Stand out chateaux - all-year round...

 Even in October it's hard to disguise the beauty of the Chateaux at Azay le Rideau and Villandry here in the Loire Valley.

New tramway system in Tours

We took the opportunity to ride the new tramway system in Tours recently - just to check it out for you - good fun - simple things eh!

The system was only inaugurated on September 1st (you can see video and pics. here) with much pomp and ceremony, so it's all brand-spanking new. We boarded at Place Jean Jaurés an area which is not new to trams...

Source wikmedia

The new trams at €433M will certainly have cost more than the ones above but the city hopes it will regenerate some of the outlying districts of the city as well as take cars off the road by providing an inexpensive option. The fairs are attractive - we bought an all-day ticket for €3.70 and although the ticket machine is fairly straightforward, with an option in English, there was a young man on hand in case there were any teething problems.

The trams run around every 8 mins so you don't have long to wait...

...and once they do arrive, are very comfortable.

We rode in both directions getting views over the river Cher to the south and the Loire to the north...really handy and fun way to view some of the city's main tourist attractions.

(originally posted on our loirevalleyexperience blog)