Architectural heritage of Tours

(S/E) From Place Jean Jaurès, head west, following the tree-lined path in the middle of Boulevard Béranger. When you reach the end of the boulevard, you will see the Manoir Béranger on your left. Shortly afterwards, turn right to cross the boulevard, then right into Rue Jules Charpentier and continue eastwards.

(1) Turn left to go around the "Cité Mame" then return to Rue Charpentier and continue to the left. Note the "Immeuble Weilhorsky" between numbers 42 and 50. Continue along this street until you reach Place Gaston Paillhou. Turn right, then left, going around the Jardin d'Aumont and taking Rue de Clocheville opposite. Turn left into Rue Léonard de Vinci and note the beautiful residences.

(2) Continue along this street and turn left onto Rue Rabelais. You will come out again at Place Gaston Paillhou, which you will follow to the right. At the junction with Rue des Halles, continue straight ahead onto Place du Grand Marché. Notice the "Monster" on the square, then turn right onto Rue de la Rôtisserie. Further down this street, notice the quirky house at No. 3. Turn left onto Rue du Change to reach Place Plumereau.

(3) Turn left then right around this beautiful square and continue straight ahead onto Rue Briçonnet. Pass in front of Place du Murier and continue to the end of the street to discover some interesting façades. Then return to Place du Murier and head opposite to discover the Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier garden. Leave the garden through a doorway on your right to return to Place Plumereau. Turn left onto Rue du Commerce and continue straight ahead. Further on, you will pass a beautiful mansion, the Hôtel Gouin, at No. 25.

Further on, turn right into Rue des Fusillés. Turn left onto Place de la Résistance, then left into Rue du Maréchal Foch. This leads to Rue Nationale. Turn right, then take the first street on the left, Rue de la Sellerie. Continue straight ahead, passing in front of the opera house, then turn left immediately afterwards into Rue des Cordeliers. Continue along this street until you reach Rue Colbert. Turn left and walk past the Maison au Chien Rouge at no. 25.

(4) Turn into the first street on the left, Rue Jules Favre. Take the first alley on the right to enter the small garden of Beaune Semblancay. Exit through the porch opposite to return to Rue Nationale. Turn right and continue straight ahead to the Loire, passing in front of the Church of Saint-Julien.

(5) Take the Pont Wilson bridge to cross the Loire. Not far away, on the left bank, you will see the square building of the municipal library. On the other side of the Loire, go straight up Avenue de la Tranchée. On the right, you will see a wine cellar with a door topped by a sculpture, the "Vinalies". Further on, on the left, note the small house called "Mi-côte".

(6) Turn right onto Rue Poincaré just after the Barrier restaurant. Continue straight on until you reach Rue Groison. Turn right until you reach "Villa Roseval" at no. 49, then backtrack slightly and turn right onto Rue Trianon. Further on, you will pass the Saint-Symphorien cemetery. Enter the cemetery on the right to enjoy a view of the town below, then exit through the same gate and continue along Rue Trianon on the right. You will soon come to Rue du Pas-Notre-Dame. Turn left and walk to the "Maison de l'Oie" at no. 8 to discover this small neighbourhood with its country atmosphere. Then turn around and walk back down Rue du Pas-Notre-Dame. You will come to Rue De Vildé, which you take on the left. You will then arrive at a street called Rue du Calvaire on the right and Rue Saint-Barthélémy on the left.

(7) You are now about halfway through the route. If you wish to do this walk in two days, you can return to the starting point (Place Jean Jaurès) by following the directions given in the "Practical information" section. Otherwise, go up Rue Saint Barthélémy on the left. Further on, on the right, you will see a building called "l'Ange Gardien". At the next crossroads, turn right onto Rue de la Loire, then left onto Rue Beau-Site. Continue straight ahead, then turn right. Notice the pretty villa on your left called "Les Houx". At the crossroads, continue straight ahead on Rue de la Loire, then straight ahead again at the next crossroads. You will arrive at the top of some steps.

(8) Notice the pretty seaside-style villas on your right and left and, below, a view of the cathedral and the Loire. Go down the stairs to Rue de l'Ermitage. Turn left. Pass in front of an imposing mansion called "Le Chêne", then go under the Pont Mirabeau bridge. Continue straight ahead. Further on, turn left to go up Rue du Chaudron. Take the first street on the right, Allée de la Côte Fleurie. Continue straight ahead, then turn right and then left, still on this alley, to reach the top of a staircase.

(9) Go down the "Les Mille Marches" staircase. You will find yourself in front of the Sainte-Radegonde town hall on Rue Marcel Gauthier. Turn right onto this street, then turn left at the crossroads onto Rue Saint-Gatien. Continue straight ahead, passing in front of the semi-troglodytic Sainte Radegonde Church and then under the A10 bridge. Continue until you reach the gates of the former Marmoutier Abbey (now a school complex). Turn right onto Rue Saint Martin until you reach the Marmoutier quay. At this point, if you turn around, you will see a beautiful seaside-style villa called "La Brise" above you. On the quay, turn left to go to the main entrance of the school and enjoy a view of the abbey church.

