13 Sights in Tours, France (with Map and Images)
Legend
Welcome to your journey through the most beautiful sights in Tours, France! Whether you want to discover the city's historical treasures or experience its modern highlights, you'll find everything your heart desires here. Be inspired by our selection and plan your unforgettable adventure in Tours. Dive into the diversity of this fascinating city and discover everything it has to offer.
Sightseeing Tours in ToursActivities in Tours
Tours Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France, and dedicated to Saint Gatianus. It is the seat of the Archbishops of Tours, the metropolitan cathedral of the Tours ecclesiastical province. It was built between 1170 and 1547. At the time construction began, the church was located at the south end of the bridge over the river Loire, on the road from Paris to the south-west of France. It has been a classified monument historique since 1862. Since 1905 it has been owned by the French State, with the Catholic Church having the exclusive rights of use.
The Charlemagne Tower is a vestige of an old basilica dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and located in Tours, rue des Halles in Old Tours. It has been classified as a Historic Monument since September 13, 1958.
3. Jardin des Prébendes d'Oé
The Prébendes d'Oé garden is a public garden, located in the heart of Tours, created in 1872 by the Bühler brothers. Placed between the rue des Prébendes, the rue Roger Salengro, the rue Lakanal and the rue du Boisdenier, it is an English-style garden that offers a beautiful diversity of trees and flowers, with two bandstands and statues of Touraine writers such as Pierre de Ronsard, that of Jean-Baptiste Marie Meusnier de La Place, then Honorat de Bueil de Racan.
4. Église Saint-Julien
The church of Saint-Julien de Tours, located in Tours in the Vieux-Tours in France, is the abbey church of a former Benedictine abbey whose origin dates back to the sixth century; it dates mainly from the thirteenth century. It was classified as a historical monument by the 1840 list.
5. Ruines de l'Hôtel de Beaune-Semblançay
The Hôtel de Beaune-Semblançay is a former private mansion of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries located in Tours in the Old Tours, one of the few vestiges of the city's Renaissance architecture. This building has been classified as a historical monument since 9 August 1941 and 21 October 1947.
6. Grand Théâtre
The Grand Théâtre de Tours is a municipal building classified as a historical monument located on rue de la Scellerie in Tours in the Vieux-Tours. With a performance hall of more than nine hundred seats, it is the headquarters of the Tours Opera, which has a permanent choir and also houses the Symphony Orchestra of the Centre-Val de Loire-Tours region.
7. Amphithéâtre de Tours
The Tours amphitheater is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic city center of Tours, France, immediately behind the well known Tours cathedral. It was built in the 1st century when the city was called Caesarodunum. It was built atop a small hill on the outskirts of the ancient urban area, making it safe from floods, convenient for crowds and visitors, and demonstrating the power of the city from a distance. The structure was an enormous, elliptical structure approximately 122 meters by 94 meters. According to its design it is classified as a "primitive" amphitheatre. Unlike the famous Colosseum that was made mostly of masonry and built above-ground, the Tours amphitheatre was made mostly of earth and created by moving soil and rock into a bowl shape. Spectators likely sat directly on the grassy slopes, while the masonry was primarily used for the vomitoria and retaining walls.
8. Cloître Saint-Gatien dit de la Psalette
The cloister of the Saint-Gatien de Tours Cathedral, or Cloister of the Psalette, is located in the Saint-Gatien district of Old Tours. It is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1889.
9. Église Saint-Grégoire des Minimes
The church of Saint-Grégoire des Minimes is located in Tours, rue de la Préfecture, next to the Lycée Descartes, former major seminary of Saint Charles de Tours until the revolution. It was originally the conventual church of the convent of the Minim Friars. Within it the Tridentine rite is practiced.
10. Musée du Compagnonnage
The Musée du Compagnonnage de Tours is a French municipal museum located in the city of Tours, north of the Rue Nationale. The museum of the beautiful work[to be defined] is set up in the former abbey of Saint-Julien.
11. Hôtel des ducs de Touraine
The Hôtel des Ducs de Touraine is a private mansion located in Tours in the Vieux-Tours, 15 place de Châteauneuf. The courtyard facades of this building have been listed as historical monuments since 10 January 1928.
12. Tour de l'Horloge
The Clock Tower is a vestige of an old basilica dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and located in Tours, rue des Halles, in Old Tours. It is classified as a historical monument by the list of historical monuments of 1840.
13. Chapelle Saint-Libert
The Chapel of Saint-Libert is an old Romanesque church dating mainly from the twelfth century, located in the oldest district of Tours, partly built on the rampart of the Gallo-Roman castrum of the fourth century, along the Loire. Its nave has been listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments since December 2, 1946 on the initiative of the Archaeological Society of Touraine (SAT).
Share
How likely are you to recommend us?
Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.