Streets squares and districts to visit Central

... or Place Plum' for the locals. It is one of the emblematic and unavoidable places of Tours during a visit or a festive evening. Located in the heart of the Old City, it is rectangular, paved, on two levels. It is surrounded by half-timbered houses dating from the 15th century and classified as historical monuments.

Plum' beats to the rhythm of tourism and commerce during the day, before becoming the heart of the nightlife. Because what makes it special is the numerous cafés, bars and restaurants located all around. They all spread their terraces in the center, giving the square its famous animation and its great conviviality. So it's no wonder that it's often found on the top steps of Internet podiums of "best places to have an aperitif."

But like many places in the Loire Valley, Place Plumereau also has links with the great History of France. It is notably here that Joan of Arc would have stayed the time to have her armor made and to gather her army to go and deliver the city of Orleans.
The place Plumereau has not always been called like that. It was named after Charles Plumereau, a city councilor, in 1888. At his death, he had bequeathed to the city an annuity intended for secular schools as well as houses located on the square. A place that has known many lives and that was notably an unhealthy parking lot. It is to the mayor Jean Royer that we owe its restoration in the 1960s which led to its current form.

If the place Plumereau is the heart of the city of Tours, the place Jean Jaurès is the nerve centre. This is the ideal landmark in the city: indeed, the two arteries that are Béranger Boulevard and the Heurteloup boulevard intersect here perpendicular, cut Tours in four well defined areas. The square is dominated by the Hotel de Ville, a magnificent monument designed by the tourangeau architect Victor Laloux at the hinge of the th and th centuries. It also houses the Palace of justice, built in 1843 in a Louis Philippe style, without forgetting the two majestic fountains, which are different over the seasons by playing light and landscaping of the best taste. However, when the square was created in 1745, it was named after the Gates of Iron and marked the southern boundary of the fortifications. What the city has grown up!

Some beautiful streets and beautiful buildings help to remember the rich past of the city. In the Grande-Rue, there are a number of wood-paneled houses with, sometimes, staircases and wooden galleries. Located in a shopping district, these houses had all the shops on the street and some preserved their nineteenth-century wooden storyfronts. See also Saint Vincent Street, bordered by the seventeenth century bourgeois houses and the astonishing gurgling gurgling from the angle of the wall to No. 18. Close to a pretty little square planted with trees, we discover the church Saint-Etienne, a former collegial church built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and renovated in the xve.

This path leads you to Bel-Air frescoes. It took nine months for the six artists to get close to 4000 m 2 of walls. A huge piece of work that has restored life to this once grey quarter. Now place shimmering colours in the form of various trompe: the first fresco is inspired by the city centre architecture with wooden houses; the second work includes the theme of the Beauce identity with a large wheat mowing scene; a third achievement reveals a magnificent representation of stained glass windows; and finally the fourth presents the perfume.

Tariff: free free

Duration: 2 h.

Difficulty: .

This large paved artery is the Bourges shopping temple since the Belle Epoque. In the th century, urban planning works on the Middle Street and its surroundings to make it a long axis leading to Séraucourt Square. The tram is then the preferred means of transport. Looking back, you can admire art nouveau buildings built after the fire that devastated Average street in 1928. The facades and roofs of the New Galleries, where Fnac and H & M are located, and the Aubrun store are part of it, as is the old Ladies de France store (Planchat Square). All three are listed in the Additional Inventory of Historical Monuments.

The regional park of La is among its cities the charming city of Blanc. His visit is rich in many sites to discover, including: its castle (Naillac Castle) with its 2 big dungeons, its museums (the Ecomuseum Ecomuseum and the house of friends of the white)… Of course the streets will be a great pleasure… So the visit of the Blanc is not finished!

This is a long pedestrian street. There are many wooden houses but many are still to be renovated. The shops that border it are often independent and give it an unsubtyped character: shoe dealer, butcher, florist, house of tea and coffee, toy shop… Unfortunately, many of these family shops are closing their doors to allow them to place their place in caractère (banks, malls, real estate agencies…). The upper part, formerly named rue du Argent-d'Argent, has long lost its hostels, you-farriers, bourreliers, charron and horse dealers. Traffic was rare and slow. The calm and calm of the former Grand Rue d'Auron makes it pleasant to travel without a specific purpose.

If you have the opportunity to walk in Dreux, you will surely be able to take advantage of the main shopping street in this city. Located in the heart of Dreux, the Grand Rue Maurice Viollette is composed of more than 40 shops. In addition to the shops, you can also admire one of the major monuments of Dreux: the belfry. Dating back to the th century, this former City Hall overlooks the Grand Street and marks the beginning. You will also find the old Hotel Dieu, with its chapel and its «Tour des enfants found», now converted into an exhibition room. These two buildings are part of the symbols of drouaise architecture.

A little secret in Touraine to explore during your stroll on rue Colbert! Look for the sign indicating "Passage du Coeur Navré": unfortunately, this alley is not the cleanest in the city, but it is the narrowest. Legend has it that those condemned to death used this passage to reach the scaffold on the Place Foire-le-Roi. One shudders! But in the middle of the day, it is a curiosity not to be missed to contemplate the vaults, the roof, the old stones and to plunge into the heart of the history which reminds that of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.

Dating back to 1869, the hall, covered, is the old grain hall. Central point of La Ferté-Saint-Aubain, the square of the hall is now paved. This gives a stamp at this place of crossing individuals and favours meetings and animations, commercial, festive or cultural like its Festiv'Halle. To point out that this is where the open air market is taking place on Thursday. there is a parking lot, an important element in this city of La Ferté crossed by the national.

Châteaux du Perche-Gouët. This circuit is indicated at the departure of Husk. Despite diverse landscapes, Le Perche-Gouët presents a particularly strong unit in its architecture and culture. Its territory is identified as being that of the five baronnies: Husk, La Bazoche-Gouët, Authon-du-Perche, Alluyes and Montmirail. The route leads to the discovery of the noble homes of a country where charming manor houses and majestic castles parallel a traditional rural habitat of wooden houses. Many weekly markets will allow you to enjoy the local products percheron or to appreciate the festivals and fairs of Perche.

This hiking trail in the town of Chartres proposes you to discover this ancient fortified camp from the edge of the Loir. The walk begins on the 18-October square, from which you will descend to the river through the Revol Fountain and cave dwellings on the rue des Fouleries. You will then pass through the first course of the Loir to visit the island of Chemars, from where you can enjoy the view of the castle. You will return to the city by the Jardin des Grands-Moulins and the famous 200 steps of the Saint-Pierre descent, where the lavandières were drying their linen.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 1 h.

Difficulty: .