Touring Tours
This recent family trip to France has been about visiting chateaus and gardens in the Loire Valley. Since my parents are getting older, we purposefully bypassed big cities like Paris or Rouen. By sticking with smaller towns, we could minimize walking and dealing with the urban chaos. Per Rick Steve’s guidebook's recommendations and almost every travel blog out there, we set up our home base in the royal city of Amboise. In Rick’s guidebook, he did not even bother to have a section for Tours. This city of 135,000 does not have the small-town charms visitors visited Loire Valley for.
Judicial Tribunal of Tours.
The city of Tours is the largest city in the Loire Valley and the administrative capital of the Department of Indre-et-Loire. As charming as the town Amboise may be, part of me gravitated toward the cosmopolitan vibe of a big city. Since I was traveling with my parents, I thought it might be easier to stay at one of Tours’ many international chain hotels in Tours. If you are looking for a hotel with elevators and working air-conditioning, Tours seems like a logical choice. Being a mid-size city also provides convenience for restaurants and museums. But after much debate with myself, I followed Rick’s advice and called Amboise our temporary home for a few days.
Tours was a plesant surprise to us all.
For whatever reasons, Tours does not necessarily have the most stellar reputation among travelers. Despite being the region's main transportation hub, the city is frequently written off as just a place to pick up a rental car for the Loire Valley road trip. The cynic within me was tempted for a visit. But with so many to see in such a short period, I regrettably left it off my itinerary when I landed in France. But as it happened, my travel angel worked mysteriously. A few days before leaving New York, my sister came down with COVID-19 and had to abort the trip. Halfway through the trip, she finally tested negative and told me she was able to travel. I arranged for her to surprise my parents out of the blue.
At that particular moment, we were staying in Loche, a small city just under an hour away from Tours. While there are transport options from Paris to Loche, all trains/roads go through Tours. It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps we could meet her there. Maybe this is just the perfect excuse to visit Tours. I made up an excuse to my parents that we needed to go to a bigger city to do laundry. But in my defense, we had to do laundry; the sole laundromat in Loche was terrible if Google reviews were to be believed. On the other hand, there are many Speed Queen Laundromats in Tours, all with five-star reviews!
Hôtel de Ville, the city hall of Tours.
I arranged for us to get coffee at a Starbucks on Place Jean-Jaurès and waited for Christine to show up. Luckily, we pulled off the surprise flawlessly. We finally united as a family after seven years. It was a memorable trip for all of us. My parents may be mad that I lied to them, but they admitted it was an epic surprise we pulled off. They did not suspect a thing at all.
With my mission accomplished, we were ready to explore Tours. Conveniently, we were just across from one of Tours’s most famous monuments. Hôtel de Ville has been the home of the municipal government for the past 120 years. The building was the work of Tours’s native son Victor Laloux, whose other signature projects include the nearby Gare de Tours and the world-famous Paris Gare d'Orsay, now the Musée d'Orsay. For those who have been to Pars, this Beaux-Arts building looks similar to the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. Coincidentally, Paris’s city hall was fashioned in the style of a Loire chateau. The building’s exuberant use of ornamentation confidently projects the city’s pride.
The decoration of Hôtel de Ville is over the top.
Judicial Tribunal of Tours.
Rue Natioanle.
Looking around this grand square, I am puzzled by Tours’s sordid reputation. The city even bears the nickname the Little Paris, Le Petit Paris. There must be something I was missing. If I am to take a guess, the answer might originate from the city’s 20th-century history. Tours became a garrison town because of its rail connections during the First World War. By the end of 1917, the city was further reinforced with the arrival of 25,000 American troops. American troops became a fabric of Tour’s life. The name of President Woodrow Wilson even graces the main bridge across the Loire River.
After the armistice, Tours continued to develop into an important manufacturing hub, with flourishing industries ranging from metalworking to textiles. However, it inadvertently made the city a natural target in the Second World War. When France’s national government fled Paris from the advancing Nazi troops, Tours briefly became a temporary capital before moving to the south of France. In 1940, the German air raids flattened a large swatch of the historic center.; about two hundred medieval monuments were lost. Additional bombing from the liberating Allied forces created further destruction.
Galleries Lafayette Department Store on Rue Nationale.
