Tours: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Tours grew around the tomb of Saint Martin, the 4th-century bishop who cut his cloak in two for a beggar. For the whole Middle Ages pilgrims came to his grave, and the city had two centres: the cathedral in the east and Martin's basilica in the west. This walk links them through the old town. Most of it was badly bombed in 1940, so look for what survived.
A short history of Tours
The Romans called the city Caesarodunum, and it was a centre of the Turones tribe, from whom the name Tours comes. In 371 Martin became bishop of the city, and his tomb became one of the great pilgrimage sites of Gaul. In 732, between Tours and Poitiers, Charles Martel halted the army of al-Andalus. In the 15th century Louis XI developed the silk industry here. In 1799 the novelist Honoré de Balzac was born in Tours. In 1870, during the war with Prussia, the French government sat here for a short time, and in 1940 bombing burned a large part of the centre.
The ten best sights in Tours
1Cathédrale Saint-GatienGothic built over almost four centuries; the 13th-century choir windows are the treasure
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2Cloître de la Psalette
The cathedral cloister, quiet and Renaissance; climb the spiral stair to the upper gallery
3Musée des Beaux-ArtsTwo Mantegna panels and a giant cedar in the courtyard, in the old archbishop's palace
4Basilique Saint-MartinThe pilgrimage church over the tomb of Saint Martin; the crypt is the heart
5Tour CharlemagneA great tower left standing from the medieval basilica, now in the street
6Musée du CompagnonnageMasterpieces by French craftsmen: tiny staircases, roofs and cakes; surprising and loved
7Château de ToursWhat is left of the royal castle by the river, used for photo exhibitions
8Prieuré de Saint-CosmeRonsard's priory and grave in a rose garden, at the western edge of the city
9Synagogue de ToursThe city's synagogue, south of the station; check service times before visiting
10Château de VillandryThe famous kitchen gardens, 13 km west; climb the keep to see the pattern
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What is an audio walk?
Tours in Tours →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Tours:
Free walking tours in Tours
Saint Martin's city
Tours grew around the tomb of Saint Martin, the 4th-century bishop who cut his cloak in two for a beggar. For the whole Middle Ages pilgrims came to his grave, and the city had two centres: the cathedral in the east and Martin's basilica in the west. This walk links them through the old town. Most of it was badly bombed in 1940, so look for what survived.
- Basilique Saint-Martin · The great medieval basilica was pulled down after the Revolution, and Martin's tomb was rediscovered under the houses in 1860. The new basilica was built over it by Victor Laloux, the architect of the Tours railway station.
- Tour Charlemagne · The tower stood at the end of the old basilica's transept and is named after Luitgard, the wife of Charlemagne, who died in Tours in 800 and was said to be buried beneath it. Half of it collapsed in 1928 and was rebuilt.
- Hôtel Goüin · The Renaissance mansion burned in the bombing of June 1940, but its carved stone front survived. The house was rebuilt behind it and is now used for exhibitions.
- Musée du Compagnonnage · The compagnons are French craft brotherhoods that train young workers on a tour of France from town to town. To be accepted, each makes a 'masterpiece', and hundreds of them are shown here, in the dormitory of the old abbey of Saint-Julien.
- Cathédrale Saint-Gatien · Building went on from the 1170s to the 1540s, so the cathedral moves from early Gothic in the choir to Renaissance at the top of the towers. Inside is the white marble tomb of two children of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany, who died as infants.
- Musée des Beaux-Arts · The cedar of Lebanon in the courtyard was planted in 1804 and is now one of the largest in France. In a shed beside it stands Fritz, a circus elephant who went wild in Tours in 1902 and was put down.
Châteaux of the Cher and Indre
West and south-west of Tours, where the Cher and the Indre run towards the Loire, lie some of the most graceful châteaux of the valley. The route starts at two places on the city's edge tied to a king and a poet, then crosses to the gardens of Villandry and the river château of Azay. It returns by Balzac's house and the fortress of Luynes. Allow a long day.
- Château de Plessis-lèz-Tours · Louis XI spent his last years in this brick château, afraid of assassins and surrounded by guards. He died here on 30 August 1483; only one wing of the château survives.
- Prieuré de Saint-Cosme · The poet Pierre de Ronsard was prior here for the last twenty years of his life. He died in the priory in December 1585 and is buried in the ruined church, among roses.
- Château de Villandry · Villandry was the last of the great Renaissance châteaux built on the Loire, finished in 1536. In 1906 the Spanish doctor Joachim Carvallo bought it and recreated its Renaissance gardens, including a kitchen garden laid out like a pattern of vegetables.
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau · Gilles Berthelot, a royal financier, built Azay on an island in the Indre in the 1510s and 1520s. He fell from favour and fled before it was done, and the king took the château.
