Tours and the finest cities in Touraine
Sitting at a terrace on the famous Place Plumereau in Tours, strolling down the medieval streets of Loches or Chinon, climbing down the slope at the Château d’Amboise to reach the banks of the Loire… it all sounds pretty appealing, doesn’t it?
Laid-back and vibrant, Tours won’t disappoint, but there are other beautiful towns with wonderful surprises in store for you. Listed as ‘towns of art and history’, Chinon and Loches are permeated with a medieval atmosphere. How lovely it is to wander around these towns, making your way to the royal fortress in Chinon and the royal city in Loches!
Of course, alongside the Loire, no less can be said of Amboise, which rightly takes pride in being the location of the châteaux which were home to King François 1st, Leonardo da Vinci and Don Pacello, the iconic landscape gardener of the Italian Renaissance. Walking around, you’re bound to hear snippets of English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian and Korean as it’s definitely a magnet for international visitors!
And if you think you’ve seen it all, then think again. Touraine is home to Chédigny, the only French village listed as a ‘remarkable garden’, Richelieu (the town of the famous cardinal), the abbey town of Beaulieu-les-Loches (Petite Cité de Caractère), and three other villages ranked among the most beautiful in France: Montrésor, Candes-Saint-Martin and Crissay-sur-Manse.