Tours Audio guided walking tour 2h00 and 22 audio commentary

You now walk along the wild banks of the Loire. This river, which is the longest in France at 1006 kilometers, is also perhaps the most beautiful.

So, yes, right in the Loire Valley, with all these castles more sumptuous than each other, the castle of Tours is not the craziest you have ever seen.

This little passage that we are taking now is called the passage of the heart. A kind of bridge of sighs that, as in Venice, evokes the sadness of the convicts who used this passage to go to the scaffolding erected on the square of Fair-Le-Roi.

Here you are, in front of the Grand Theatre, the only Opera in the Centre region! At the base, as with the famous Scalla Theatre in Milan, there was a church, the Church of the Cordeliers.

Review to fans of the flamboyant Gothic, St. Guardian’s Cathedral is for you! Its construction began in the 13th century and will last about 400 years!

Here you are in the beautiful garden of the Museum of Fine Arts of Tours, installed in the old episcopal palace of the city. The bishops were in fact located near the cathedral, in an old palace of the 4th century.

Upon entering the Museum of Fine Arts, you are immediately intrigued by the stuffed elephant in its window. This is Fritz, an early 19th-century star of the Barnum and Bailey North American Circus.

Few stations can boast of any tourist interest other than having taken you to your destination. While the Tours station is downright beautiful!

Opposite you, on the little Place Jean Jaurès, stands the imposing Tours City Inn. Built in the late 19th century and inaugurated in 1904, it looks more like a palace than anything else.

Here you are in the heart of the main artery of the city. The 700-metre-long national street connects Place Jean Jaurès with the Wilson Bridge across the Loire.

You can see that we are entering another era with the Charlemagne Tower standing before you. It is, along with the Clock Tower and St. Martin’s Cloister, one of the only remains of the old St. Martin’s Basilica destroyed in 1797.

The Basilica of Saint Martin that you see now was built from 1887 to 1902 by the architect Victor Laloux, yes, the same as for the City Inn and the train station. He didn’t quit in his life!

You are now in front of the clock tower. This is where you can really see the size of the old Basilica of Saint Martin of the eleventh century.

This carved door in flamboyant Gothic style is a new witness to Tours' past. It is all that remains of a private Inn owned by the treasurer of the canons.

Small anachronism in the historic district. You're here face to face with the Point of Sale Monster!

Here you go. That's what you wanted to see in Tours. A remarkable set of half-timbered houses around a cozy square filled with cafes and restaurants.

You are here in the presence of a great mix of pasts facing Roman and medieval remains. In the 500’s, when her husband Clovis died, Queen Clothilde moved to Tours.

We are still in the Plumereau district of Tours, the most important historical area of the city. There you have the Goüin Inn, a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture.

Here is the church of Saint-Julien in Tours. In the 6th century, Clovis is said to have decided to erect a church to celebrate his victory over the Visigoths.

We arrive on the bridge Wilson which offers us a very nice view on the banks of the Loire and an interesting perspective on the Rue Nationale behind you.

The beautiful art nouveau building you see there, comfortably installed facing the Loire, is the municipal library of Tours. Its remarkable architecture and history have earned it a historic monument.

Passport please, you are entering US territory. Yes, you can see that the piece of land on which this beautiful fountain is located belongs to the United States!