Top 10 free family activities

Holidays always come with a budget, so when you can find something to enjoy as a family without breaking the bank, we'll take it! Check out our 10 ideas for free family activities:

Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
1. Visit the museums of Tours and the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau on the 1st Sunday of the month
Every first Sunday of the month, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Château de Tours open their doors to you free of charge! The same applies to the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau and the Cloister of the Psalette (for the months of January, February, March, November and December), an opportunity not to be missed!
Place Foire le Roi, Tours
2. Discover Tours through the eyes of a local
Arnaud, Marie, Christophe, Danielle and many others are Greeters. These local people, who love their city, will take you on a tour of their favourite places and share their favourite tips and addresses in Tours and Touraine. The whole process is entirely voluntary, and these 2-hour walks are free of charge.
Information and booking on loirevalleygreeters.com
Tours Botanical Garden
3. Recharge your batteries at the botanical gardens
A not-to-be-missed place to visit in Tours, discover the greenhouses and observe the plant collections, then head for the games and animal areas surrounded by remarkable trees (with a special mention for the bicentenary gingko)!
Place Châteauneuf, Parcours Lumière, Tours
4. Stroll the streets of Tours along the ‘Parcours Lumière’ (Light Trail)
When night falls, Tours puts its monuments and urban spaces on show with a play of lights. The streets of Vieux-Tours, the timber-framed houses of Place Plumereau, Saint-Martin Basilica, the Charlemagne Tower, the Grand Théâtre... the urban landscape takes on a whole new look!
Loire à Vélo, Amboise
5. Cycling along the Loire
The famous Loire à Vélo cycle route will take you along the river, past vineyards and villages... There are over 200 kilometres to choose from in Touraine! Recommended bonus: a bucolic break in the guinguettes of Savonnières, Tours sur Plage or Rochecorbon.
Stained glass designer, Quartier des Arts, Tours
6. Stroll around the Arts district
The Quartier des Arts is home to a collective of artists, craftspeople and gallery owners. To take advantage of its wealth of creativity, start your stroll in the rue du Grand Marché, wander through the adjacent medieval streets and finish in the rue du Petit Saint-Martin to admire the chapel of the same name.
Guinguette de Tours sur Plage, Tours
7. Relaxing on the beach in Tours
A haven of peace just a stone's throw from Wilson Bridge. There's no swimming here, just parasols, deckchairs, hammocks and the kind of guinguette atmosphere we love on the banks of the Loire!
Hiking, GR3, Pont de Fil, Tours
8. Hike one of the city's 48 trails
Walkers and runners, you've come to the right place! There are 500 km of walking trails to discover on 48 walks, all of them suitable for running. Easy or difficult, long or short, heritage or nature, you're sure to find the route that's right for you.
You can find the rando-running information sheets at tours-metropole.fr/rando, at the Tours Val de Loire Tourist Office and at the Accueil Vélo & Rando, 31 boulevard Heurteloup in Tours.
Rochecorbon, Little City of Character®
9. Strolling around Luynes & Rochecorbon, awarded the ‘Petites Cités de Caractère ®’ label
The concept of Petites Cités de Caractère® (Small Towns of Character) was born in the mid-1970s as a way of promoting atypical towns that were both rural in terms of their location and limited population, and urban in terms of their history and heritage.
both rural in location and small in population, and urban in history and heritage. Luynes and Rochecorbon are Petites Cités de Caractère® and well worth a visit!
Central Library, Tours
10. Devouring books and much more
Exhibitions, dramatised readings, discoveries... Tours' libraries offer a varied programme of cultural events, especially during the school holidays. Find out about all the events on bm-tours.fr.