48h with the City Pass

The "must-have" for any city break, the Tours City Pass gives you free access to the destination's must-sees at a preferential rate. Here are our suggested itineraries to make the most of this two-day pass.

Place Plumereau
Tours City Pass - 48h
Enjoy the destination's must-see attractions: Castle and Gardens of Villandry, Castle of Azay-le-Rideau, Castle of Tours, Centre of Contemporary Creation Olivier Debré, Fine Arts Museum, « Compagnonnage » Museum, Natural History Museum, Saint-Cosme Priory, Psalette Cloister and a guided tour of Tours. This 48h Pass also includes bike hire, access to the little tourist train (available end of March 2024) and exclusive benefits from our partners (e.g. €3 discount per player with Escape Yourself, 10% discount in the pub « Au temps des Rois »)
Beaux-Arts Museum
Day 1 - A tour of Tours
- 9:00 am: Get your day off to a good start and discover the sights on board the "Petit Train" (new in 2024 - running from April to October), departing from Tours Tourist Office. For 40 minutes, it will take you around the emblematic sites, with anecdotes all along the way.
  Another option: enjoy a guided tour of Tours*. Accompanied by a tour guide, you'll discover the history of the city and its monuments.
- 10:00 am: Head for the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Housed in the former archbishop's palace, it boasts some of the richest collections in France, including works by Monet, Mantegna, Rubens and Rembrandt. In its formal gardens, discover a two-hundred-year-old Lebanese cedar and a naturalized Fritz elephant.
- 11:30 am: On leaving the museum, head for Saint-Gatien Cathedral and visit the Cloître de la Psalette, which is entered from inside the cathedral.
- 12:30 pm: A few steps away, head for rue Colbert for a lunch break. This pedestrian street, ringed by half-timbered houses, is dotted with restaurants serving specialties from Touraine and around the world.
- 2:00 pm: Experts and novices alike will meet at the Centre de Création Contemporaine Olivier Debré (CCC OD). Temporary exhibitions of international scope are spread over a 4500m² space. The building was designed by architects Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus and has been awarded the "remarkable contemporary architecture" label.
  Another option: if you're a photography enthusiast, the Château de Tours is the place for you! In partnership with Paris' Jeu de Paume, it is dedicated to photographic exhibitions. Discover treasures on 3 floors, where the greatest names in the art have graced the walls: Nadar, Lartigue, Vivian Maier, Gilles Caron...
- 4:00 pm: For an immersion in French know-how, opt for the Musée du Compagnonnage, located in the former Saint-Julien abbey in the heart of town. It brings together the masterpieces of the Compagnonnage guilds from their origins to the present day, and highlights the traditions and archives of this institution.
  Another option: explorers and nature lovers will be delighted by the Museum of Natural History.
Prieuré Saint Cosme
Day 2 - Bike ride and castle
- 10:00 am: Another new feature for 2024, the Tours City Pass 48h now includes bike rental for a day. You can pick it up at the Roue Lib'* store and head off in the direction of the Prieuré Saint-Cosme (15min bike ride). Built in the 12th century as Ronsard's former home, it has been restored to make it an inviting place to (re)discover poetry. Take a break in the gardens, once dubbed "paradise on earth" by the canons.
- 12:00 pm: To return to Tours, take a detour along the banks of the Loire, picnic in a green setting on the Île Simon or have lunch "with a view" at the guinguette at Tours sur Plage, facing the royal river.
- 2:00 pm: Hop on your bike to reach the Château de Villandry. On this 18km itinerary (1h by bike), you'll cycle along the Cher and the troglodytic hillsides of Savonnières. Most of the route is reserved for bikes. On arrival at the château, your pass entitles you to a free tour of the Renaissance château and gardens, classified as "remarkable gardens".
- 5:00 pm: On your way back to Tours, you can stop off at the Vinothèque to choose a local wine with the advice of a sommelier, or at the Atelier Saint-Michel to take home a packet of their famous cookies. Discounts are available in both shops on presentation of the Tours City Pass. After these visits, you can stroll through the cobbled streets of Vieux-Tours and enjoy the festive spirit of the old town with a drink on Place Plumereau at the bar Au Temps des Rois (10% discount on presentation of the pass).
Centre de Création Contemporaine Olivier Debré