After the war, the reconstruction of central Tours followed the latest principles of modern architecture and urban planning. However, it did not go as far as places like Frankfurt or Rotterdam. Today, the center of Tours is laid out on a grid. While the buildings are modern, the height, colors, and materials are strictly regulated to fit into the surviving medieval city. I suspect Tours’s “modestly modern” appearance may have something to do with its unpopularity with travelers. At first glance, it has neither the historical charms nor the confident modernity.
The city is organized around Rue Nationale, the main boulevard that connects Woodrow Wilson Bridge and lace Jean-Jaurès. This grand axis predated the destruction of the Second World War and is home to Tours’s most prestigious retail shops, including the French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette. Lining the boulevards are three-story buildings with mansard roofs. I find this uniformity pleasant but uninspiring. While Rue Nationale was once a major thoroughfare connecting Paris to Spain, the only traffic nowadays are pedestrians and the city’s ultra-modern tram line.
These modern apartment blocks probably give Tours a bad reputation.
These modern apartment blocks probably give Tours a bad reputation.
Walk a block off Rue Nationale, and the architecture becomes starkly modern with edge-to-edge windows. The architecture was less than average. That said, we were amazed by the concentration of luxury boutiques here. Shops like Burberry and Hermès intermingled with local hardware stores. This may be the most modest, high-end shopping district I have ever visited. I really should have judged a book by its cover!
The historical center of Tours has been beautifully preserved.
Like most visitors, we found Tours’s charming district is its medieval neighborhood. Tours traced its roots back to a Gallic settlement before the birth of Christ. It became a Roman city in the first century and was known as Caesarodunum, the Hill of Caesar. The Roman city was set to be heavily populated and contained a temple, two aqueducts, and a massive amphitheater. The Roman amphitheater, the remnant of which is still visible, was one of the largest ever discovered. It was a testament to the city’s wealth and prosperity.
The city did not get its name from the French word for tower. Instead, the town is named after Turonus, the nephew of Brutus, the stepson of Julius Caesar, who ended up murdering him. Turonus was buried here, and a town was founded on his grave. In the Middle Ages, Tours consisted of two separate towns, one developed on top of the Roman settlement and a separate “new” city to the west called Le Vieux Tours. Interestingly, it was this “newer city” that survived the incendiary bombing of the 1940s. Thankfully, Tours’ massive Cathedral of Saint Gatianus on the city's eastern end survived.
Place Plumereau.
The half-timber construction near Place Plumereau.
The heart of Tour’s medieval quarter is Place Plumereau. The square is named after M. Charles Plumereau, a late- 19th-century politician who donated his entire fortune to the city after his death. He even donated his private home to be demolished so the government could enlarge the square for local citizens. Today, lining the square are Loire Valley’s largest ensemble of medieval half-timber buildings. Half-timber structures are quite common in Europe, but most are hidden behind layers of plaster. Even though this construction technique is by no means unique to France, Place Plumereau gives us the best glimpse of medieval Tours or Paris.
Place Plumereau.
The half-timber construction near Place Plumereau.
The historical center of Tours has been beautifully preserved.
Despite its age, Place Plumereau is undoubtedly the social hub of Tours. Just about every inch of the place is occupied by outdoor cafes and restaurants. Locals and tourists alike are drawn to the historical ambiance here. Unbeknown to us, Tours is a prominent college town. The University of Tours is the largest in the region. By some estimates, more than 10% of the city’s residents are students, and about 40% of the city’s population is under 30 years old. It is interesting that young people also gravitate toward the oldest part of the city. The youthful energy around the square was palpable.
Decals of South Park characters brought a smile to my face.
Mural at Le Vieux Tours.
It is not every day that we can see a wooden staircase like this.
Today’s Le Vieux Tours has been gentrified and overtaken by hip eateries and international cuisine. But not long ago, the entire neighborhood was threatened with demolition. Plans were drawn up in the 1950s to redevelop the area into a modern city. Only a handful of historic monuments were saved and restored. Fortunately, Jean Roye, an energetic and autocratic mayor who ruled Tours for 36 years, put that plan on hold. Under his administration, the city created France’s first legal Conservation Area where the aesthetic and historical characteristics of the entire neighborhood are collectively considered and protected.
