Check out the Musée des Beaux-Arts' rich collection. Pierre-Antoine Demachy's 18th-century painting of a Tours vista shows how little the city has changed. Nearby, the Cathédrale Saint Gatien is an intricate, wedding cake of a structure, with stained-glass windows depicting Saint Martin, third bishop of Tours, freeing souls from their demons. St Martin's skull fragment still resides here. Don't miss the delicate Manufacture Le Manach, France's last working silk factory (by appointment only at the Tourist Office) or head to the Musée du Compagnonnage (Journeymen's museum) for fine workmanship in wood, iron, and even sugar.

The Château Royal d'Amboise, built for the kings of France in the 15th and 16th centuries, overlooks the pretty little town of Amboise. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the intimate Chapelle Saint Hubert adjoining the château; costumed processions take place here in summer. Nearby, Le Clos-Lucé is King François I's gift to Leonardo. See the desk where the great man worked, his chapel and reception room, and deathbed, where he died peacefully in 1519. Nip downhill to Amboise and take coffee and chocolates in the veritable institution that is Pâtisserie Bigot. At the pristine Château de Villandry, look out for the fine collection of Spanish art and fabulous gardens. There are more Loire châteaux, from Azay-le-Rideau to the Château de Chenonceau. The latter, straddling the River Cher, has gardens created by Diane of Poitiers and Catherine de Medici.

Amboise Tourist Office website

In Tours, markets are on daily (except Mondays), weekly or even yearly. In any case, there are 30 to choose from. Stock up on fresh produce at Beaujardin, Coty or Fontaines. Trawl the stalls for vintage finds at Place de la Victoire on Wednesdays and Saturdays, or make it a highlight with the heady Garlic and Basil Fest, every year on July 26.

You'll know when you've reached Vouvray, the famed wine village just outside Tours, it's dotted with troglodyte caves and dwellings. Once there, indulge in a Vouvray tasting, with wines ranging from sparkling to semi-dry and sweet. Wine-growers mature and bottle their wines in the Cave des Producteurs, two kilometres of galleries carved into the rock. Venture underground for a refreshing tour.

Where: Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray, 38 La Vallée Coquette, 37210 Vouvray, +33 (0) 2 47 52 75 03

Vouvray website

Cradle of Rabelais' insatiable Gargantua, the Touraine region leads the way when it comes to good food, good wine, and good living. Give fouée a go (small, flat, hot rolls from a wood-fired oven); delicious stuffed with rillette (pork or goose pâté), salad and Sainte Maure goat's cheese. Or try andouillette (tripe sausage) and coq-au-vin with Chinon wine. For something sweeter, opt for Tours prunes, macaroons or sucres d'orge (cooked sugar sweets).

I love the Musée du Gemmail in Tours, it's not very well known but well worth the visit. Gemmail looks like a sort of enamel or a mosaic, and is obtained by layering coloured glass. The museum is located in a 12th-century underground chapel, it is truly beautiful. Caroline Meert, Brussels

Where: Gemmail Museum, Hôtel Raimbault, 7 rue du Mûrier, +33 (0) 2 47 61 01 19

Open: Tue-Sun 2pm-6.30pm, from Easter until 15 October

For a bargain try Cholet's Circuit des Marques (65km south of Angers). The fashion warehouses have great reductions on last season's stock. I found stuff for myself and the rest of the family there. The best times to go are the winter and summer sales for massive reductions. Alex Asker, Bedfordshire

Where: Gemmail Museum, Hôtel Raimbault, 7 rue du Mûrier, +33 (0) 2 47 61 01 19