Tours
The town of Tours is in the Indre-et-Loire department of the centre region (the Loire Valley), and it is the largest town in the region.
Tours is a busy, thriving town an hour to the south-west of Paris. Despite having quite a lot of modern development around the town it contains some interesting features that attract visitors and tourism.
The main attraction in Tours is around Place Plumereau, where the old town (vieille ville or 'le Vieux Tours') is found. Place Plumereau is also a great place to sit at one of the cafes and enjoy people-watching. Around the square are beautiful 12 to 15th century half timbered houses and it’s a great place to sit and have a drink or eat your lunch.
There are also a number of splendid and grand houses dating from the Renaissance period found in this part of the town. Look out for the Hotel Gouin with a lovely Renaissance façade. The archeaology museum is now housed in the building.
The Cathedral Saint-Gatien is also centrally placed, and contains the tombs of the children of Charles VIII. Most notable, although part of the cathedral dates from the 12th century, much of the western end was built in the 15th century in so-called 'flamboyant gothic' style.
Adjacent to the cathedral are the cloisters of la Psalette - an impressive structure in a mix of architectural styles part of the cloisters was once the room where religious chanting was practiced. The cloisters is now listed as one of 85 National Monuments in France - see Cloisters of La Psalette visitor information for more information and opening times.
Next to the cathedral is the Museum of Fine Arts housed in the Archbishops Palace. There is also a cedar tree in the garden of the Archbishops palace, famous for being planted by Napoleon.
Nearby is the Chateau of Tours but now only two towers remain. The Tour de Guise houses a wax-work museum and a Tropical Aquarium.
View along the river / Museum of Fine Arts
Be prepared for a fair bit of walking when you visit Tours as Place Plumereau is in one part of the centre of town. The cathedral and Archbishops Palace in another and then the main shopping area is a fair walk away around the Place Jean Jaures where the attractive Hotel de Ville and Palais de Justice can be found.
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Visit Tours (Centre, Indre-et-Loire) travel, gites and hotels
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The Tours hotels listed feature descriptions, guest reviews, ratings, location maps, online booking etc. as well as the 'best-price' guarantee. The search for hotels in Tours is provided by booking.com. General holiday / vacation options- See Centre gites for Tours holiday rentals Holidays nearbyLooking for something close by? See a wide choice of hotels, holiday villages and holiday rentals at: VisitSee Visit Tours for places to visit near Tours including: a detailed map, villages in bloom and most beautiful villages DiscussAsk questions or leave a comment about Tours in our Centre forum Airports near ToursAngers airport at 112 km Poitiers airport at 98 km Tours airport at 6 km Tours property for saleSee Centre property for sale
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Tourist Classifications for Tours
- Listed as "Ville d'Art et Histoire" (ie focus on preserving the town heritage)
- Town is "Ville Fleurie category 4" (ie good attention to gardens and flowers)
- approved Station Classée (resort paying particular attention to facilities for tourism)
Places to visit near Tours, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Tours.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
29 km: Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau (castle) 20 km: Chateau de Villandry (castle) 35 km: Crissay-sur-Manse (pretty village) 6 km: Tours airport (airport)
See also Tours (version Francais)
