Situated at 12 kms on the south of Tours on the RD910, Montbazon is a privileged place to stay on the road to Spain. This important fortified town which was commanding the Indre Valley was owned by a big feudal family.
Foulques Nerra, count of Anjou built a wooden fort which was rebuilt in stone around 1050 , then topped by a statue of the virgin. Nowadays, after a long period of renovation, the donjon is open to the public.

"There gets revealed a valley which begins in Montbazon, finishes in the Loire and seems to spring up under castles put down on his double hills: a splendid cup of emerald in the bottom of which the Indre rolls about with movements of snake."

> Château d’Artigny

(Route de Monts)
It was built in a Regency style by the perfumer François Coty in 1923. Attractive Park.

> Donjon (mid 11thC)

One of the oldest fortresses in France, flanked by a small keep, which belonged to the kings of England and then to the princes of Rohan. The 15thC ramparts, flanked by towers, protected the seigniorial building which has long disappeared. Since 1866, the Donjon has been crowned by a 9-metre tall statue of the Madonna, weighing 8 tons. Open to the public (see museum and sites). Tel: 02 47 34 34 10

> Eglise Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Aide

This church was rebuilt in 1849, in a neo-Romanesque style. The Wall paintings were done by the artist Grandin (1864), mosaic paintings on a gilded background.

> Town Hall

The Ground floor is dating from 1836, the first floor from 1883 in a Charles X style. A washhouse rebuilt in 1864 stands behind the town hall.

> Manoir de la Grange Rouge

Dating from the Louis XIII period, this manor house was substantially extended in 1872. It is owned by the municipality and home to a number of associations.

> Ruelle des Anges

This narrow street runs alongside the small enclosed garden of the presbytery, which passes under a 16thC half-timbered house and then runs into the rue des Moulins.

> Rue Emmanuel Brault

(On the left of the town hall).
 Once known as the route d’Espagne, this road is lined with medieval houses. At n°16 stands the former Auberge de l’Image, rebuilt in 1844. N°10 is the old hospital, adorned with a statue of St Blaise. The old chapel at n°8 has an opening decorated in Flamboyant Gothic style.

> Rue des Moulins

This street is lined with 15thC and 16thC houses. N°13 has an old fortified door dating from 1471, which was partly demolished in 1790. N°3, the Grand Moulin Ducal, was rebuilt in 1771; it has a large wheel to the back of the house, which stopped working in 1976. The Moulin des Avrins, at n°1, dates from 1896 and is built in Anglo-Norman style. N°14, the Villa Avrina built in Charles X style, was the miller's house and dates from 1879.