I’ll need to start by saying I knew nothing about Tours or the Loire Valley before booking a cheap Ryanair flight on a whim. I figured it would be a great opportunity to return to France for the first time since I was 18, use a bit of my rusty high school French, and maybe enjoy some wine while celebrating an exciting milestone with my boyfriend.
In fact, it turned out to be one of the best trips I’ve taken in a long time.
A bit of background for anyone like me who doesn’t know anything about Tours or the Loire Valley: Tours is a medieval city in the Touraine region of France, which surrounds the Loire River. Hence the name Loire Valley, or Val de Loire in French. It is famous for being a wine region and also for once being a holiday destination for the French aristocrats. They built themselves a bunch of gorgeous châteaux as holiday homes that tourists can visit today.
We visited Tours on a long autumn weekend in October, from Friday to Monday. Here’s what we got up to!
Day 1: Arrival in Tours
Transportation from the Airport to the City Centre
We landed at Tours’ tiny international airport in the afternoon. We had been on a small airplane and we were the only arrival group in the airport, and yet the immigration queue took ages! It was awful, but luckily it was a beautiful and mild autumn day so we didn’t have to worry about cold or rain while standing out on the tarmac.
Tours Val de Loire Airport is located just outside the city center, which is extremely handy. No matter which way we had chosen to get into the city centre from the airport, it wouldn’t have taken too long. BUT we were especially short on cash for this trip so I was determined to find cheap and effective transportation. I had read online somewhere that there is a tram within walking distance of the airport that will take you straight into the city centre. I was determined to find it.
When we stepped out the front doors, we were greeted with a large parking lot and a taxi queue that was full of people and no taxis. I was surprised to find that there was no sign anywhere pointing people in the direction of the tram. I started to wonder if maybe information I had found was outdated. Maybe there was no tram?
But since the weather was so nice and we weren’t pressed for time, we set out walking to find the tram. We walked down past the parking lot, and down the long road that leads to a busy roundabout. We crossed through traffic and ended up near a nondescript shopping complex. Still there were no signs for a tram! Eventually we asked a local who pointed us over the the tram just 50 yards away. It was only a 10-15 minute walk in total, and just outside an international airport. You’d think the tram would be an essential airport transportation option… It’s a shame that it isn’t made more obvious for visitors. Anyway.
It was easy, clean, and cheap and got us where we were going! So to anyone traveling to Tours – The mysterious tram does exist! Just keep walking until you find it.
When we got into town, we checked into our Airbnb, a full apartment in a medieval building. It was incredible! From the street, we entered through a small Hobbit door, then walked through a dark tunnel into a beautiful ivy-covered courtyard before going through a door and up to our apartment… here’s a little peek.
After we checked in, it was time to settle into holiday mode. For us, that means food and drinks! Our accomodation was just off Rue Colbert, a long road in the city centre packed with bars, cafes, and loads of exotic cuisine restaurants. It was bustling on the warm autumn evening.
We found a spot where we could sit outside and enjoy some saucisson, a favourite of ours 🙂
After our snack we strolled westward down Rue Colbert to get a feel for the town. We ended up in Place Plumereau, the main square of the Old Town, surrounded by beautiful old medieval buildings.
The square and the winding streets around it were absolutely jammed with local university students. I thought a place as picturesque and historical as this would be a tourist spot, but nope! It felt like we were the only English speakers around and it was clearly a local hangout. There was such a great buzz!
After a drink or two we headed in for the night after our long travel day.
Day 2: Chinon
Our second day was spent in a nearby town in the Loire Valley called Chinon.
It was so incredible that I’m doing up a separate post all about it!
Day 3: Savouring our last full day and a trip to a chateau
We got a slow start on Sunday and moseyed back over to Place Plumereau square for a nice brunch. The square was mobbed with what we thought to be tourists. But in fact they were all locals! Maybe not all locals, but French speakers. It’s always so satisfying when you find yourself in the same place as the locals. You know you’ve done something right.
Brunch inevitably led to beers because everyone else in the square seemed to be enjoying Sunday afternoon drinks. When in Rome!
After our successful train journey the day before, we decided we could easily jump on a train to a nearby château for the rest of the day. There are a bunch of châteaux around Tours and the Loire Valley, but many of them aren’t accessible by public transport. Since we didn’t have the time or money to rent a car for the weekend, we decided to maximise our time by hopping on a train to the nearby Château de Chenonceau.
We saw there was a train leaving within the hour so we headed over to the train station. We walked through the city and found ourselves in front of the gorgeous Hôtel de Ville. The square in front of it was stunning as well, decorated with flowers and fountains. I thought it was really impressive! The palm trees and flowers almost gave me the impression I was in Spain or somewhere tropical.
We hopped on our train and off we went to Chenonceau!
I’m writing up another post on that so stay tuned!
Day 4: Time to Go Home
Monday was uneventful, besides packing and heading back to the airport. Note: You do not want to have a delayed flight at the Tours airport. There are no cafes, bars, or shops. Just one vending machine in a room with not nearly enough seats for everyone! We spent an interesting couple of hours crammed in there with a bunch of unhappy people.
If you couldn’t tell I absolutely fell in love with Tours and the Loire Valley. I very much hope I get to visit again someday.
One thing I especially appreciated was that I really got to speak French in a way that I don’t think I would have if we had gone to Paris. As I said my French is rusty but oftentimes we were given menus at restaurants that were completely in French so I acted as translator for Donal. Most of the time it felt like we were the only tourists in the whole city. I imagine it’s busier in the summer so maybe we came at the right time to feel fully immersed. I was proud of myself for getting to stretch that language muscle I forgot I had!
Tours has a great buzz and a relaxing atmosphere that I haven’t found in many other places. Our weekend in Tours and the Loire Valley was just what we needed in a city break. I could easily spend a week there, especially if we had a car to explore. I think we got extremely lucky with the weather but I think I’d love it just the same in the rain.
Tours, I’ll be back!