Tours

Tours grew from a Roman settlement into a medieval powerhouse, its fortune tied to the Loire River and its position on pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. By the 15th century, it rivaled Paris as a seat of royal power under Louis XI. That golden age left its mark—the cathedral's soaring Gothic facade, the turreted mansions of the old quarter, the half-timbered facades along rue Colbert. Today the city wears its history without pretension. The university keeps it young; students fill the cafés and bookshops. The Loire Valley's châteaux lie within easy reach, but Tours itself rewards slow walking—the riverside promenades, the botanical gardens, the small museums tucked into Renaissance townhouses. It's a working city, not a museum piece, with a genuine local life that doesn't pause for tourists.