass daily 11am.)
Other Sights. You may be surprised to find no châteaux drenched in Renaissance pomp in this Loire Valley city. Tours’s châteaux did not withstand the test of time; only one tower is left over from the glory days. Henri III had his archrival’s son, the second Duke of Guise, imprisoned here during the Wars of Religion, but the duke escaped by tricking his guards into hopping on one foot as he ran away. The tower now holds free temporary art exhibits throughout the year. (☎04 27 70 88 46.) For a breath of fresh air, head to Lac de la Bergeonnerie (also called Lac de Tours), a 10min. bus ride away on line #1.
The most happening nightlife is on place Plumereau , where lively cafes and bars overflow with chatty students in the summer. Three clubs on the square cluster together, while rue du Commerce, off pl. Plumereau, booms with busy bars. For the more theatrically inclined, The Olympia, 7 rue de Lucé (☎02 47 04 50 50), and Le Grand Théâtre de Tours, 34 rue de la Scellerie (☎02 47 60 20 00; www.tours.fr), put on productions year-round.
The Loire Valley is known not only for its royal châteaux, but also for its superlative wines. Cellars often offer free dégustations. Ask for a copy of the Route des Vignobles, free at the tourist office, which contains a comprehensive list of the 618 wine cellars. The Wine Tour, also run by Alienor (see above) offers tours of some of the region’s most famous vineyards. By bus, take #61 (20min., M-Sa 7 per day, €1.50) from pl. Jean Jaurès to Les Patis. (☎06 10 85 35 39. Red wine tour €60, lunch included; white wine tour €35.) In Montlouis, across the river to the south, 10 caves pour palatable dry whites. Trains run from Tours to Les Patis (10min., M-Sa 3 per day, €2.40).
Trains run to Chenonceau from Tours (30min., 8 per day 9am-9pm, €5.90). The station is in front of the château entrance. Fil Vert buses leave for Chenonceau from the post office in Amboise (25min., M-Sa 1 per day, €1.50) and Tours (1hr., M-Sa 2 per day, €1.50). Biking may be most convenient from Amboise. Château ☎02 47 23 90 07; www.chenonceau.com. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-8pm; Sept. and June 9am-7:30pm; Oct. 1-Oct. 27 9am-6:30pm; Oct. 28-Nov. 4 9am-6pm; Nov. 5-Feb. 9 9:30am-5pm; Feb. 10-Mar. 15 9:30am-6pm; Mar. 16-Mar. 31 9:30am-7pm; Apr.-May 9am-7pm. Light show 9:30-11pm. Castle €10, students €7.50. Entry to Château des Dames wax museum €9. IPod audio tour in 12 languages €12.
Perhaps France’s most elegant château, Chenonceau (shuh-nohn-soh) arches gracefully over the Cher River. Take the less traveled pedestrian walk for a view of the donkeys’ field, the 16th-century farm, and the flower garden. This château des dames (castle of the ladies) owes its beauty to centuries of female designers. Royal tax collector Thomas Bohier originally commissioned the Venetian-inspired château. During his stint in the Italian Wars (1513-21), his wife Katherine oversaw the château’s practical design, which features Italian staircases and four rooms branching from a central chamber. In 1547, King Henri II gave the château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, in line with official court rules, for her “great and commendable services.” Endowed with beauty, intelligence, and a thirst for wealth and fame, Diane turned the castle into a profitable venture, considerably boosting its value by adding luxurious gardens and an arched bridge over the Cher so she could hunt in the nearby forest. Later, Henri’s wife, Catherine de Medici, forced Diane to give up the castle in exchange for Chaumont . She designed her own gardens and the magnificent two-story gallery atop Diane’s bridge as a way to assert her superiority over her late husband’s mistress. You may notice that Diane’s chambers are stamped with Hs and Cs, the initials of the royal couple. When intertwined, these initials form the letter D (for Diane), an ambiguity that amused Henri more than it did his wife. The 60m long gallery is lit by 18 windows (nine on each side) overlooking the Cher and often hosts art exhibitions. During the world wars, the gallery served as a hospital. Perhaps the most peculiar chamber is that of Louise de Lorraine; its black paneling was meant to accommodate the 12 years during which she mourned the mysterious death of her husband, Henri III. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dupin family—who still owns the château today—lightened the mood, welcoming such visitors as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Flaubert. The nearby La Cave des Domes offers wine tastings for €2.50. (Open daily 10:30am-1pm and 2-6:15pm.)
