Your opinion of Tours, France

I know I've read two different reviews of Tours, neither very good. It's a bigger city, we've used the train station there a couple times. My preference would be Amboise or Saumur, BUT, I always have a rental car in Loire. If you are not inclined to rent a car and want to do chateau or wine tours, you may be best off in Tours.

We stopped there for an overnight on our way to Loches. We stopped again 4 or 5 nights later for an overnight after staying in Amboise and visiting Langeias.
The cathedral is very impressive. The older part of town is nice, pretty at night. Town hall is impressive. Had a pleasant run along the river.
We found a nice Irish pub, Shannons? Had decent meals at a small restaurant next to the pub.
We were more focused on getting to other nearby smaller towns.
Loches is a short bus ride away. We loved Loches. Stayed in a beautiful 15th century hotel. Beautiful town, great history.
Amboise is just a short train ride away from Tours. Busier, more touristy than Loches but the Chateau is impressive.
Langeias is also a short train ride from Tours. It has a beautiful Chateau too.

In summer, Amboise is absolutely inundated with tourists. There are only two restaurants in town worth bothering with: l´Epicerie or le Parvis. The rest are only there for the tourists. Frankly I find Amboise over hyped and much ado about nothing - or very little.

Tours is the transportation hub of the Loire Valley and a lively college town. If you do not have a car, it is the only place I would consider staying but only then in the area broadly defined as between Place Plumereau (in Old Tours) and Tours Centre - the train station. Other areas of Tours are not particularly interesting for tourists.

The Office de Tourisme, from where the minibus tours depart is just across the street from Tours Centre. Place Plumereau, in the heart of Vieux Tours, is a relatively short walk away and has numerous cafés and restaurants.

I have heard negative comments about Tours from people who have never really been there and know nothing about Place Plumereau. It´s a wonderful location with a lot of charm. I would ignore comments from the uninformed. You´ll have a wonderful time there.

Hi Jean. My response was knocked out quickly at midnight last night (I am an Aussie) so was brief. I did have a look for the negative review but because of it's name a search is a bit of a nightmare lol.
As I said we just used it as I start and finish point so never got a chance to explore deeply. What I saw of the city in our 2 brief stays impressed and I would not hesitate to return and spend more time there. I am sure you will have a great time.
I do wonder about people who post really negative reviews. I seem to fall in love with nearly every place I go. Maybe it is an attitude thing.
I would recommend a visit to lovely Loches. The Donjon and the surrounding area is most impressive. We were there in peak season and yet found few tourists.
Also Langeais impressed us. The interior of the Chateau was wonderful. It also had few tourists. Probably 20 to 30 people there on a beautiful summers afternoon.
Amboise was crowded. The Chateau is a mighty impressive sight and we felt well worth our time.
I am sure you will find many great options in the area.
What is the name of the hotel in Tours that you are staying in?

Hi Mo’pak, yes, the town of Tours was ill-named for word searches! Try searching for “If your considering a visit to Tours France....don't.”

I have a refundable reservation at Hotel L’Adresse, a block away from Place Plumereau. My itinerary is flying into CDG & immediately heading to Rouen for a few days. Then a couple of smaller towns, staying at B&B’s and then three nights at Tours. I figured by then I would be ready for a larger town; also, I’m traveling solo for the first two weeks and then hubby joins me for a final week. So, the mini-van tours would give me activities that would prevent any loneliness and a nice break to speak English.

But, Langeais and similar do look appealing. I really want to see the gardens of Villandry, and Langeais is just a taxi ride from it.

Thanks, Andrew, for your recommendations and comments about Tours. I definitely think “less is more”, so I’ll just see a few from all of the options. I definitely want to see the gardens of Villandry. All of those impressive chateaus, and I’m drawn to enjoy seeing & smelling the gardens!

Mo’pak, I agree about the negative posts. It would be very hard for me to not have a wonderful day on vacation! And I like the quirky old town portions of cities.

My main concern for posting is if there’s actually a safety issue or absolutely no chance for a decent night’s sleep.

Jean,

Well, if Tours is terrible, we will be in misery together, as I have a trip planned for next year there as well. I picked Tours as a base for the Loire Valley for the same reason as you, since we will be also traveling by train. The old town from google street views look nice as does the cathedral, and with easy access to transportation all the chateau are within reach. I am also interested in a large enough city to have shopping and food options. I'm excited about visiting Tours, can it really be bad, it is France after all! Enough caramel, chocolate, and wine will fix any bland site. Sorry I can't give you an actual report since I haven't been YET but, I think you will love your trip, it sounds fun to me.

