When to go to Tours?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: April to June and September
At a glance
Why go to Tours?
Tours is often hurried through by people heading for the Loire châteaux. Yet it is a city you happily settle into: 139,000 inhabitants, a carefully restored old centre, a student life that keeps the café terraces buzzing until late, and two rivers, the Loire to the north and the Cher to the south, that shape its walks. A designated Ville d'Art et d'Histoire, it is part of the UNESCO-listed Loire Valley.
The heritage is concentrated in an area you can cover on foot. To the east, around Saint-Gatien Cathedral and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, lies the bishop's city with its Gallo-Roman remains. To the west, around Place Plumereau and the Basilica of Saint-Martin, is the medieval merchants' quarter, its half-timbered houses and the memory of the city's most famous bishop. Between the two, Rue Nationale runs down to the Loire and the Musée du Compagnonnage.
Finally, Tours makes a handy starting point. Ronsard's priory is 3 km away, the gardens of Villandry 15 km, and the valley's other châteaux, Amboise, Chenonceau or Azay-le-Rideau, are all under an hour away. It is a destination for couples on a weekend break, families who want to combine city and cycling, and lovers of Touraine wines.
Map of Tours: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Place Plumereau
- Saint-Gatien Cathedral
- Musée des Beaux-Arts
- Basilica of Saint-Martin
- Musée du Compagnonnage
- Château de Villandry
How much does a trip to Tours cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €55-80 a day | small hotel in the centre or shared room, meals at Les Halles and lunch menus, free cathedral, basilicas and gardens, one museum a day. |
| Comfort | €110-160 a day | three-star hotel near the station, restaurants at lunch and dinner, the city's museums, Villandry and Saint-Cosme, a wine tasting. |
| Premium | €250 and up a day | château hotel in the valley, fine dining, private visits to wine estates, a hire car for touring the Loire châteaux. |
The city's Carte 4 Musées, at €14.50, covers the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Musée du Compagnonnage, the Natural History Museum and the Château de Tours. On the first Sunday of the month, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Château de Tours are free. Under-26s get free entry to the municipal museums.
Is Tours safe?
Tours is a calm city. In the evening, Place Plumereau and the surrounding streets are very lively on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with noise that goes on late: avoid staying right above them if you are a light sleeper. Watch your belongings on the tram and at the station at rush hour. Along the Loire, swimming is forbidden and dangerous: the river has strong currents, shifting sandbanks and a bed that changes from one year to the next. By bike, the Loire à Vélo routes are well signposted, but some stretches run alongside busy roads, so wear a helmet and a hi-vis vest.
What to see and do in Tours
- Place Plumereau and old Tours
- Saint-Gatien Cathedral
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours
- Basilica of Saint-Martin and Tour Charlemagne
- Musée du Compagnonnage
- Prieuré Saint-Cosme, Ronsard's home
- Tours Botanical Garden
- Château de Villandry
Place Plumereau and old Tours
Old Tours grew up around two poles: the Gallo-Roman city of Caesarodunum, home to the cathedral and the castle, and the town of Châteauneuf, which sprang up around the tomb of Saint Martin. The districts in between merged in the Middle Ages, and a single wall enclosed them in 1356. Place Plumereau, the former Carroi aux Chapeaux, was Châteauneuf's trading crossroads: its 15th- and 16th-century half-timbered houses, with jettied upper floors and carved posts, survived the bombing that destroyed thousands of buildings in 1940 and 1944. In 1961, mayor Jean Royer and architect Pierre Boille launched the restoration of the quarter, which served as a model for the Malraux law on conservation areas the following year. Today, Rue Briçonnet, Rue du Grand-Marché and Rue du Change form a pedestrian area where you can spot the Hôtel Goüin and its Renaissance façade, hidden courtyards and little shops. In the evening, the square's terraces draw students from one of the largest university cities on the Loire.