Trains depart Tours for Savonnières (10min., 3 per day, €2.90). In June, Sept.-Oct., Fil Vert makes 2 trips W and Sa from Halte Routière to the tourist office in Villandry (9:05am; 1:05pm, return 12:42; 5:32pm; €1.50); July-Aug., the bus makes both trips daily. See for bus tours to the château. From Tours, cyclists can travel 15km west along D16, which winds past Villandry. Drivers should take D7. Château ☎02 47 50 02 09; www.chateauvillandry.com. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-6:30pm; Sept.-Oct. and from late Mar. to June 9am-6pm; Chrismas and holidays 9:30am-4:30pm; Feb. 9am-5pm; early Mar. 9am-5:30pm. Gardens open daily July-Aug. 9am-7:30pm; Sept. and from late Mar. to June 9am-7pm; Oct. 9am-6:30pm; early Nov. and Feb. 9am-5:30pm; early Mar. 9am-6pm. Free tours in French. Château and gardens €9, students €5. Gardens only €6/3.50. The tourist office, across from the château, has maps and train schedules. ☎02 47 50 12 66. Open July-Aug. M-Sa 10am-7pm, Su 10am-noon and 1-7pm; Sept.-Oct. and Jan.-Mar. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6pm; from Nov. to mid-Dec. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-5pm; Apr.-June daily 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6pm.
Villandry (veel-ahn-dree) lives up to its claim of having the most beautiful, geometrically intricate gardens in France. With 125,000 flowers and 85,000 vegetables (all weeded by hand), it is certainly among the largest. Built on the banks of the Cher River by Jean le Breton, minister to François I, the château was falling to pieces when a Spanish couple stumbled upon it in the 1920s. It was love at first sight between the couple and the château; the Carvallos decided to dedicate their lives to reconstructing the gardens and renovating Villandry. Save some euro and settle for a walk through Villandry’s main attraction—the gardens, which can be more enlightening than the castle itself.
The elegant grounds are designed according to three historical styles. The Potager, filled with aromatic and medicinal herbs, follows medieval tradition. The middle level unfolds in symmetric patterns typical of the Renaissance—each of its four square “gardens of love” is an allegory for a different type of love: tender, passionate, fickle, and tragic. The upper level, lined with lime groves, contains a Classical swan pool, with waterfalls that irrigate the rest of the grounds. An overgrown labyrinth completes the botanical experience.
Trains run from Tours to the town of Azay-le-Rideau (25min.; M-F 9 per day 7:35am-7:30pm, Sa 5 per day 9am-6:30pm, Su 3 per day 2-9pm; €4.90). Turn right from the station and head left on D57 for 20min. Buses run from the Tours train station to the tourist office (50min., 3 per day 6:40am-5:50pm, €5.40). Château ☎02 47 45 42 04. Open daily July-Aug. 9:30am-7pm; Sept. and Apr.-June 9:30am-6pm; Oct.-Mar. 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm. Last entry 45min. before close. Light show daily from early to mid-July 9:45-10:15pm; from mid-July to mid-Aug. 10pm; from mid-Aug. to mid-Sept. 9pm. Château and gardens €7.50, groups of 20 people €5.70 each, ages 18-25 €4.80, under 18 free; light show €9/7/5/free. The tourist office is at 4 rue du Château (☎02 47 45 44 40; www.ot-paysazaylerideau.fr). Open July-Aug. M-Sa 9am-7pm, Su 10am-6pm; Sept. and May-June M-Sa 9am-1pm and 2-6pm, Su 10am-1pm and 2-5pm; Oct.-Apr. M-Sa 9am-1pm and 2-6pm.)
Surrounded by acres of trees and grass atop a dreamy island in the Indre River, the floating château at Azay-le-Rideau (ah-zay-luh-ree-doh) stands on the ruins of a fortress. The village acquired the nickname “Azay-le-Brûlé” (Azay the Burned) during the Hundred Years’ War, when Charles VII, insulted by a castle guard rooting for the British, razed it to the ground in revenge. The corrupt financier Gilles Berthelot bought the land and built a new castle on the ruins of the old—with state money. Though smaller than François I’s Chambord , the château was intended to rival its contemporary in beauty. Berthelot succeeded so thoroughly that he had to flee the country before the king could have him executed, leaving his wife and his beloved, unfinished castle. In symbolic punishment, François I seized the château as royal property.
Azay’s Renaissance style is apparent in the furniture and the ornate Italian second-floor staircase carved with the faces of 10 Valois kings and queens and lit by open windows. Portraits of the royal family and other members of the 16th- and 17th-century French aristocracy hang on the walls. The Gothic influence appears in the grande salle (grand drawing room), where 16th-century tapestries still hang. Before leaving Azay, take a romantic stroll through the misty grounds and listen to the croaking of the frogs that inhabit the moat.
Trains and buses run from Tours to Chinon (45min.; M-F 8 per day, Sa 4 per day, Su 3 per day; €8.20). SNCF buses also leave the Tours station for Chinon (M-F 3 per day, Su 1 per day; €8.20). To drive from Tours, take D751 southwest (dir.: Azay-le-Rideau).
