Château de Tours, Art museum and medieval castle in Tours, France

The Château de Tours stands on the Loire bank in the oldest quarter of Tours, near Saint-Gatien cathedral. Its two remaining towers, one round with a corbelled top and conical roof, flank a long 19th-century wing of pale beige stone with three red-brick chimneys and dormer windows. The complex now houses contemporary art exhibitions.

A stone castle was built between 1044 and 1060 by a count of Anjou, probably Geoffroy Martel, reusing the 4th-century Gallo-Roman city wall. It became a royal residence in the 13th and 15th centuries, was almost entirely destroyed in the 18th century, and its two remaining towers were joined to a new building used by the army from the Revolution. Classified as a monument historique in 1913, it was restored in the second half of the 20th century.

Since the 2000s the castle has hosted contemporary art exhibitions organized by Le Jeu de Paume, showing paintings and photographs by Joan Miró, Daniel Buren, Nadar and Robert Capa. The displays change, so the rooms never look the same twice.

The castle stands at the north-west corner of the old city, a short walk from the cathedral Saint-Gatien and the Loire embankment. The two remaining towers and the 18th-century wing are reached on foot through the old quarter; the surrounding streets are narrow and partly pedestrian. Exhibitions are organised by Le Jeu de Paume, so check the current programme and opening days before setting out.

The castle's two remaining towers were adapted with a new building used by the army from the Revolution onward, and it served as a barracks before being restored in the second half of the 20th century. Before becoming an art museum, it housed an aquarium with about 1,500 fish of 200 species until the 2000s.