Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Tours is from July, August, September, but considering flight prices and crowds, the best months to visit are May, June, September. — consistent weather climate
🌥Mild
| Score | 13 | 21 | 39 | 63 | 80 | 83 | 91 | 88 | 86 | 69 | 33 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cold | Mild | Pleasant | Pleasant | Pleasant | Mild | Mild | Cold | Cold |
| Temperature | 3–8°C | 3–10°C | 5–13°C | 7–16°C | 10–19°C | 14–24°C | 16–26°C | 16–26°C | 13–22°C | 10–18°C | 6–12°C | 4–9°C |
| Feels like | -1–5°C | -1–6°C | 1–10°C | 4–14°C | 8–18°C | 14–24°C | 16–26°C | 16–26°C | 12–21°C | 8–16°C | 3–10°C | 1–7°C |
| Precipitation | 68mm 12 days | 61mm 11 days | 66mm 13 days | 48mm 9 days | 77mm 12 days | 57mm 9 days | 33mm 6 days | 41mm 7 days | 51mm 7 days | 77mm 11 days | 69mm 11 days | 71mm 12 days |
| Sunshine | 3.1h ☀︎ 35% | 5.1h ☀︎ 50% | 6.9h ☀︎ 58% | 9.8h ☀︎ 72% | 10.5h ☀︎ 69% | 11.7h ☀︎ 74% | 12.2h ☀︎ 78% | 11.0h ☀︎ 78% | 9.5h ☀︎ 76% | 6.5h ☀︎ 60% | 4.6h ☀︎ 50% | 3.4h ☀︎ 40% |
| Wind | SW · 20 km/h | SW · 21 km/h | SW · 21 km/h | N · 19 km/h | NW · 19 km/h | NW · 17 km/h | W · 17 km/h | NW · 17 km/h | NW · 17 km/h | S · 19 km/h | SW · 19 km/h | SW · 20 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 86% | 81% | 77% | 70% | 71% | 69% | 63% | 65% | 70% | 80% | 86% | 88% |
| Day length | 9.0h | 10.3h | 11.9h | 13.6h | 15.1h | 15.9h | 15.5h | 14.2h | 12.6h | 10.9h | 9.3h | 8.5h |
| Tourist Crowds | Low season | Low season | Low season | Shoulder season | Shoulder season | Shoulder season | High season | High season | Shoulder season | Low season | Low season | Low season |
One of France's oldest fairs fills the streets of Tours every July 26th, with stalls selling braided garlic strings, fre…
Wooden stalls set up in central Tours through December, offering mulled wine, regional crafts, and seasonal treats along…
While standard travel wisdom crowns July as the ultimate time to base yourself in the Loire Valley, September quietly outclasses it: you get the same soft golden light and easy terrace afternoons, but without the high-summer crowds choking the historic center.
Once the seat of French kings and the heart of ancient Touraine, Tours balances its royal heritage with the earthy rhythm of a working university city. Travelers flock here as the logistical springboard to the Loire Valley's legendary Renaissance châteaux, but the city itself rewards slow lingering among timber-framed medieval facades, wide riverbanks, and white tufa stone. Understanding Tours means understanding that its calendar runs counter to expectation: while the summer brings warmth and castle-seeking tourists, late autumn mysteriously fills the city to capacity under chilly, leaden skies. Getting the timing right is the difference between strolling relaxed down cobblestone corridors and fighting for elbow room in the cold.
If you look purely at meteorological data, July technically wins on paper with maximum sun. In practice, September is the undisputed high point of the year in Tours. By early autumn, the frantic family road-trip traffic touring the Loire châteaux has drained away, returning the city to its residents and giving the streets an unhurried, lived-in cadence.
The days remain thoroughly warm, dropping to comfortable evening coolness where a light knit is all you need on Place Plumereau. The vines surrounding the city are heavy with grapes, the late-afternoon sun bounces gently off the white limestone of Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, and outdoor tables along Rue Colbert stay lively without feeling overwhelmed. It is the one month where city wandering and day trips feel completely frictionless.
Midsummer is undeniably radiant along the Loire. Days are long, dry, and generous with sunshine, drawing crowds to the riverbanks and filling every patch of shade across the historic quarter. Afternoons can feel baking on the stone pavements, but the heat rarely turns punishing, settling around the mid-twenties Celsius before cooling into balmy, sociable nights.
Late July brings one of the city’s genuine spectacles: the Garlic and Basil Fair, when aromatic braids and fragrant herbs spill through the streets in an exuberant celebration that has anchored local summer life for centuries. The trade-off is friction. Midsummer brings peak season for the entire valley; booking rental cars, navigating château grounds nearby, and finding an empty café chair require patience you simply do not need two months later.
Spring across Tours is a progressive awakening. April opens with crisp, bright afternoons that still carry an edge of morning bite, making long walks along Pont Wilson bracing but deeply photogenic. Rain during these months tends to arrive as passing spritzes rather than day-ruining deluge, leaving the gardens around the city exceptionally lush.
By May and June, street life gathers momentum. The sun stays out late, student life energizes the old lanes, and the valley blooms into vibrant greens. It is shoulder-season travel at its most forgiving: warm enough to spend full days exploring, yet early enough to dodge the July influx.
Here lies the strange paradox of Tours: as the skies turn slate-grey and temperatures tumble toward winter, the city paradoxically hits its densest crowding of the year. November and December record the highest visitor volumes on the calendar, driven by regional travelers, late-year tour groups, and festive weekenders.
In December, the Tours Christmas Market takes over the center, stringing wooden chalets through the chill and serving hot spiced wine against the illuminated timber houses. Yet November is perhaps the least forgiving month to visit: damp chill clings to the air, overcast days shorten dramatically, and the city is bustling despite the bleak weather. If you come now, come for fireside dining and indoor museum halls, not scenic river rambles.
The first quarter of the year strips Tours back to its bare bones. January and February are dim and cold, averaging highs beneath 10 degrees, with frequent overcast drizzle dampening the limestone alleys around the Basilique Saint-Martin. Many regional châteaux operate on reduced schedules, and river breezes can feel cutting.
Yet for travelers who dislike other tourists, this low period has quiet merits. You will have the city's masterworks and cathedral cloisters almost entirely to yourself. March begins to hint at relief with noticeably longer daylight and the first café awnings rolling down, though the chill stays stubborn until the calendar flips to April.