Visit Tours Castle, France

Tours castle, very popular in the world, is an attractive activity for the visitors. In the heart of the beautiful city of Tours, capital of the Touraine region, you will find the royal Tours Castle, one of the Loire Valley Castles. Located in the Indre-et-Loire department, 240 kilometers south-west of Paris.

First, the castle was a royal property, built in the Carolingian period. The manor was replaced in the eleventh century by a larger stone construction, built against the Gallo-Roman ramparts and consisted of a vast hall and a square tower. The building was attributed to the Capetian dynasty of the House of Anjou which conquered the Touraine in 1044. The Guise Tower was used as the castle keep, and the Round Tower (known as the Secret Dungeon) once stood at the western corners of the castle. 

King Philippe Auguste and his family restored and enlarged it in the first half of the 13th century, including the old edifice of the eleventh and twelfth centuries that remains, to transform it into a royal fortress. The seigniorial residence with kitchen, bedroom and the rooms to lunch and dinner, then undergoes profound transformations. In the renaissance time, the competition is rough against the castles that are built near the Loire river. The castle became years by years,  in turn, a prison, an arsenal, a begging depot, a military barracks, and even a stone quarry.

The architecture of this medieval castle was preserved and the site was valued as historical heritage, to realize some excavation.  

Until 2000 the Tours Castle housed the Musée Grévin and an aquarium where 1,500 fish of 200 different species could be seen. Today, the visit to the castle of Tours allows the discovery of an exhibition devoted to archeology and contemporary art. Since 2010, the castle has hosted heritage photography exhibitions in partnership with the famous Jeu de Paume museum.

The region is famous for the warm home and for local wine production. Near the Tours Castle, you will also find the Azay le Rideau Castle and his beautiful garden. You can find with the Tourist Office of Tours the information about the history and the development of the Tours Castle and the town.

Climb aboard one of our Pariscityvision.com coaches for a 2 days guided tour of the Loire Valley Castles and explore the Old Tours with us.