Tours in the Loire Valley, France

Tours, one of the principle cities of the Loire Valley hovers between the style of Paris and the sturdiness of central France.

It is a smart, solid bourgeois type of place that is filled with parks, imposing public buildings, wide 18^th century boulevards and is also home to a busy university.

Sights

Musee de Beaux-Arts

Open: 9am -12.45 &2 - 6pk Wed - Mon

The Musee de Beaux-Arts is arranged round the courtyard of the former archbishop's palace.

This art museum is a fine example of a French provincial arts museum.

Whilst wandering around here look out for works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet, Degas and Delacroix.

The Cathedrale St Gatien

Open: 9am -7pm

The Cathedrale St Gatien features twin towers, Gothic arches and is famed for its stained glass.

The interior dates from the 13^th - 16^th centuries and the domed tops of the towers dates from the Renaissance.

The Musee du Compagnonnage

Open: 9am - 12.30pm & 2 - 6pm mid Jun - mid Sep, 9am - noon & 2 - 6pm Wed - Mon mid Sep - mid Jun

This is where all of France's skilled laborers such as pastry chefs, coopers and locksmiths are celebrated.

The Botanic Garden

Open: 7.45 - sunset

Amongst Tours public parks there is the Botanic Garden. The Botanic Garden is a five-hectare landscaped park.

Within the park there is a tropical greenhouse, a petting zoo and a medicinal herb garden.

Budget Accommodation

Auberge de Jeunesse du Vieux Tours - This hostel is friendly and bustling with foreign students and young workers. There are several kitchens and lounges in the hostel but no en-suite rooms.

Hotel Regina - This hotel is a real cheapie that offers simple rooms with mix and match furniture. You can ask for a room with a shower or a shower and toilet.

There is a 1am curfew here.

Hotel Val de Loire- The hotel is situated in an 1870 townhouse that features parquet floors, scruffy furniture and faded rugs.

There is double- glazing to shut out the noise of the road.

Around Tours

Tours is a great place to be based for exploring nearby chateaux

Chateau de Chenonceau (www.chenonceau.com)

Open: 9am -8pm Jul - Aug, 9am - 7.30pm Jun & Sep, 9am -7om Apr & May, 9.30 am - 5pm or 6pm the rest of the year.

The Chateau de Chenonceau is not only the busiest chateau in the Loire but it is also the most architecturally attractive.

It is topped by towers and turrets and is surrounded by a glassy moat.

The highlight of the chateau is the stunning 60m long Grande Gallerie that spans the River Cher.

Azay-le-Rideau

Open: 9.30am - 7pm Jul & Aug, 9.30am - 6pm Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am -12.30pm & 2 - 5.30pm Oct - Mar

This was built on an island in the River Indre in the 1500's.

The Azay-le-Rideau is ringed by a moat and decorated with ordered turrets, decorated stonework and geometric windows.

It can also boast a famous loggia staircase.

The Chateau de Langeais

Open: 9.30am - 7pm Jul & Aug, to 6.30 pm Feb _ Jun & Sep -mid Nov, 10am - 5pm mid Nov - Jan

The chateau de Langeais is believed to be the oldest in France. It comes with a great medieval atmosphere, a ruined 10^th century donjon, crenellated battlements and a working drawbridge.

Source: Europe on a Shoestring - The Lonely Planet