Villandry is a castle and gardens in the Loire Valley, a short distance down from Tours. Completed in 1536, it is the last major Renaissance castle built in the area. Villandry is famous for its gardens, faithfully recreated in the early XX c.

Tours has been an important town since pre-Roman days. It is a good example of a medieval "double city" with two centers -- one being the town itself within the confines of the Roman settlement and the newer one around the Count's castle. The picturesque Place Plumereau and ruins of the St. Martin's basilica are parts of the old center while the Gothic cathedral anchors the other.