(10) Cross the quay (be careful!) and take the path opposite that leads to the Loire. You will come to a^GR®® trail marker (red and white,^{GR®®3-GR®®655}, also part of the "Loire à vélo" cycle route). Take this path to the right and continue straight ahead along the path beside the Loire. Pass under the A10 motorway and then under the Mirabeau Bridge. Just after passing under this bridge, leave the banks of the Loire and turn right into Allée du Coudrier.

(11) Then turn into the second street on the left, Allée de la Fauvette. We are now in the Île Aucard neighbourhood, which is classified as flood-prone but nevertheless inhabited. Continue along this street lined with houses of various styles and gardens. At the end of the lane, turn right onto Allée des Peupliers, then left onto Allée des Cerisiers to return to the banks of the Loire. Turn right to go up Quai Paul Bert.

(12) Immediately turn left to cross the Loire on the Saint-Symphorien footbridge. On the other side of the Loire, cross Avenue André Malraux and walk up it to the left for a few metres. Take the path on the right to cross the courtyard of the Château de Tours, then turn right onto Cour de l'Armorial, which leads to Rue Lavoisier. Turn left to pass in front of the cathedral, which you can visit.

(13) Continue along Rue Lavoisier until you reach the entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts. Go in and take a stroll around the garden, with its cedar tree classified as a "remarkable tree" and its elephant. Leave the park through the same gate and retrace your steps a little along Rue Lavoisier, then turn right into Rue Fleury. Take the first street on the right, Rue du Général Meusnier. Continue along this street, which turns left and then left again, changing its name to Rue Manceau. You will come out between Rue Fleury and Rue Racine. Turn right onto Rue Racine. Continue straight ahead at the intersection and note the superb façade of a mansion with two beautiful sculpted salamanders on your right. You will come out onto Place des Petites Boucheries. Turn right and continue until you find Rue du Petit Cupidon, which you take to the right.

(14) Enter the garden of the Gallo-Roman enclosure on the right. Exit the park through a porch under the semi-circular building. You will find yourself on Rue des Ursulines. Turn right, then take the first left onto Rue François Clouet. Just after the bend, turn right into Parc Mirabeau and cross the park to come out onto Rue Jean Coujon. Turn left onto this street to reach Rue Mirabeau. Turn right onto this main road for just a few metres, then turn right onto Rue Traversière, lined with beautiful houses. Continue to the end of this street. Then turn left onto Rue Jules Simon to reach Boulevard Heurteloup. Cross the street to reach the path in the middle of the boulevard, then follow it to the right. At the next crossroads, turn left to cross Place du Général Leclerc and enter the station through the main door.

(15) Continue through the hall and exit on the right through a colourful hall. You will find yourself on the tram platform. Follow the tracks to the right, then take Rue de Bordeaux opposite. Continue along this shopping street until you reach Avenue de Grammont. Turn right to quickly reach Place Jean Jaurès, the starting point of our circular route (S/E).

Please note! This route is not signposted.
If you would like more time to explore certain neighbourhoods in greater depth, you can spread this walk over two days. A good option is to go to the starting point (7) on the first day: walk down Rue du Nouveau Calvaire, turn right and walk down towards Saint-Symphorien Church. Opposite the church, take Rue Losserand and then the first street on the left (Rue du Vieux Pont). Go straight ahead, cross Quai Paul Bert and take the footbridge over the Loire. On the other side, turn right down to the banks of the Loire and walk west until you find yourself under Pont Wilson. Then go up to Place Anatole France and head straight south down Rue Nationale. The next day, return to the starting point (7) via the same route to finish the walk.

Before you set off: you can pick up a free map of the city at the tourist office. Don't forget to mention that you also want to walk around northern Tours, otherwise you will only be given a brochure for the city centre. To get from Place Jean Jaurès to the tourist office, take Boulevard Heurteloup, which heads straight east. In no time at all, you will be in front of the tourist office, which is right next to the Vinci convention centre.

Discover more walks in this area with descriptions or the Visorando app here

Between (S) and (1): Town Hall. Built between 1896 and 1904 by Tours architect Victor Laloux. Highly decorated façade with four Atlanteans, two caryatids representing Day and Night, and two reclining figures representing the Loire and Cher rivers. The Town Hall and Place Jean Jaurès are reminiscent of Paris.

Opulent buildings and beautiful bourgeois residences on Boulevard Béranger. Manoir Béranger, located at 116 and built in 1884 by architect Stephen Sauvestre.

On Boulevard Béranger, there is a flower market on Wednesdays and Saturdays and a large flea market on the fourth Sunday of every month.

Between (1) and (2): Cité Mame, between Rue Charpentier and Rue de la Bourde: a workers' housing estate of 62 identical detached houses with gardens at the rear. Built between 1867 and 1873 by Alfred Mame, a prosperous printer, to house his employees.

