With a lively town centre, river activities and some of France’s finest châteaux on the doorstep, Tours is in a class of its own, writes Karen Tait

Four-bedroom homes

Riverside towns are charming and sought after – Carolyn Reynier picks out three set along France’s longest waterway, the mighty River Loire

French property dreams

Home and income

Head off the beaten track in Deux-Sèvres, Creuse and Aveyron and you’ll discover charm, history and character homes you can make your own, writes Eleanor Hewitt-Coleman