Saint-Gatien Cathedral
The cathedral dedicated to the first bishop of Tours was built from 1170 to 1547, which explains its mix of styles: the transept and the base of the towers are Romanesque and early Gothic, the choir is 13th-century, the nave 14th- and 15th-century, and the Flamboyant façade, with its three portals, is crowned by two towers completed during the Renaissance, the north tower in 1507 at 68 metres and the south tower in 1547 at 69 metres. The building is 100 metres long and 29 metres high beneath the vault. The 13th-century choir windows form a complete and intact set of medallion stained glass, complemented by the transept rose windows and the nave windows. In one chapel, the tomb of the children of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany, who died in infancy, combines the work of Michel Colombe's workshop and an Italian sculptor. The Psalette cloister, to the north, takes its name from the school where choirboys were taught the psalms; its Renaissance galleries and spiral staircase served as the setting for Balzac's novel The Vicar of Tours.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours
A first museum opened in Tours as early as 1795 with works seized from the abbeys and châteaux of Touraine, including that of Richelieu. It has since occupied the archbishops' palace, a group of 17th- and 18th-century buildings set against the Gallo-Roman wall, remains of which can be seen in the garden. The displays follow a chronological route: Italian primitives, with the two Mantegna panels, the Agony in the Garden and the Resurrection, which belonged to the predella of the San Zeno altarpiece; Flemish and Dutch painting with Rubens and Rembrandt's Flight into Egypt; grand 18th-century decorative schemes; then Delacroix, Degas and Monet. Modern art galleries round off the visit. In the courtyard, Fritz, an Asian elephant from the Barnum circus put down in Tours, has been on display, stuffed, since the early 20th century. The cedar of Lebanon in the French formal garden is a listed tree and one of the city's emblematic sights.
Basilica of Saint-Martin and Tour Charlemagne
A Roman soldier turned monk, Martin was elected bishop of Tours in 371 and died in 397; in the Middle Ages his tomb became one of the main pilgrimage sites in the Western world, on the road to Santiago de Compostela. As early as the 6th century, Gregory of Tours described a basilica 160 feet long, and the Romanesque collegiate church that succeeded it was one of the largest churches in France. Damaged during the Wars of Religion and then sold off in the Revolution, it was demolished in the early 19th century, and Rue des Halles runs through its former nave. Two Romanesque towers survive in isolation: the Tour de l'Horloge and the Tour Charlemagne, which partly collapsed in 1928 and was restored from 1962 to 1964. The saint's tomb was rediscovered in 1860 during excavations, and the present neo-Byzantine basilica was built above it from 1886 by Victor Laloux, the architect of Tours station and town hall, and consecrated in 1925. In the crypt, walls covered in ex-votos bear witness to a devotion that is still alive, especially around 11 November.
Musée du Compagnonnage
Founded by Roger Lecotté and opened on 1 April 1968, the museum occupies the buildings of the former Abbey of Saint-Julien, at the top of Rue Nationale, near the Pont Wilson. It is the oldest and leading museum in France devoted to compagnonnage, the training system for craftsmen who made a Tour de France from town to town, lodged with the Mère and mentored by their elders. The galleries display the masterpieces made for admission, virtuoso pieces meant to prove mastery of a trade: double-helix staircases a few tens of centimetres tall, model timber frames, wrought-iron gates, set pieces in sugar or chocolate, barrels and show shoes. Canes, ribbons, engravings and archives recall the history of the rival societies, the Devoirs, their initiation rites and their 19th-century brawls. Hundreds of trades are represented, from tanning to cooking, and you leave with a fresh eye for the timber frames and staircases of old Tours.
Château de Villandry
Jean Le Breton, secretary of state to Francis I who had overseen the building of Chambord, bought a medieval fortress on the banks of the Cher, near its confluence with the Loire, in 1532 and replaced it with a Renaissance château that was almost finished by 1536; only the old keep was kept. In the 19th century, the estate lost its gardens, replaced by an English-style park. In 1906, the Spanish doctor Joachim Carvallo and his American wife Ann Coleman bought Villandry and spent years recreating Renaissance gardens based on the drawings of Jacques Androuet du Cerceau. The result covers more than six hectares on four levels of terraces: the ornamental kitchen garden, nine squares of vegetables in alternating colours planted twice a year; the ornamental garden, with clipped box depicting the allegories of love; the water garden around a mirror pool; a maze and a sun garden. The furnished château can be visited in an hour, and the belvedere gives a bird's-eye view of the whole. The Carvallo family still owns the estate.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Two days are enough for the city, its museums and its old quarter. Three to four days let you add Villandry, Ronsard's priory and a day's cycling along the Loire or the Cher.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Tours guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of France
weekend (2 days)
Day 1: Saint-Gatien Cathedral and the Psalette cloister in the morning, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, lunch in old Tours, the Basilica of Saint-Martin and the Tour Charlemagne, Place Plumereau at aperitif time. Day 2: the Musée du Compagnonnage, a stroll along the Loire, the botanical garden, and an afternoon at the Château de Villandry.
