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..

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..

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..

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..

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.

A recollection of the Saint's life and his influence recorded in texts and engravings at Saint John's Chapel. In France, 4 000 churches are dedicated to this saint! Here one will also discover the remains of several basilicas built over Saint Martin'..

Here visitors can see the Charlemagne Tower , the remains of the old basilica of Saint Martin (built from the 11C to the 13C over the tomb of the bishop of Tours). Opposite, is the 14C residence of the Dukes of Tours . The former Church of Saint D..

This 11C-13C church was formerly surrounded by monastic buildings and a cloister (now a little garden). It houses the musée du Compagnonnage .

This used to be the town's main thoroughfare before Pont Wilson was built, giving the role to rue Nationale. Walkers will pass a number of antique dealers and restaurants along this street. At n°41, the sign À la Pucelle armée on a half-timbered ho..