Tours Christmas Market

From Boulevard Heurteloup to the Loire

Tours Christmas market occupies two tree-lined walkways of Boulevard Heurteloup, which starts at the station forecourt, and the centre of Place de la Résistance. The tuffeau (the white limestone typical of the Loire Valley) of the facades takes on a warm glow under the lights. At the end of Rue Nationale, Place Anatole France, at the foot of the Wilson bridge on the banks of the Loire, hosts the Village Gourmand food village: food chalets, a bar, a Ferris wheel over 40 m high (in 2025) and a roller-skating rink.

The chalets line the boulevard and the centre of the square; a few food chalets are added on Rue Nationale, at Porte de Loire and on the station forecourt. The city does not publish a count. The scale is deliberately human: no crush, you can move around, children do not get lost. This is a market that trades on atmosphere rather than volume.

Loire Valley flavours

Touraine cooking is well represented. Rillettes de Tours, which carry an IGP label, stand out for their dry texture, long fibres and golden-brown colour, obtained by browning the meat. Géline de Touraine, a black hen of a local breed, is sold in jars or as confit.

For cheese, the Centre-Val de Loire region counts five AOP goat’s cheeses: sainte-maure-de-touraine (an ash-coated log), valençay (a truncated pyramid), selles-sur-cher, pouligny-saint-pierre and crottin de Chavignol.

For something sweet, tarte Tatin, born at Lamotte-Beuvron in the Sologne, is eaten warm. Pithiviers comes from the Orléans area and is a rarer find. Loire Valley wines, vouvray (sweet or dry chenin), chinon (cabernet franc), bourgueil and saumur-champigny, are sold by the glass or the bottle.

A gateway to the châteaux

The main appeal of a stay in Tours in December is how close you are to the Loire châteaux. During Noël au pays des châteaux (Christmas in château country), from 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, seven Touraine châteaux put on their Christmas decorations (Villandry, Chenonceau, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon, Langeais, Loches) and each opens its doors for one evening after dark: Amboise on Friday 11 December, Chenonceau on Wednesdays 23 and 30 December. Chambord is not part of the programme; its facade is lit up every evening, from sunset to 1am.

Allow €19 at Chenonceau and €21 at Chambord for a full-price ticket (2026 season), plus travel costs; passes covering 3 to 7 châteaux are available during Noël au pays des châteaux. All are reachable by car from Tours in 30 minutes to 1 hour. A car is recommended to make the most of a château + market weekend.

Practicalities

Tours by TGV from Paris-Montparnasse: 1h10, ideal for a day return or a short weekend. Boulevard Heurteloup starts at the station forecourt: the first chalets are a few minutes’ walk away, Place de la Résistance about 1 km. The historic centre is pedestrianised.

To go further, Chartres offers the video mapping on its UNESCO-listed cathedral. Orléans hosts a smaller but charming market on Place du Martroi, extending onto Place de la République and Place de Loire. For heritage lovers, a Tours + Chartres + Orléans combo over 3 days makes a coherent route through the Loire Valley.