Name: Thouars
Address: FR

During your stay in the Loudunias region, we recommend a visit to Thouars. With its remarkable heritage, committed museums and landscapes shaped by the River Thouet, the town offers a complete experience, at the crossroads of culture and nature. A town of art and history, Thouars can be discovered in stages, without rushing, by letting each place tell you its own story.

A City of Art and History to discover step by step

Listed as a Town of Art and History, Thouars is perfect for exploring on foot. The streets of the old town centre are lined with timber-framed houses, tufa stone facades, discreet town houses and squares that bear witness to the layout of days gone by. As you walk along, you’ll recognise the logic of the urban layout: the old granary, the shopping streets, the vistas that lead naturally towards the Château de la Trémoille or the ramparts.

Some routes highlight the town’s medieval past, while others reveal the more classical layout of the Saint-Médard district or the views from the heights of the town. Interpretation panels in several places make it easier to understand these historical layers.

It’s a visit that you can take at your own pace, with each diversions providing additional information or landmarks. It’s a simple and enjoyable way to learn about the city’s history, without ever feeling like you’re being taught a lesson (and that’s good!).

Museums and heritage immerse you in the history of Thouars

In Thouars, museums play a key role in understanding how the town has been built and transformed over the centuries. For example, the Musée Henri Barré, housed in a 19th-century residence, displays collections combining decorative arts, local archaeology and objects linked to the great families of Thouars. Pieces found during excavations, portraits and furnishings are all on display, placing the town in the context of its long history.

A few steps away, the museum offers a completely different perspective. This venue looks at the 20thᵉ century through eyewitness accounts, sound archives and films. To complement this, interactive devices explain in no uncertain terms the region’s role during the Occupation, the Resistance and the Liberation. The tour is structured, intelligent and highly educational, showing how individual and collective choices shaped local history.

Taken together, these sites provide a comprehensive overview of Thouars’ past: on the one hand, the long history of Thouars, and on the other, the recent past and its challenges. For visitors, it’s an effective way of getting to grips with the town before wandering its streets, with a better understanding of what we’re looking at and why these places have stood the test of time.

The silhouette of the Château de la Trémoille dominates the town

The Château de la Trémoille is one of those monuments that immediately catches the eye. Set on a rocky promontory, it overlooks the Thouet valley and offers some of the finest views of the town, both from its terraces and from the surrounding paths. It’s easy to see why the site was chosen as a stronghold: the position provided control over passageways, access routes and the surrounding land.

Inside, the tour alternates between courtyards, galleries, ceremonial rooms and medieval remains, bearing witness to the different phases of construction and transformation of the castle. Defensive elements rub shoulders with more residential areas, while the current layout makes it easy to move from one area to another. Visitors can discover the influence of the de La Trémoille family, major episodes inlocal history, and architectural details such as vaults, staircases and window frames.

As well as visiting the site, the tour helps visitors to understand the urban logic of Thouars. From its heights, you can see how the old town was organised, how the Thouet meanders and how the site is anchored in the landscape. It’s a great way to get to grips with the uniqueness of Thouars before continuing on your journey of discovery.

Nature everywhere in Thouars

What’s surprising (and delightful) about Thouars is the omnipresence of nature. It’s everywhere, and is easy to explore by following the paths along the Thouet or deep into the countryside. What’s more, a number of walking routes link the town to its countryside, alternating between undergrowth, open vistas and more intimate paths.

The Vallée du Pressoir Regional Nature Reserve is a good illustration of this diversity: a sensitive area where the fauna, flora and wetlands can be discovered via discreet observation trails packed with information.

Closer to the centre, the Thouars waterfall offers a simple and pleasant stop-off, often chosen to take a breather or observe the water before resuming your walk. And everywhere, the Thouet serves as a common thread: its banks create a variety of atmospheres, sometimes calm and confined, sometimes open and bright, giving each walk a different tone.

A breath of fresh air in the Parc de la Vallée

To extend this beautiful green interlude, head for the Parc de la Vallée. This is one of the largest green spaces in Thouars, designed to accommodate both outdoor activities and breaks. There are vast lawns, modern play areas, shady areas that are ideal in summer, and wide paths that make it easy to get around on foot or by bike. The park is regularly used by local residents for running, relaxing or picnics, but it’s also a convenient place for visitors. In fact, it is located close to several points of interest and often serves as a natural transition between two stages of the urban itinerary.

What’s more, the space is large enough for everyone to find their own rhythm: sporting activities, games for the children, quiet reading or simply observing the landscape. The park also offers interesting views over the banks of the Thouet and some of the surrounding heritage. All of which makes it an ideal complement to the cultural discovery of the town.

In short, it’s a simple, multi-purpose, easy-to-access place that provides a pleasant break on a visit to Thouars and a breath of fresh air that makes itineraries more enjoyable.

Pedal stroke on the Vélo Francette

The Vélo Francette, which passes through Thouars, offers a highly accessible cycle route. Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or just an amateur, the local section allows you to cycle along the Thouet, through the countryside or back to the town centre. The itinerary is a real guide to discovering the town in a different way, without constraints, with ever-changing landscapes.