The historic city of Tours is located in the Centre Region of France close to the junction of the Loire and the Cher rivers. Tours is considered to be the chief town of the Loire Valley and stands at the mid-point of the Loire Valley U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site - an area which has been recognised for its ‘exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments, chateaux and lands which have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself’.
Tours, with a population of 140,000, is the largest city within the Centre Region and is known for its unique medieval district, especially around the Place Plumereau, its highly decorated Gothic styled Tours Cathedral, and its surrounding wine producing district. Home to what many believe is the purest spoken French, Tours is the centre from which the exploration of the ‘Garden of France’, which is the synonym for the Loire Valley, begins.
The city of Tours is a busy and bustling, cosmopolitan centre and boasts wide boulevards, public gardens and a well maintained historic centre. The heart of medieval Tours is centred around the Place Plumereau where visitors can find multi-storied 12th to 15th century half-timbered houses and courtyards, cafes, museums and art galleries. Close to this area can also be found some beautiful Renaissance houses and the 15th century Cathedral St Gatien which contains the tombs of the children of Charles VIII. Adjacent to the Cathedral is the 15th century Cloisters of La Psalette, so called after the chanting of psalms, and the Museum of Fine Arts which is housed in the Archbishops Palace. Within the gardens of the Archbishops Palace stands an old cedar tree which was reputably planted by Napoleon.
Home to a variety of cafes, bars and restaurants, and thanks to its student population, a lively nightlife, Tours offers visitors an exciting destination and abundance of world class attractions. In addition since Tours is located within the Loire Valley it lies within close proximity to several notable wine centres such as the communes of Vouvray and Chinon, and numerous chateaux such as Chateau d’Usse, the Chateau de Chenonceau, the Chateau de Chambord and the Chateau de Villandry to name a few.
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