Château du Plessis

Tour Guide

Tours

City Information
http://www.ligeris.com/usa/city.html

With a population of about 150,000, Tours is the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department. Tours is located less than twenty kilometers north of Le Plessis. An old Gallo-Roman town, it grew rapidly after the death (397) of its bishop, Saint Martin, whose remains are buried in the Basilica of St. Martin (built 1887–1924). The city was a center of medieval Christian learning, notably under Gregory of Tours and Alcuin. It was from Tours that Charles Martel assembled his army on his way to Poitiers to the south where he halted (732) the Moorish conquest of Europe. The city became an archdiocese in 853. The history of Tours is essentially that of the Touraine of which it was the capital. It was favored by many kings, including Louis XI, who held his States General there and who died in the nearby Château of Plessis-lès-Tours (now in ruins).

There is plenty to see in Tours, even though a good portion of the center of town along the Loire River was destroyed by Allied bombing during WWII.

Tourisme and Shopping:
 
The old square, Place Plumereau, and the neighboring streets are lined with picturesque medieval and Renaissance houses.  The Cathedral St-Gatien a couple of blocks to the East is well worth a visit as well. 
The Musée des Beaux-Arts was formerly the Archbishop's Palace (17th and 18th c.). It displays fine pieces of furniture and considerable collection of French and foreign paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, Mantegna, Rubens, Rembrandt, Boucher, Delacroix, Degas.
Also of interest is the Hotel Gouin.  It hosts Touraine Archeological Society collection.  The building is undoubtedly the most beautiful example of Renaissance domestic architecture in Tours.
Tours offers plenty of shopping opportunities along the Rue Nationale and the Rue des Halles.  This is great if you are looking for shoes (I once counted over 30 shoe stores) or a department store.  Do not expect too many craft and souvenir shops, however.  At the end of the rue des Halles, you will find “Les Halles” (food hall), or old market place hidden in a large multi-story ugly modern structure.  The selection and the quality of the food found inside makes Les Halles a mandatory stop for food lovers.

Boulangerie (Bakery):

54 rue Nationale  – «Honoré le Boulanger»
Part of a chain of bakeries, Honoré makes some of the best breads and croissant in the entire region.

Restaurants:

Absolute mystery to us, there are practically no restaurant in the center of town worth stopping by.  Worse, there are a few bad ones, and this is a rarity in France.  If your feet are killing you and you are looking for a quick bite, the “Bureau Pub" on the place Plumereau will serve you some decent food at a reasonable price, in a pseudo English pub atmosphere.  Otherwise avoid the “Brasserie Buré”, and “Au Dessus Dessous”.  Our suggestion is to drive out of the town center to find a decent place to eat.  While we were not able to claim having discovered exceptional little jewels, we did find a few little restaurants worth trying when shopping or sightseeing in Tours.
"Rotisserie Tourangelle" – 23 rue du Commerce – very good, traditional food, a triffle expensive.  This is actually in the center of town, right next to the Eglise Saint-Julien and next door to the archeological museum located in the spectacular Renaissance Hotel Gouin
“Le Petit Patrimoine” is a very small bistro on the pedestrian section of Rue Colbert between the Rue Nationale, Tours main shopping street, and the Cathedral Saint-Gatien.  This section of the street is one restaurant after another serving informal food from most part of Europe and even the world.  Le Petit Patrimoine serves a daily set menu, very reasonable, and quite well prepared.  Service is very informal and rushed but friendly.  A convenient place to drop in but reservations an hour or so ahead are advisable since the place is very small.
"La Souris Gourmande", also on the Rue Colbert is another conveneint quick and inexpensive stop. It specializes in cheese dishes (guess where the name comes from?), including various Fondue dishes.
"Le Timbre Poste", a couple of blocks from Les Halles is a friendly and tiny Creperie serving various stuffed crepes for a quick if copious bite.
“Le Mastroquet”, located on the square next to Les Halles, is a much more formal and traditional country inn.  The food is well prepared and the menu is very classical, reasonably priced and competently served.  The décor is warm but unimaginative. It is a quiet and comfortable oasis after a busy shopping morning
“Restaurant Eden”, right off the Place de la République, in the center of the shopping district, is sort of a find.  Small, unpretentious, somewhat funky, it serves a quick tasty carte of salads and pasta with a distinctive Mediterranean overtone.  The service is very informal but efficient and prices are very reasonable.

Marché (Farmers Market)

Les Halles – place des Halles
Do not be turned off by the non-descript appearance of the building.  Inside you will find food stalls with the best fish, the best cheeses, some of the best meat and produce, and a superb spice shop with some of the best olive oils.  This is not to be missed if you like to cook or simply to look at very good food.

Presse (Newsstand)

Rue Nationale
There are at least 4 newsstands selling the Herald Tribune along the Rue Nationale.

Grand Magasin (Department Store)

If you are going to Paris, skip the Tours stores. Galerie Lafayette has a branch on Rue Nationale, Printemps has a branch on the Boulevard Heurteloup across the City Hall and around the corner from the Rue Nationale.

Please send us your own comments and experiences by Email to GdeKerchove@LePlessisThilouze.com. We will endeavor to include them in updated versions of these guides should you allow us to do so.