Descartes

Descartes,15 minutes from Barrou is also set on the river Creuse, the town was home to the famous philosopher René Descartes   ("I think therefore I am")  and there is museum dedicated to him in the house where he lived.

It has a good variety of commercial activities which includes a cinema, individual boutiques, independent wine shop (English spoken) plus chemist, bank and post office. There is ample parking within the town.

The town of Descartes has a very good, busy, Sunday morning market, where you can buy the locally made, famous goats cheese, Sainte Maure de Touraine, fresh home-grown produce and wines of the region or simply enjoy the atmosphere.

There is a choice of well-stocked supermarkets in the town that make an ideal stop-off, if travelling down from Tours, to pick up some fresh fruit and veg, local wines and cheeses to get your holiday off to a pleasant start.

 For leisure, Descartes offers a heated outdoor swimming pool complex with slides (open July and August, no outdoor shorts allowed); baby pool, 25 metre pool and large sunbathing area, cafeteria, children's play park, crazy golf, fishing, tennis plus canoeing on the river Cruise courtesy of the local Kayak Club.

© Mairie de Descartes

The town has beautifully kept riverside gardens that shouldn't be missed. If you visit the Sunday morning market a stroll here in the afternoon is a good idea.

The bridge here has always been an important crossing over the river Creuse forming part of the pilgrims route 'Santiago de Compostela' to Spain and as part of the old main route from Paris to Bordeaux. Jim McNeill has a good article about the bridge  here... in his 'Social history of Touraine' blog.

There is a good tourist office in the town, it is by the parking on the left as you enter the town from the Barrou direction on Rue Descartes. This is a good place to park to explore the town or to visit the market. You can also pick up a map for local marked-out walking routes in and around the town from here.

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