Let me tell you about this wonderful city that already have several posts in my blog. However, they were about monuments and I feel need to tell you how to get here and move about in this gorgeous city, known for the purest of French language. I have updated this post with new text and links for you and me,The City of Tours is cut in half by the mighty Loire river that make it one of the grand cities of France, the center of the valley of the kings, all is around the Loire. Most and most important monuments are on the right bank of the Loire, this is the old Tours, Cathedral, and Basilica. Therefore, let me tell you about getting in and out of Tours !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I
The City of Tours is on the banks of the Loire and the Cher rivers, in the department of Indre-et-Loire no. 37 region of Centre-Val de Loire. It is surrounded by 3/4 by the A10 road or Autoroute d’Aquitaine and its ring road, the city of Tours is also located in the center of a 5-branch highway star: the A10 north to Orléans and Paris (240 km) , the A10 south to Poitiers and Bordeaux (347 km), the A28 to Le Mans and Rouen, the A85 west to Angers ,the A85 is to Vierzon, and initiating the junction with the Rhône valley. Many cross connections of national network complete this traffic knot such as the N 76, N 138, etc., making it possible in particular to link the city to the neighboring regional capitals such at Limoges on the RN 147. My road warrior trips have taken me all over here.
We had visited it from our home in Pluvigner in the Morbihan breton, It was one of the last trip took with my dear late wife Martine, all memories forever now. We took the N165 voie express towards Nantes, there we hook up with the A 11 towards Le Mans, however past Angers by its airport we took the D766 road direction Jarzé/ Château la Valliére where we took the D959 road towards Tours , crossing the Loire at exit sortie 10 Porte de Tours riding beautifully along the Loire river on our left on Avenue Proudhon right into old Tours in Avenue des Tanneurs! Awesome!
From Versailles, our former home, we took off the A10 on exit Sortie 21 and take right into Avenue Georges Pompidou, then on trafic circle des Français Libres take left into Avenue André Malraux into a left turn to Rue Voltaire near short meters into right to Rue de la Scellerie continues into rue des Halles ,pass Place Châteauneuf continue rue Châteauneuf then turn right into Rue du Change , a few meters turn right into rue du Petit Soleil ,then left into Rue de la Monnaie and you arrive at place Plumereau , the old Tours, and another world, magical beautiful and architecturally stunning.
On street parking is regulated in Tours as in France from 9h to 12h and from 14h to 18h30. The prices are different depending on the sector and the parking time, they can be identified by two colors (red, and blue) directly on the screen of the parking meters. If do not know well the city or no time better to go to a paid parking and our favorites over the years are the Vinci Gare or train station, des Halles or covered market, and along the main streets Nationale, and Gambetta. Never encountered problems parking above or below ground and even free parking here. With limited time you can park for free on street at Rue de la Victoire, near pont Napoélon at 24 avenue André Malraux,and west of the bridge along Saint-Symphorien , Avenue André Malraux, and near pont Mirabeau.
The gare de Tours or train station has a passenger building, with ticket office, open every day and equipped with automatic ticket vending machines. It is equipped with 6 platforms serving 12 lanes. The platform serving tracks D and E, and the platform serving tracks F and G are more than 443 meters, allowing to receive two trains of TGV Atlantique The passenger building gathers four materials: stone for the facade and its statues, iron, cast iron and glass with two large canopies on the facade to offer lightness and transparency. Four statues dominate the building. Two allegories of Bordeaux and Toulouse, and two allegories of Limoges and Nantes. Painted earthenware panels, made between 1896 and 1898 on the tunnesl .The Tours train station or gare: https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/en/stations-services/tours
There is a nearby train station serve by the TGV lines, this is at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, The line from Paris-Austerlitz to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean and from Vierzon to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, it is less than 3 km from the city cener train station of Tours. This train station served by TGV and Ouigo, Intercités, Interloire, and TER Center-Val de Loire trains. The importance of this station is due to the fact that the station of Tours is a station in dead end, which imposes a cusp for all the trains which continue their route beyond Tours. The Saint-Pierre-des-Corps station allows trains to avoid this maneuver which generates an increase in journey times. The train station has a passenger building, with ticket offices, open every day. It is equipped with automatic machines for the purchase of tickets. The underground access to the platforms and especially the station parking lot are decorated with frescoes. Those of the car park evoke on twelve levels the history of the castles of the region and the famous people who are linked to them. The Saint Pierre des Corps TGV train station: https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/en/stations-services/saint-pierre-corps
The city of Tours has an excellent service of bus and tramway of the metro area with Fil Bleu and the Rémi regional network (REseau de Mobilité Interurbaine ). The Bus station on the side of the train station is at Place du Général Leclerc. The city counts 36 regular bus lines and 3 tramway line with 159 buses, 21 tram lines, 1200 Vélociti (bikes) welcome house at 31 bd Heurteloup ,and a carriage horse wagon! . If coming with minimum expenses you can use the Parking + Bus system (never used) this gives you unlimited access to the entire bus + tram network during 1 day connections included for 1 to 4 persons in the same car. Of course, all the above is for information only, never taken them.
The Fil Bleu network of Tours: https://www.filbleu.fr/
The Remi regional Centre Val de Loire network (itineraries): https://www.remi-centrevaldeloire.fr/itineraire/
The Velociti bike network of Touraine donc Tours: https://velo-rando-touraine.fr/location-velociti/velos-classiques-et-pliants-longue-duree
The city of Tours on public transports: https://www.tours.fr/page-portail-ma-mairie/services-pratiques/deplacement/transports-en-commun/
There is a small airport Tours Val de Loire with access from the City on public transports by Tram ligne A : from the Vinci station or gare Vinci to Vaucanson terminus. And on Bus line 02 of the Fil Bleu network: direction Les Douets Arrêt/stop “Vaucanson” By car it is said about 10 minutes from City center but again never taken, The Aéroport Tours Val de Loire : https://www.tours.aeroport.fr/
The local Touraine Val de Loire tourist office on Tours : https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/discover/the-finest-cities/visit-tours-loire-valley-france/
There you go folks, another wonderful city of my belle France, The gateway to the valley of the kings and more marvels of the Loire Valley. And all this thanks to my dear late Martine !! Again, hope you enjoy this post on getting in and out of Tours as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 