Weilhorski Building: 42 to 50 Rue Jules Charpentier. Built in 1910 (end of the Art Nouveau period, beginning of Art Deco) by architect Frédéric Weilhorsky for Arthur Duthoo, owner of Grand Bazar, to house his employees.

Rue Léonard de Vinci. Eight beautiful houses in a variety of styles, built for bourgeois entrepreneurs in the construction industry in 1888. Architect Henri Racine, who also designed the Cité Mame.

Between (2) and (3): Place du Grand Marché, known as "Place du Monstre" (Monster Square) by the people of Tours because of the statue by Xavier Veilhan that has stood in the middle of the square since 2004. Garlic and basil fair on Saint Anne's Day, 26 July.

Rue de la Rôtisserie, at number 3, a very quirky medieval house.

Between (3) and (4): Place Plumereau. Numerous medieval half-timbered houses dating from the 15th century.

Rue Briçonnet, near Place du Murier, at number 29, a house with an external staircase and half-timbered walls. Romanesque façade at number 35, Gothic façade at no. 31, Renaissance house at no. 32, beautiful stair tower marking the entrance to Place Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier, classical façade at no. 23 and no. 16, Tristan's house dating from the late 15th century, in Flemish Gothic style with its high gable and dovecote.

The Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier garden, named after a 12th-century Gothic church of which only ruins remain. Here you can discover other ruins dating back to Caesarodunum, the Roman city that existed before Tours, around the year 15. There are also medieval tombs.

Hôtel Gouin, at 25 Rue du Commerce. A 15th-century mansion in the Renaissance style.

Rue Colbert, a beautiful half-timbered house with beautiful sculptures surrounding the door and windows, including a red dog.

Between (4) and (5): The fountain in the Beaune-Semblancay garden and its legend.

Saint-Julien Church. Abbey church of a former Benedictine abbey. It dates mainly from the 13th century.

Pont Wilson. Built between 1765 and 1778, it is the oldest bridge in Tours, known by the locals as the "stone bridge". A strategic bridge during the Second World War, attempts by the Allies and then the Germans to destroy it caused the destruction of a large part of the city. As in the past, the tram now crosses this bridge, accentuating the impressive view from the top of the trench to Place Jean Jaurès and beyond to the Cher via Avenue Grammond.

Between (5) and (6): The Loire and the toll booth at the end of the bridge.

The "Les Vinalies" wine cellar and the "Mi-côte" house on Avenue de la Tranchée. Before the A10 motorway was built, all traffic from Paris to Bordeaux passed through this wide avenue. It is much quieter now.

There is a beautiful view from the tram tracks looking towards the city (mind the tram!).

Between (6) and (7): The Villa "Roseval" on Rue Groison.

The Saint-Symphorien Cemetery. The "Oie" house at No. 8, a former coaching inn, and the other small country houses at the top of Rue du Pas-Notre-Dame.

Between (7) and (8): At point 7, you are about halfway through the hike.

Rue Saint-Barthélémy. Beautiful architectural ensemble of "l'Ange Gardien".

Rue de la Loire; At the top of the stairs leading down Rue de l'Ermitage, there are some very beautiful seaside-style houses.

Between (9) and (10): Rue Saint-Gatien, note the semi-troglodytic church, Sainte-Radegonde, built in the 12th century. It was in the troglodytic part of this church that Saint-Gatien, the first bishop of Tours, officiated.

At the end of this street, you will arrive at the Marmoutier estate. It is now a school complex, but it was once a Benedictine abbey. It was founded in 372 by Saint Martin, who was then Bishop of Tours.

Between (10) and (11): The banks of the Loire.

Between (11) and (12): The Île Aucard neighbourhood. This area is at high risk of flooding and is therefore classified as unbuildable. However, many people live in this very picturesque neighbourhood, in dwellings ranging from simple huts to classic houses, always with a garden and often a vegetable patch.

Between (12) and (13): The Saint-Symphorien footbridge. Known as the "wire bridge" by the people of Tours, it was built between 1845 and 1847 by the Seguin brothers on the site of an old medieval bridge.

Saint-Gatien Cathedral. Built between 1170 and 1547. Famous for its beautiful collection of stained glass windows: 13th-century medallion windows, 14th-century rose windows in the transept, and 15th-century windows in the façade and nave. It has recently been enriched with some very beautiful modern stained glass windows.

Between (13) and (14): In the courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Lebanese cedar, classified as a remarkable tree, planted in 1804. It is 31 metres high with a span of 33 metres.

A beautiful mansion carved with two salamanders on Rue Racine.

Between (14) and (15): The remains of a Gallo-Roman amphitheatre on Rue du Petit Cupidon.

The beautiful residences on Rue Traversière.

(15): The current Tours railway station was built between 1896 and 1898. It is very representative of the architecture of the great French railway stations of that period and was designed by the architect Victor Laloux.

The list of monuments and beautiful residences that I describe here is, of course, not exhaustive. There are many other places of interest that are not included on this route.