Tours

Tours is the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire, set on the banks of the Loire and the Cher. Founded in Roman times under the name Caesarodunum, it became a major pilgrimage site around the tomb of Saint Martin, and saw figures such as Gregory of Tours and Alcuin pass through. Louis XI developed silk-making there and the town was a royal capital under the Valois. It now has about 139,000 inhabitants, with over 370,000 in its urban area.

The Vieux-Tours quarter keeps half-timbered houses around Place Plumereau, lined with café terraces. You also see Saint-Gatien cathedral, the basilica of Saint-Martin and the Hôtel Goüin, a Renaissance mansion. A university town of more than 30,000 students, Tours also serves as a base for visiting the neighbouring Loire châteaux, along quays and cobbled streets easy to cover on foot.

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