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10 filming locations to see within 100 kilometres of Tours
Located in the Centre-Val de Loire, Tours enjoys an excellent location. The prefecture of Indre-et-Loire is rich in an incredible cultural heritage and there is no shortage of filming locations within a 100-kilometre radius.
Saint-Pierre-de-Poitiers Cathedral – Carmen Sandiego
1 Rue Sainte-Croix, 86000 Poitiers
Seen in the Netflix series Carmen Sandiego, the cathedral of Saint-Pierre-de-Poitiers arouses the admiration of the young heroine. Built at the end of the 12th century, this religious building, the largest in the city, was built on the site of another cathedral, that of Hilaire de Poitiers. In 1912, Saint-Pierre-de-Poitiers received the title of minor basilica from Pope Pius X. First a novel character, Carmen Sandiego has been declined on several edutainment media such as video games as well as two animated series, the most recent of which was released in 2019 on Netflix. The actress Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), doubles the heroine in the original version.
Château de Chenonceau – What have we done to the good Lord?
37150 Caterpillars
To make their sons-in-law love France, the Verneuils organize a grand tour of the wonders the country has to offer. Among them, the castle of Chenonceau is in the spotlight, mainly the gardens of Diane de Poitiers. The building is usually resistant to filming, but according to the management of the castle, the teams were welcomed free of charge and on an exceptional basis, on the sole condition that visitors could take photos freely with the members of the cast.
Musée de l’Atome – Fantomas goes wild
Chinon Nuclear Power Plant, 37420 Oats
Built in 1957, the 55-metre diameter Chinon ball became France’s first nuclear power plant. Between 1963 and 1973, it produced 2.5 TWh of electricity. Just before its commissioning, the Fantômas team went on a rampage and seized the premises to house the laboratory of Professor Marchand (Albert Dagnant), kidnapped by Fantômas (Jean Marais). The modernity of the location made it an ideal shooting location for the second opus of the saga. Today, the Boule de Chinon is home to the Atom Museum, which can be visited free of charge after prior registration. Fantômas se déchaine is the first screen appearance of Olivier de Funès, the son of Louis de Funès, in the role of Michou, the younger brother of the photographer Hélène (Mylène Demongeot). He later gave up his acting career, finding it too precarious, to become an airplane pilot.
Château d’Amboise – The Art of Crime
Ascent of Emir Abd el Kader, 37400 Amboise
The first two episodes of the series The Art of Crime are filmed at the Château d’Amboise. Stolen painting, corpse found, many intrigues await Antoine Verlay (Nicolas Gob) and Florence Chassagne (Eléonore Gosset-Bernheim). Palace of the kings of France during the Renaissance, last residence of Leonardo da Vinci, jewel of the Loire Valley castles, the royal castle of Amboise has been listed as a historic monument since 1840.
pond – A better life
41220 Dhuizon
Yann (Guillaume Canet) and Nadia (Leila Bekhti) go to an abandoned hut on the edge of one of the ponds in the commune and want to convert it into a restaurant. With no less than 135 ponds, Dhuizon, and more precisely Saint-Viâtre, has a house of ponds, presenting a historical approach of the region but also of its management, ecology, fauna and flora. For his performance in the film, Guillaume Canet won the Best Actor Award at the Rome International Film Festival in 2011.
Le Vieux Mans – The Man in the Iron Mask
Le Vieux Mans, 72000 Le Mans
Presenting the supposed life of Louis XIV’s twin brother, The Man in the Iron Mask used Old Mans as the setting for this film. Medieval centre of the Mancelle town, it was requalified Cité Plantagenêt in 2003. Traces of civilization can be found here as early as the 3rd century and many of the buildings, still visible today, date from the beginning of the 2nd millennium. The film is based on a true story. The death of a prisoner in 1703, whose name and reason for incarceration at the Bastille were unknown, aroused great interest. Voltaire described it then as a symbol of monarchical absolutism. The theories began to emerge. Twin brother of Louis XIV, true king of France or Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent of finance at the time, presumed dead in 1680, the year of the incarceration of the unknown . Even today, no one can say for certain who this man really is. Many hypotheses speak of Eustache Dauger, a valet imprisoned for having discovered embezzlement by Cardinal Mazarin. Whereas the iron mask would have actually been made of cloth. A mystery that will probably never be solved.
D86 – The Brain
Le Bourg – 41170 Baillou
On board a bus to try to escape from the police, Arthur (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Anatole (Bourvil) ask the driver to stop and pretend to be policemen to get into the car… real policemen! This scene was shot near Baillou, on the D86 with the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in the background. The latter has also been listed as a historic monument since 1948. Le Cerveau was filmed in French and English simultaneously by the same cast.
Château de Chambord – The Gifted on Holidays
Chambord Castle, 41250 Chambord
On the way to Saint-Tropez, the van passes by the Château de Chambord. Built in 1519 at the request of Francis I, the castle emerged in the heart of the marshy lands of Sologne and quickly became the emblem of the French Renaissance. The film’s song, Destiny, was a huge success, even more important than the feature film. However, Guy Marchand never appropriated the title in his discographies. With this song, the actor-author-singer intended to make fun of French variety, easy songs and the use of the synthesizer. Guy Marchand never understood the success of this song, composed in haste for a film.
Le Mans 24 Hours racetrack – Michel Vaillant
72000 Le Mans
Michel Vaillant (Sagamore Stévenin) competes in the famous Le Mans 24 hours race. This one of course stands on the mythical circuit. But it should not be confused with the Bugatti circuit, a permanent track with which it shares the pits and a short stretch of track. It is possible to drive on the circuit with your car since several sections are actually made up of roads used by motorists every day. The official speaker of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bruno Vandestick, plays his own role in the feature film.
Château du Moulin – Thierry la Fronde
41230 Lassay-sur-Croisne
The fifth episode of the first season, The Prince’s Treasure, was the occasion for the film crew to take possession of the Château du Moulin. The outdoor scenes were shot inside the castle grounds. The building hasn’t forgotten the vigilante’s prowess. Indeed, before it was put on sale and when it was possible to visit it, a special Thierry la Fronde room allowed the youngest, but also to remind the not so young, of the exploits of the hero of the Sologne.
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By Anthony Thibault
From the "Casimir generation", Anthony has kept (in addition to a passion for Goldorak) a taste for inventive images, experimentation and curiosity. Passionate about travel and pop culture, he co-founded Fantrippers with Nicolas Albert to share his passion with as many people as possible.