Nothing hurts my heart more than hearing negative things said about Tours.

I studied abroad in Tours and have gone back for work on many occasions and I have never grown bored of it. I wonder if those who did not like it just didn't see the right spots. To me it is as charming as a big city can be. Place Plumereau is a gem. The gare and the Hotel de Ville are architectural delights and the St. Gatien cathedral is my favorite cathedral in the world. Not to mention, their Beaux-Arts museum is fantastic and there is no shortage of parks or restaurants. What's not to love? It now is even more convenient with its tramway and dont forget to visit the Ginguette on the Loire.

If I was allowed to move to France, it would be my number one pick of city. I have never understood Rick Steves' disdain for this gem of a city and like the above poster said, people who don't have first-hand information chime in when they shouldn't,

It is the perfect place for a Loire Valley trip, especially if you are taking the minivan excursions.

My personal experience is riding a bicycle through Tours heading from Villandry to Amboise. I was following my GPS, set on bike mode, and it took me on a hellish ride through narrow roads with heavy traffic. I didn't die but I can't say I found a single thing charming about the Tours I went through. I was on the bike trail along the Loire until I came into Tours but didn't find the trail again until I got to the other end of the urban area. My GPS, which worked great in a car, didn't seem to know a bike trail existed.

It is a pretty good sized city. I imagine cycling through most big cities wouldn’t be fun.

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to respond! It’s good to read some balanced comments to hear both very positive aspects of Tours along with less positive comments. I liked that Tours had several options of things to see in town, along with being a good city to catch some mini-van tours. And, I really enjoy taking early morning unique photos which tend to make any location look wonderful.

I didn’t see any safety or sleeping issues, so it sounds like Tours would still be a great stop.

Tours is a larger City and as mentioned above it is a transportation hub,we liked Amboise because it is more Quaint with lots to see and it does get crowded.As for the Poster that Said there are only two Restaurants in town,if you go to Amboise there is a Small Restaurant called La Fourchette,country French and Reservation required.
Mike

As a travel professional based in the Loire Valley I am of course obliged to say that Tours is lovely.

The truth is - Tours is lovely, but not all of it. Like any medium sized city there are some areas that are less picturesque, but the area around the Cathedral, Place Plumerau, and Les Halles (the market hall) really are pretty. It's quite a buzzy city because of all the students, but it's a quiet buzz in an area full of medieval buildings. In any area you are likely to be in you will never feel unsafe or threatened, but some parts are less picturesque due to the number of buildings destroyed in the allied bombing of world war 2.

L'addresse is a great hotel - we have had family stay there, as well as clients. It is an old (probably 15th or 16th century) building right in middle of the most appealing part of central Tours, near many restaurant and a few pleasant bars. I would recommend it without hesitation.

Thank you, Simon, for your local insight! It sounds perfect for what I would like. I’m in my early 60’s but enjoy being in a university town, and my initial research looks like there’s nice options of things to see and places to wander in town. Appreciate hearing that the Hotel L’Adresse will be a good choice.

Well Jean I did finally locate the "bad Tours" thread. None of the complaints matched with my experiences in Tours.
I should highlight that we walked from the friendly Irish pub "The Pale" through Place Plum onto our hotel the far side of the station. We did this at 10 pm on a Saturday night and felt very safe and comfortable.

One of the most unique and interesting museums I have ever seen is in Tours: Musée du Compagnonnage http://www.museecompagnonnage.fr/page-accueil-an.html . We spent several hours admiring the masterpieces and the tools used by the craftspeople.

I realize that you asked about the city of Tours. But I would note that if you are seeing the Loire without a car, you need to book your van excursions in time to get a seat - especially in high season. I am not a fiend about renting a car, but the Loire is one place where it enhances your options. Exact dates are also important for garden displays and occasional Chateau "Illuminations" and "Son et Lumiere." In lettuce season (cooler weather), I remember a help-yourself vegetable bin at Villandry!

Edit: If you can get there from Tours, the very short trip to Chateau de la Bourdasiere might fill a hole in your schedule. You can't view the entire Chateau because it has been converted to a hotel. But it has substantial modern gardens, specializing in multiple species of tomatoes, and dahilias! I'd call it a garden-destination, not so much a history-destination. Also cooler shadowy forest walks.

Thanks, Tim, for your comments about the excursions. I created a spreadsheet with several different mini-van tour options and was waiting until early January to solidify the dates at Tours before reserving in case I wanted to slide the itinerary by one day in that area. My time in Tours will be the final days of August/1st of Sept. so hopefully beautiful weather to explore the chateaux & gardens.