What makes Tours’s preservation efforts particularly exemplary is acknowledging that the success of historic restoration went beyond the architecture. To ensure the project’s success, Tours works hard to ensure the right kinds of private enterprises can move in to fulfill the goal of turning the district into the city’s premier leisure and tourist area. A tax-incentive program helped lure “appropriate” businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and artisanal boutiques. In total, there are 3,500 buildings under the legal protection. UNESCO even included Le Vieux Tours as part of its World Heritage Site listing for Loire Valley.
Le Vieux Tours.
Tours’s case study actually went on to inspire the government to develop a unified scheme on a national level. In 1962, the government passed legislation that provided a system of tax incentives for the restoration of old buildings in nationally designated historic districts. Commonly referred to as the Malraux Law, the law provides a 22-30% tax exemption for restoration works carried out following the regulated standards. The incentive program played a big part in protecting French heritage throughout the country. I found it very interesting that it was Tours, a city that some visitors look down upon, helped spur the preservation effort nationwide.
Not far from Place Plumereau, we walked by a massive freestanding brick tower that seemed entirely out of place. I was immediately curious as to its purpose. Luckily, a handy plaque is affixed to the railings. It turned out to be the bell tower of the Old Basilica of Satin Martin. The former church was built on the site of the tomb of Martin of Tours, the third Bishop of Tours. Martin is well known in the Christian world, particularly the legend of Saint Martin’s miraculous cloak. According to the legend, the young Martin served in the army of Emperor Constantine and was stationed in Amiens. On a winter day, he spotted a sparsely clad beggar shivering from the cold. He decided to cut his own cloak and gave half to the beggar. Later that night, he had a religious vision of Jesus wearing half of the cloak he gave to the beggar. Christ told the angels that young “Martin clothed him with this robe.” This vision enforced Martin’s piety. Soon after, he resigned from his military post and became an evangelist.
A quaint cafe of Le Vieux Tours.
Tower of Charlemagne of the Old Saint Martin Basilica.
In a different version of the story, Martin’s half of the cloak grew back into wholeness after the vision. Not surprisingly, Martin’s half of the cloak quickly became a holy relic coveted by kings and pilgrims. The cloak was routinely bought out on the battlefield as a Talisman against enemy forces. Martin’s tomb in Tours also became a popular stop in the medieval pilgrimage circuit. Veneration of Martin was further popularized by successive monarchs of Merovingian Kingdoms, which ruled much of present-day France and Germany for three centuries. A massive basilica was built atop his grave at this spot soon after his death. The Huguenots subsequently burned down, rebuilt, and ransacked the basilica in 1562. The remnant of the basilica was further damaged during the French Revolution, which led to the eventual collapse in 1797.
The informational plaque in front of the remains of the Old Basilica of Saint Martin.
The “new” Basilica of Saint Martin.
Medieval capital from the clock tower of the Old Basilica of Saint Martin.
Only two towers survive today, and the handy plaque overlays the footprint of the medieval basilica on the existing street plan. Curiously, the basilica was not immediately rebuilt as the veneration of Martin faded by the beginning of the early 19th century. Martin's popularity enjoyed a sudden revival during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Due to Martin’s career in the military, the government appointed him as the patron saint of the French armed forces. Napoleon’s defeat and the collapse of the French Empire led to the resurgence of the Catholic Church and clericalism. Martin was proclaimed the official patron of the Third French Republic. A new, albeit smaller, basilica was constructed above his rediscovered tomb. The neo-Byzantine basilica was designed by Victor Laloux and was inaugurated in 1925. Interestingly, the life of Martin of Tours speaks a lot to the history of France.
The Mansion of the Dukes of Touraine on Place de Chateauneu.
A candid corner of Tours.
Les Halles de Tours, the city’s central market.
With just a few hours, we barely scratched the surface of this historic city. I hoped we could stay a night or two here. There are so many other popular sites that I did not visit. That includes the Cathedral of Saint Gatianus, Hôtel Goüin, the Château de Tours, and the Museum of Compagnonnage. In other words, I am woefully unqualified to know much about the city. That said, Tours is the unexpected surprise on this trip. I could understand why many travelers bypass Tours, but I wholeheartedly recommend using Tours as a home base while exploring Loire Valley. It may not offer the best first impression, but it is a place you want to live in. I think of Tours like an onion, with something new to discover with each layer.
