Tours is a city in France, the préfecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the perfection of its local spoken French, and for the famous Battle of Tours in 732. It is also the site of the cycling race Paris-Tours.
Main sights Cathedral of ToursThe cathedral of Tours, dedicated to Saint Gatien, its canonized first bishop, was begun about 1170 to replace the just-started cathedral that was burnt out in 1166, during the quarrel between Louis VII of France and Henry II of England. The lowermost stages of the west towers (illustration, right) belong to the 12th century, but the rest of the west end is in the profusely detailed Flamboyant Gothic of the 15th century, completed just as the Renaissance was affecting less traditional patrons than bishops, in the pleasure châteaux of Touraine. These towers were being constructed at the same time as, for example, Château de Chenonceau.
When the 15th century illuminator Jean Fouquet was set the task of illumninating Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, his depiction of Solomon's Temple was modeled after the nearly-complete Cathedral of Tours. The atmosphere of the Gothic cathedral close permeates Honoré de Balzac's dark short novel of jealousy and provincial intrigues, Le Curé de Tours (The Curate of Tours) and his medieval story Maitre Cornelius opens within the cathedral itself.
LanguageThe inhabitants of Tours (Tourangeaux) are renowned for speaking the 'purest' form of French in the entire country. The pronunciation of Touraine is widely regarded as the most standard pronunciation of the French language, devoid of any perceived accent (unlike that of most other regions of France, including Paris). Gregory of Tours wrote in the 6th century that some people in his area could still speak Gaulish.
CityThe center of Tours has a population of 137,000. Tours is called 'Le Jardin de la France' ('The Garden of France'). There are several parks located within the city. Tours is located between two rivers, the Loire on the north and the Cher on the south. The buildings of Tours are white with blue slate (called Ardoise) roofs; this style is common in the north of France (in the south of France, most buildings have terra cotta roofs).
Tours is famous for the old part of the city, called Le Vieux Tours, with medieval half-timbered houses, and Place Plumereau, a square with busy pubs and restaurants, whose open-air tables fill the center of the square. Boulevard Beranger crosses Rue Nationale at Place Jean-Jaures, and is the location of weekly markets and fairs.
Near the cathedral, in the garden of the ancient Palais des Archevêques (now Musée des Beaux-Arts), is a huge cedar tree, planted by Napoleon.
TransportationToday, with its extensive rail (including TGV) and autoroute links to the rest of the country, Tours is a jumping off point for tourist visits to the Loire Valley and the chateaux of the kings.
Tours is on one of the main lines of the TGV. You can travel down the Western coast to Bordeaux in two hours and a half, or to the Mediterranean coast via Avignon and from there to Spain and Barcelona. It takes one hour by train from Tours to Paris by TGV. Tours has two main stations, a central station and St Pierre Des Corps, which is just outside the center, and is the station which trains that don't terminate in Tours go through.
Tours Loire Valley Airport connects the Loire Valley to London Stansted Airport. This link is provided by the Irish airline Ryanair. National connection to Figari on Corsica is available during the summer, too.
Tours doesn't have a metro rail system, instead there is a very efficient bus service, the main central stop being Jean Jaures, which is next to the Hôtel de Ville, and rue Nationale, the high street of Tours. A tram is planned to be built in the next few years.
Miscellaneous BirthsTours was the birthplace of:
