The city of Tours, France, capital of the département of Indre-et-Loire, is the largest city (population: 300,000) in central France. As such, it has good train and bus connections throughout the region, and plenty of hotels, restaurants, and other services.

Tours makes a good base for visiting the Touraine (vicinity of Tours) with its renowned wineries, as well as the châteaux of the Loire Valley, especially if you are traveling by train or bus and do not have your own vehicle.

The foundation of Tours was in Roman times, as the city of Caesarodunum. A few centuries later, Tours became a pilgrimage center as the devout came to visit the tomb of St Martin.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Tours was the de-facto capital of France as the kings used it as their base for the endless royal circuits through their possessions. The city got rich on royal bureaucracy and the manufacture of silk.

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Hotels in Tours Restaurants in Tours What to See & Do Tourist Information Transport in Tours Châteaux of the Loire The Loire Valley