Resting between the banks of the Vienne River and the crumbling château where Richard the Lionheart drew his last breath, Chinon (shee-nohn) was one of the most important cities in France under the reign of Henri II, king of England and Anjou. Its glory days left behind a charming town whose narrow, cafe-filled streets rest at the foot of the hill crowned by Chinon’s former fortress. In honor of native son and great Renaissance philosopher-writer François Rabelais, the town’s streets and establishments bear his characters’ names. Vineyards that produce the region’s renowned red wines and the distinctive confiture de vin de Chinon, a delicious wine jam, surround Chinon.
For a charming stroll from town, take the less traveled Impasse du Roberdeau past ivy-covered ramparts to reach the ruins of Chinon’s 10th-century château, scheduled to be under extensive restoration until early 2009. The grounds host three fortresses connected by underground tunnels. The 14th-century Tour de l’Horloge has withstood the Hundred Years’ War, the Wars of Religion, and the French Revolution without a blemish, protected by the popular legend that anyone who captures the bell tower will die a horrible death. Its bell, called Marie Javelle, has allegedly struck every half-hour since 1399. The Musée de Jeanne d’Arc, which occupies the three-story tower, is dedicated to the young warrior, who met with the dauphin in the grande salle of the château in 1429. As the story goes, the dauphin, to make sure she was not a fake, hid in the crowd while a guard sat in his throne. Joan picked out the true dauphin, dispelling all doubts Charles VII might have had about her intuition. Slideshows detailing Joan’s military campaigns are screened in French. (☎02 47 93 13 45; www.cg37.fr. Open daily Apr.-Sept. 9am-7pm; Oct.-Mar. 9:30am-5pm. Ticket office closes 30min. earlier. For free tours in English, French, or German, call ahead. €3.50, students and under 16 €2. MC/V.)
After visiting the castle, enjoy a wine tasting at Caves Plouzeau, 94 rue Haute St-Maurice, in the heart of the vieille ville. Marc Plouzeau conducts free tours in a cave (wine cellar) beneath the château. (☎02 47 93 32 11; www.plouzeau.com. Open Apr.-Sept. Tu-Sa 11am-1pm and 3-7pm; Oct.-Mar. Sa 11am-1pm and 3-7pm.) The Caves Painctes de Chinon, rue Voltaire, form a network of underground tunnels and cellars beneath Chinon’s castle. With chandeliers constructed from empty wine bottles and a natural fountain, this cave was where Rabelais stored his wine. (☎02 47 93 30 44; www.caves-painctes.abcsalles.com. Tours July-Aug. Tu-Su 11am, 3, 4:30, 6pm. €5; includes dégustation. )
On the third Saturday in August, all of Chinon turns out for Marché à l’Ancienne, which features regional foods like fouaces (a popular medieval pastry immortalized by Rabelais in one of his novels) and a parade of citizens costumed in late-19th-century garb. The Avoine Zone Blues brings jazz, blues, and rock groups from France and elsewhere in the first weekend of July. (☎02 47 98 11 15. Tickets from €30, students from €15; some concerts free.) Cinéma Le Rabelais, 31 bis pl. du Général de Gaulle, plays French and American films nightly. (☎08 92 68 47 07. Tickets €7.50, students €6.)
Stroll along rue Voltaire and near place de l’Hôtel de Ville to find the best cheap meals in town. In a 15th-century house, quiet La Bonne France , 4 pl. de la Victoire, offers regionally themed formules, such as the “Provence” or “Touraine” (€15), as well as tasty €26 menus. (☎02 47 98 01 34. Open M-Tu and F-Su noon-1:30pm and 7-9pm, Th noon-1pm. MC/V.) Find a Shopi supermarket at 22 pl. de l’Hôtel de Ville (open M-Sa 7:30am-7:30pm, Su 8:30am-12:30pm; AmEx/MC/V) and an open-air market Thursdays (open 7am-1pm) on place Jeanne d’Arc and Sundays (open 7am-1pm) on place de l’Hôtel de Ville.
Bikes are available at Detours de Loire, 12 pl. Jeanne d’Arc, which offers several pickup and dropoff locations along the Loire, including Blois and Tours. (☎02 47 93 36 92; www.locationdevelos.com. Bikes €15 per day. Tandems €40 per day. Open daily 9am-7pm. Cash only.) L’Étape en Chinonais, 27 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in front of the tourist office, also rents bikes. (☎02 47 95 92 08; www.loirevelonature.com. €8 per ½-day, €15 per day. Open Tu-Su 9am-8pm. MC/V.) To reach the tourist office, pl. d’Hofheim, from the station, take a left and walk beside the river along rue Descartes—which becomes quai Jeanne d’Arc—for 20min., then turn right at Rabelais’s statue onto pl. de l’Hôtel de Ville. Continue onto pl. du Général de Gaulle and turn onto rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the back right corner of the square. The office is on the left. (☎02 47 93 17 85. Accommodation service €2.50. Walking tours May-Sept. €4.70, students €2.50. Night tours €5/3. Petit train tour July-Aug. 6 times per day; €5.50. Office open May-Sept. daily 9am-7pm; Oct.-Apr. M-Sa 10am-12:30pm and 2-6pm.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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