Sunday We sadly said goodbye to Paris & headed via train to the city of Tours in the Loire Valley which is 240 kilometres from Paris. The Loire Valley is referred to as the garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, as well as fruit & vegetables grown.
The region is a very popular tourist destination as over 300 chateaux/castles are located in the area, some dating back to the 10th century. Many of the chateaux are open to the public.
Tours is a beautiful city located between the Loire & Cher rivers. It is a lovely mix of very old & new. When we arrived we walked around enjoying almost empty streets due to shops being closed. A welcome change to hectic Paris. There is a huge range of places to eat as well as lots of shopping. After lunch we headed up the main Boulevard to the Loire river which is very swollen at the moment. We then walked to the medieval district, called le Vieux Tours with half-timbered buildings and la Place Plumereau, a square restaurants & cafes with open-air dining.
Many of Tours residents travel into Paris to work as they are very well serviced with high speed trains which take just over an hour.