Tours (France) – Location, History, Facts

Tours is a city and commune in France that serves as the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire department.

Tours, France.

Country: France
Coordinates: 47.3928° N, 0.6883° E
Country and civic status: France; a city and commune
Departmental role: Prefecture of Indre-et-Loire
Regional position: Largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region

Tours overview

Tours is a city and commune in France that serves as the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire department. It stands on the lower Loire between Orléans and the Atlantic coast and is described as the largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Its public role is inseparable from a long urban development: a Roman settlement, two competing medieval centres, a royal residence in Touraine, a railway-era revival, and a brief wartime role as the seat of the French government in June 1940.

Official recorded sales

Residential property prices in Tours

The median recorded residential sale price was €2,962 per m² across 11,215 qualifying transactions in 2021–2025. This is a historical transaction measure, not a live asking price or a valuation.

Apartment median: €2,862/m²
House median: €3,368/m²
Source updated: 2026-07-17

Open the full data analysis and methodology

Tours coordinates

Tours is commonly mapped at approximately 47.3928° N, 0.6883° E, or 47.3928, 0.6883 in decimal degrees.

Degrees: 47.3928° N, 0.6883° E

Decimal: 47.3928, 0.6883

Where Tours is located

Tours is in central-western France, on the lower Loire between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. The source lists its position as 47°23′37″N, 0°41′21″E. Administratively, it is a commune and the prefecture of Indre-et-Loire, within the Centre-Val de Loire region. This places the city both in a Loire valley corridor and at the administrative centre of its department. The supplied commune endpoint was unavailable during checking, so no additional location or boundary data is drawn from it.

A departmental prefecture with regional urban weight

Tours performs the civic function of prefecture for Indre-et-Loire and is the largest city in Centre-Val de Loire.

Its clearest formal role is administrative: the city is the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire department. That status places departmental government in the urban centre, while its position as the largest city in Centre-Val de Loire gives it a broader regional role in the source dossier. The city is also identified as a commune in France, linking municipal government to the departmental prefecture. The dossier does not provide a detailed inventory of public offices, services, or agencies, so the civic explanation is limited to these documented levels of government rather than inferred functions.

The Loire setting and the survival of two historic centres

The city’s urban form reflects a lower-Loire location and the later joining of eastern and western medieval centres.

The historic structure developed around two competing medieval nuclei. The eastern “City” formed around the cathedral and castle, while the western “new city” grew around the Abbey of Saint Martin. According to the source, the two were linked during the 14th century, creating the basis for a more connected urban settlement. Present-day heritage references preserve this layered arrangement through sites including Tours Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint Martin, Hôtel Goüin, Place Plumereau, Pont Wilson, and the Prébendes d’Oé garden. The historical centre is also identified as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From Roman settlement and royal residence to wartime government seat

Public use changed from a Roman and medieval religious centre to a royal residence, railway-connected city, and temporary national capital.

The source gives the Roman name Caesarodunum and traces the later form of the name through Civitas Turonum. In the Middle Ages, religious and political centres competed across the settlement; later, the city was the capital of Touraine and a royal residence during Louis XI’s reign. Tours and Touraine remained associated with the French court until the 16th century. The railway’s arrival in the 19th century is credited with contributing to a revival. During the Second World War, the French government temporarily sat there from 10 to 13 June 1940 before moving to Bordeaux. The dossier notes that the Wikipedia History section requires further citation.

Departmental government, university life, and religious landmarks

Departmental administration, higher education, and major religious institutions give the city distinct public anchors.

The prefecture establishes a governmental anchor, while the university helps define the city’s contemporary social and institutional profile: the source describes Tours as a university city with more than 30,000 students in 2019. Religious institutions remain central to its built and historical identity, especially the cathedral and the Basilica of Saint Martin. Their roles are different but connected: the prefecture represents departmental administration, the university brings a large student community, and the cathedral and basilica preserve the city’s ecclesiastical history. The source also associates Tours with Saint Martin of Tours and Gregory of Tours.

A Loire city associated with French history and Touraine

Tours represents a meeting point of Loire geography, Touraine’s royal past, Christian history, and national political memory.

Its symbolic role comes from several documented associations rather than a single monument. The Battle of Tours in 732, Saint Martin of Tours, Gregory of Tours, and the Carolingian Renaissance connect the city to religious and early medieval history. Its former position as the capital of Touraine and a royal residence ties it to the French court. The temporary presence of the national government in June 1940 adds a modern political episode. Heritage sites in the historic centre, together with the city’s association with Touraine wines and regional foods, extend that identity into cultural life.

Tours facts

France; a city and commune
Prefecture of Indre-et-Loire
Largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region
On the lower Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast
47°23′37″N, 0°41′21″E
Caesarodunum; the name later developed through Civitas Turonum
Two centres: the eastern City around the cathedral and castle, and the western new city around Saint Martin’s Abbey