region

Region

Tours, Loire Valley

Alive, full of movement, Tours and the surrounding area can be discovered in many ways: aboard a small train or barouche down the alleyways of the town, by bicycle, or sail down the Loire.

A city of Art and History, a Gallo-Roman town, then the capital of the kingdom of France in the 15th and 16th centuries, Tours reveals its extraordinary artistic and architectural heritage.

What could be more quaint than the Plumereau quarter with its cobbled roads, its old cafés and half-timbered houses? By taking you on a tour of its churches, cathedral and basilica, Tours sets you on the tracks of Saint Martin, the city's third bishop, and of Balzac who set his Human Comedy in Touraine.

Go and visit the museums of Beaux Arts, Gemmail, Compagnonnage, Chateau de Tours exhibitions, or the Centre de Creation Contemporaine

Wander through its streets by day or night and discover the town, its flower market, antique shops in the old town, Loire river banks, flea markets, squares with their open-air entertainment and food markets.

Chinon, Bourgueil, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry

Welcome to the Indre valley, this display of greenery was used as a backdrop to Balzac's novel and most notably Saché, where the father of the Human Comedy used to come to regain his energy.

Also, try the many wines in this region. Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil invite you to discover their vineyards.

Touraine sparkles with all manner of jewels. Come and stroll through the gardens of Villandry or relive your childhood tales in the Sleeping Beauty château of Rigny-Ussé. Admire the château of Azay-le-Rideau, set in the Indre. Even more imposing, from the top of its rock spur, the château of Chinon, residence of the Plantagenets, which has been visited by so many illustrious characters.

If you are sensitive to village beauty, you will be delighted by this green corner is the setting of villages ranked among the most beautiful in France. Candes-Saint-Martin, nestling at the confluence of the Vienne and the Loire, Crissay-sur-Manse, not forgetting Villaines-les-Rochers, renowned for its artisanal basketwork. Or according to La Fontaine 'the most beautiful village in the universe' Richelieu !

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Last modified: February 14, 2003