4-5 days
Days 1 and 2: as for the weekend. Day 3: the Prieuré Saint-Cosme in the morning, then the Loire à Vélo westwards to Villandry, returning by bike or, in summer, by bus. Day 4: Vouvray and its troglodyte cellars, a tasting, then Amboise. Day 5: Chenonceau in the morning, returning via Montlouis-sur-Loire.
one week
Days 1 to 3: Tours, Villandry and Saint-Cosme. Day 4: Amboise and the Clos Lucé. Day 5: Chenonceau and the banks of the Cher. Day 6: Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon. Day 7: Vouvray, a last tasting and the market at Les Halles de Tours before leaving.
Getting there and getting around
The TGV links Paris-Montparnasse with Saint-Pierre-des-Corps in about an hour, with a five-minute rail shuttle to Tours station, right in the centre; a few TGVs run directly to Tours. Regional trains serve Amboise, Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon.
In the city, the tram crosses the centre from north to south along Rue Nationale and links the station to the Loire. Old Tours, the cathedral and the museums are all walkable. Cycling is a good way to reach the Prieuré Saint-Cosme or Villandry via the Loire à Vélo route.
If driving, use the underground car parks in the centre, as on-street parking is paid and limited. A car is only useful for taking in several châteaux on the same day.
Where to stay in Tours?
Budget: the small independent hotels in the centre, around the station, Rue Colbert and Place de la Résistance, have rooms at €60-90. The budget chains on the outskirts are cheaper but mean taking the tram or the car.
Comfort: the three- and four-star hotels on Boulevard Heurteloup and around the station charge €100-170, convenient if you arrive by train. B&Bs in old Tours, set in historic houses, fall within the same range.
Our pick: stay in a château in the valley south of the city, between Veigné and Montbazon, where hotel estates offer grounds and a pool twenty minutes from the centre. Or choose a room overlooking the Loire, to watch the river change colour in the morning.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Tours?
Tours claims two charcuterie specialities: rillettes, slow-cooked in fat, and rillons, large chunks of pork belly preserved and browned. You eat them as a starter or with an aperitif, alongside a white Vouvray or Montlouis. Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine goat's cheese, with its straw through the middle, completes the board.
For wine, Touraine covers the full range: Chenin from Vouvray and Montlouis, dry, off-dry, sweet or sparkling, and Cabernet Franc reds in Chinon and Bourgueil. Many estates welcome visitors for tastings less than twenty minutes from the city.
Les Halles de Tours, on Place Gaston-Paillhou, bring butchers, cheesemongers and greengrocers together under one roof. For something sweet, look out for nougat de Tours, a candied-fruit cake on a shortcrust base, and the macarons of Cormery. In restaurants, lunch menus in old Tours cost around €18-28.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Tours
When is the best time to visit Tours?
April to June and September, when the gardens of Villandry and Saint-Cosme are in bloom or being harvested and temperatures stay mild. July and August are hot, around 26°C in the afternoon, but livened up by the guinguettes along the Loire.
How many days should you spend in Tours?
Two days for the city and its museums, three or four to add Villandry, Ronsard's priory and a day's cycling. A week lets you visit the valley's great châteaux while keeping Tours as your base.
Can you get to Villandry without a car?
Yes. In summer, a bus links Tours to Villandry; the rest of the year, you will need to rely on a bike or a taxi. The Loire à Vélo route passes 500 metres from the château, about 15 km from the centre of Tours.
Which museum should you choose if you are short of time?
The Musée des Beaux-Arts, next to the cathedral, for its Mantegnas and its cedar of Lebanon. If you are travelling with children or love craftsmanship, the Musée du Compagnonnage is more unusual and takes an hour to visit.
Is Tours a good base for the Loire châteaux?
Yes. Amboise, Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon and Villandry are less than an hour away, most of them served by train or bus. The city offers a wider choice of hotels and restaurants than the château villages.
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