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Tours
230 km
Sunday 11 October
Chartres and his cathedral
The town of Chartres is once again becoming a major centre for cycling. Following the Tour de France in 2004, this time the Paris-Tours race will start from the place Châtelet square. And this wonderful romance will continue, as demonstrated each year by our support for the Chartres cycling Grand Prix.
More generally, the entire layout of the city gives pride of place to bicycles. The new cycling tracks allow cyclists to discover unique heritage whilst enjoying a breath of fresh air, along the banks of the Eure, for example.
This soon becomes apparent to visitors as they arrive from the Paris region via the old N10 road. Just like the cycling champions of yesteryear would watch the spires of the Cathedral looming over the horizon, tourists can today enjoy this same view as it emerges from behind the roof of the new water park and ice-skating rink. In passing, new arrivals will notice the new modern look and development of Chartres: companies in their brand new facilities are proof of the town’s steady growth.
The “Capital of Light and Perfume” is every day more and more deserving of its name. An illustration is the eye-catching and functional layout of its boulevards, where the cinema complex, theatre and media centre combine promotion of heritage and a priority for creation. It is all the more evident at night, during the warm season, from April to the end of September. Light shows transform the façades of monuments and it is the entire town that becomes cathedralesque.
© Crédit photo : Yves Brault
A very easy-to-reach city
Tours has always been a crossroads. It lies at the hub of five motorways, straddles a major European communication axis, boasts an international airport and is easy to reach at any hour with a motorway exit two minutes from the town centre. The town centre is just an hour from Paris on the TGV high-speed train, which also links Tours to big French and European cities with many direct daily connections.
Intense scientific research
Despite its glorious past in the automobile industry, Tours is not known for being a manufacturing centre. However, the city does have a reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in high value-added areas closely connected to university research, in particular medical. The city and its suburbs are part of three competitiveness clusters (Cosmetic Valley, Elastopole and the European Energy Efficiency Cluster), demonstrating that this “philosophy” pays off and strengthening a situation that is the envy of many heavily industrialised towns.
The town of “living well”
Although Tours possesses a remarkable built heritage and has been the scene of major historic events in every period, the city is not stuck in the past but on the move, belying its “sleeping beauty” reputation. Archaeologists say it was founded not under Augustus but Tiberius, a Roman emperor who loved good wine.
The Italian-style opera house, ancient music ensembles, regionally important conservatory, national choreography centre, theatre centre, contemporary art centre and jazz concert hall (the biggest one in France) regularly stand out because of the actions they develop, the artists they present in the city or the “export” of the shows they create here.
Tours loves sports
A healthy mind in a healthy body is an old saying that has particular resonance in Tours, where team sports, especially volleyball, ice hockey and football, often put the town on the front page of sport sections. But in Tours sports also means the simple pleasure of running along the banks of the Loire or rowing, canoeing, kayaking, sailing and windsurfing at one of the many bodies of water. What’s more, people can enjoy their favourite outdoor activities in over 600 hectares of parkland, woods and forests in town or nearby, in particular at the lake’s brand new aquatic centre and the new compact golf course in the centre of the metropolitan area.
Every year 10,000 people participate in the Tours and Nouvelle République 10 and 20km race—proof, if any were needed, that Tours’ inhabitants love sports. With 160 clubs including 32, 0 00 members in over 120 disciplines, there really is something for everyone. All the sports clubs and associations presented their offer at “Sport’ouvertes” in September.
