The bright, lively capital of the Loire Valley region straddles not one beautiful river but two, the Loire and the Cher, with the picturesque Vieux Tours old quarter lying on the long narrow peninsula between them. Brilliant modern architecture contrasts with an array of historic buildings, and all over France the city is famed for fine food and wine. There's a sense that this is the place to enjoy the good life. No wonder the writer Honoré de Balzac called it a smiling city.