Place Anatole France, Tours, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Place Anatole France is a public square in Tours, a city on the Loire in central France. It is named after the writer Anatole France, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921. It is also a good place to understand why Tours suits cyclists, since two long-distance European cycle routes cross the city.

The story behind it

The square takes its name from Anatole France, one of the best-known French authors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Naming squares and streets after literary figures is a common habit in French towns, and it gives this corner of Tours a place in the city's map of public tributes.

The story most useful to a visitor today is about movement. Tours is crossed by two of the 17 EuroVelo routes, the network of long-distance cycle paths that links countries across Europe. EuroVelo 3, the Pilgrim's Route, runs from Norway down to Spain. EuroVelo 6, the Atlantic to Black Sea route, follows a line across the continent through France and beyond. Together they make Tours a stop for travellers on two wheels as well as a base for locals who cycle to get around.

What to look for

• Look for the street plaque bearing the name Anatole France, and think of the Nobel-winning writer behind it.
• Watch the cyclists passing through, from commuters to loaded touring bikes, which shows how much the city is part of the European cycling network.
• Notice the cycle route signs and markings in the area, which point travellers along the EuroVelo paths.
• Take in the setting of a busy city-centre square, with the river Loire close enough to make a short walk worthwhile.

Tips for your visit

• This is an open public square, so you can stop by at any time. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough if you only want to see it.
• Morning and late afternoon are pleasant for a walk, with softer light and fewer crowds than midday.
• Combine it with a stroll along the Loire and the old streets of central Tours rather than treating it as a single stop.
• If you are cycling, check current signs and local maps for the best way to pick up the EuroVelo routes.

See it on a quest

The quest European Tours is a good way to see this square. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. The theme of the quest fits the square well, and it is free to play, so you can start whenever you like without a guide or a group.