National Street

This is the town’s main artery. Nationale street, stretching 700 meters long, connects Jean Jaurès square to Wilson Bridge crossing the Loire River. It literally cuts through the old Tours in half. It follows an ancient road from Caesarodunum, the Roman city that preceded Tours in the 1st and 2nd centuries. Excavations carried out in 2006 and 2007 revealed the presence of a vast Roman-era residential area right here. Before being called Nationale, the street was royal, as usual. The buildings around the thoroughfare are built in harmony with their facades, and everything is impeccably symmetrical. In the early 1880s the street name was changed to Nationale. Since the arrival of the tramway, the street has become entirely pedestrianized and lined with department stores. It’s the perfect place to do a bit of shopping while soaking in the city’s historical past. It’s on this street, at number 39, that Honoré de Balzac was born. If you’re interested in the life of this great French writer, you can join a thematic guided tour organized by the tourist office, or you can visit the Balzac Museum, located in Château Saché, a few kilometers away.