- Château de Saché, Musée Balzac · Honoré de Balzac, born in Tours, came often to this house of family friends to write in peace. Here he worked on Le Père Goriot and set Le Lys dans la vallée in the valley outside his window.
- Château de Luynes · Charles d'Albert, the favourite of Louis XIII, was made Duke of Luynes in 1619 and the castle took his title. His descendants, the dukes of Luynes, still own it.
Along the river
Tours lies between two rivers, the Loire to the north and the Cher to the south, and its oldest life was by the Loire bank. This route follows that bank from the royal castle to the cliffs of Vouvray, past the abbey Saint Martin founded. It can be done by bike on the Loire à Vélo path. End with a glass of Vouvray in a cave.
- Château de Tours · Its round tower is named after the young Duke of Guise, son of the duke murdered at Blois, who was imprisoned here after 1588. He escaped in 1591 by sliding down a rope from the tower.
- Cloître de la Psalette · Balzac set his novel Le Curé de Tours in the shadow of the cathedral and its cloister. The cloister takes its name from the choirboys' school, the psalette, which once met here.
- Pont Wilson · The stone bridge was completed in the 1770s and carried the main road from Paris to Spain. In April 1978 four of its arches collapsed into the Loire, and the bridge was rebuilt to look as before.
- Abbaye de Marmoutier · Saint Martin founded a community of monks here around 372, in caves along the cliff. It grew into one of the great abbeys of France before it was sold off and demolished after the Revolution.
- La Lanterne de Rochecorbon · The tower on the cliff top is all that stands of the medieval castle of Rochecorbon. Along the road below, homes and wine cellars are dug straight into the tufa.
- Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray · Vouvray has been a protected appellation since 1936 and uses only Chenin Blanc. In good years its sweet wines can age for decades in the cold tufa galleries.
Getting to Tours and getting around
- Gare de Tours · The central station; most TGVs stop at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and a shuttle train runs in 5 minutes
- Gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps · The TGV station east of the centre: about an hour to Paris
- Aéroport Tours Val de Loire · A small airport north of the city with a few low-cost routes, mostly seasonal
Cheap eats in Tours
Tours sits in the middle of Touraine, the 'garden of France', and is proud of its pork: rillettes, the cold shredded spread, and rillons, cubes of crisp-cooked belly. Add goat's cheese from Sainte-Maure, river fish, and wines from Vouvray and Chinon within an hour's drive. A student city of tens of thousands, it is cheap to eat in: the lanes around Place Plumereau are packed with sandwich shops, crêperies and kebab counters.
- Les Halles · Market counters for oysters, rillettes and cheese, about €8-15
- Paul Meunier · Award-winning bakery near Plumereau; a sandwich about €5-7
- Madame Moustache (café-cantine) · Café-canteen with a daily lunch plate, about €10-14
- Balzac Burger · Burgers in the old town, about €10-14
- Cesar Sandwichs · Cheap sandwiches and paninis, about €5-8
- Beurre Noisette · Coffee and cakes, about €4-8
- Palais Sucré · Pastries on the way to the station, about €3-6
Museums in Tours
- Musée des Beaux-Arts · Mantegna, Rembrandt and French painting, plus Fritz the elephant
- Musée du Compagnonnage · Allow an hour; the craft models are astonishing
- Château de Tours · Photography shows by the river, often free
- Château de Villandry · Inside, Spanish paintings and a Moorish ceiling
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau · The open Italian staircase and the river views
Holy places in Tours
- Basilique Saint-Martin · Go down to the tomb in the crypt
- Cathédrale Saint-Gatien · Stand in the choir to see the 13th-century glass
- Cloître de la Psalette · A peaceful half hour beside the cathedral
- Synagogue de Tours · An active synagogue; contact the community before visiting
- Prieuré de Saint-Cosme · Ronsard's grave and his rose garden
Nature and day trips near Tours
- Jardin Botanique · Glasshouses and a small animal park, free
- Jardin des Prébendes d'Oé · A romantic 19th-century park near the station
- Parc du Lac de la Bergeonnerie · A lake by the Cher for an evening run
- Château de Villandry · The vegetable garden changes with every season
- Île Simon · A wooded island in the Loire in the middle of the city
Where to eat in Tours
- Le Bouchon Tourangeau · Touraine dishes and local wine on Plumereau
- La Manufacture · Bistro dinner in the old town
- Le Colvert · French cooking with a terrace
- La Bigouden · Breton galettes and cider
- Guinguette Tours sur Loire · Summer nights, music and drinks by the water
Frequently asked questions about Tours
What is there to see in Tours?
The top sights in Tours are Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, Cloître de la Psalette and Musée des Beaux-Arts. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Tours?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Tours without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Tours?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Tours, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Saint Martin's city.
How do you get to Tours and get around?
The main ways are Gare de Tours, Gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and Aéroport Tours Val de Loire. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Tours, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Tours that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Tours for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.