Culture Tours

The Bibliothèque Centrale, also called "la BM" by the people of Touraine, is an impressive building with a green roof on the banks of the Loire. It is a meeting point for heavy readers and the curious, where you will find heritage collections, a fine selection of novels and other art books and comic books, a collection of CDs and DVDs and a children's area. The subscription card allows you to borrow books from all the city's libraries. Conferences, meetings with authors, stories for children, exhibitions... The librarians have no shortage of ideas to bring the place and its treasures to life, including one Sunday afternoon a month, so that culture is part of our daily lives.

The IEHCA (Institut européen d'histoire et des cultures de l'alimentation) is one of the most prominent research laboratories of the University of Tours. Here, researchers cultivate the art of eating well by conducting investigations into the history of food. What did people eat in the past, how and why? These are all questions that established researchers and students are asking themselves, and that visitors are invited to explore during events open to the general public: conferences, cooking classes, chefs' residencies, a gastronomic book fair... All good things to discover in the Villa Rabelais, the epicenter of the "Tours cité de la gastronomie" project.

For young and old alike, the Association Courteline offers artistic, sporting and cultural courses of all kinds and for all levels, in Tours Centre (Courteline and Mirabeau districts) and Tours Nord (Gentiana site). Sewing, hip-hop, African dance, Spanish, oenology, karate... You'll find just about any activity you can think of! Classes are held at the association's various branches (rue Courteline, rue Preuilly, rue Boutard, rue Mirabeau and rue Gentiana). Prices are deliberately reasonable, with a view to popular education and access to culture for all. Training courses, social action and integration workshops complete the association's offer.