Bourges is an important town in central France, towards the south-east of the Loire Valley region and about 1 hour from the lake.
It has a substantial historic centre and two very important monuments — the cathedral and the Palais Jacques-Coeur — and is very pleasant to explore. Bourges has been classified as both a protected and a historic place in France, and as an official Town of Art and History. Both Bourges Cathedral and the Palais Jacques-Coeur are listed as French National Monuments and sit on the UNESCO list, which describes the cathedral as a "masterpiece of Gothic art" — surely one of the great cathedrals of France.
The great tower at Bourges Cathedral is copied from one to be found at the Louvre. As well as the cathedral, the Tower and the Crypt can be visited. You can also get a good view of the cathedral from the carefully planted gardens to the south — the Jardin de l'Archevêché.
From the outside, it is the elaborate decoration and the extensive use of flying buttresses that stand out. The flying buttresses enabled taller cathedrals to be built with thinner walls, and also allowed the cathedral to be built without a transept — so the inside is an unbroken design.
