| 
The crossroads of the Loire.
Once, an extraordinary pilgrimage destination; today, one of the most interesting and visited centers of the Region. With its beautiful buildings, medieval and renaissance houses, churches, museums and the splendid Cathedral, Tours will certainly surprise positively.
Before, or after, a “full immersion” of the neighboring castles of the Loire.
Here, you can admire fantastic landscapes, from the striking bridges that cross the river. Or you can stroll through its quaint streets.
HOW TO GET TO TOURS
PLANE
A few kilometers away from the center, there is the small, homonymous, international airport. However, air traffic is limited to a few weekly flights with RyanAir. That’s why you could hardly opt for this type of solution.
Our advice is to use the airports as a base Paris Orly, Charles de Gaulle or Bordeaux . From here, by train or hiring a car, you can arrive at your destination. The capital is about 240 kilometers; Bordeaux, on the other hand, around 350.
TRAIN
Gare de Tours is one of the most important train stations in the Loire Valley. From here, many TGV, TER and intercity pass through the main French destinations. Often, trains limit to St Pierre des Corps, Railway station located about 3 kilometers east of the city center.
The connections are managed by the French SNCF. From Paris, the journey time by TGV is about 80 minutes. Trains are quite frequent, and prices can range from 40.00€ upwards. If you want to save money, you can use the Intercity train which takes about two and a half hours from Paris Gare de Austerlitz; prices around €27.00 approximately, per person.
From Bordeaux-Saint Jean, it takes about two hours to get to Tours, via Angouleme. Prices range between 35 and 45€ per person.
Blois, Nantes, Orleans, Poitiers are other solutions to start with using TER trains.
CAR
The city, and the Loire Valley, are ideal for car trips. A trip on the road has a truly unique charm and, above all, leaves great freedom to your rhythms and needs. Whether you want to arrive or leave, a car trip is really impressive. You can arrive directly with your car, or stop in Paris or Bordeaux, and rent a car directly at the airport.
The city is an important crossroads of many road and motorway arteries. The A10 crosses the city of the Loire, from Bordeaux to Paris. Lyon is 490 kilometers.
Brussels, in Belgium, is about 550 kilometers, passing through Paris. From the Dutch Rotterdam, you have to travel over 660 kilometers to get there. Milan, in Italy, is just under 1000 kilometers.