2026 ranking · sunshine

The sunniest large cities in Centre-Val de Loire (20,000+ inhabitants)

Q: What is the sunniest large city in Centre-Val de Loire?

Châteauroux (Indre) is the sunniest large city in Centre-Val de Loire, with 1,891 hours of sunshine a year on average.

Châteauroux (Indre) is the sunniest large city in Centre-Val de Loire, with 1,891 hours of sunshine a year on average. Next come Bourges (Cher, 1,889 hours a year) and Vierzon (Cher, 1,889 hours a year).

11 towns ranked out of 1,754

Châteauroux, 1^stThe next 10

The podium

Photos: © Benjism89, CC BY-SA 3.0 · © Croquant, CC BY-SA 4.0

This ranking covers 11 of the 1,754 towns in Centre-Val de Loire. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. At the other end of the ranking, Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) comes last with 1,787 hours a year.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: sunniest large cities in Centre-Val de Loire

Rank	Town	Department	Hours of sunshine per year	Population
1	Châteauroux	Indre (36)	1,891	44,536
2 tied	Bourges	Cher (18)	1,889	66,155
2 tied	Vierzon	Cher (18)	1,889	25,527
4 tied	Tours	Indre-et-Loire (37)	1,885	141,746
4 tied	Joué-lès-Tours	Indre-et-Loire (37)	1,885	38,836
6 tied	Orléans	Loiret (45)	1,823	118,788
6 tied	Olivet	Loiret (45)	1,823	24,046
6 tied	Saint-Jean-de-Braye	Loiret (45)	1,823	23,773
6 tied	Fleury-les-Aubrais	Loiret (45)	1,823	22,020
10	Blois	Loir-et-Cher (41)	1,813	48,742
11	Chartres	Eure-et-Loir (28)	1,787	39,318

Source: Météo-France, climate data sheets (30-year normals); average annual hours of sunshine at the reference station, cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Sunniest large cities in Centre-Val de Loire: FAQ

What is the sunniest large city in Centre-Val de Loire?

Châteauroux (Indre) is the sunniest large city in Centre-Val de Loire, with 1,891 hours of sunshine a year on average.

What are the 10 sunniest large cities in Centre-Val de Loire?

In order: Châteauroux (1,891 hours a year), Bourges (1,889 hours a year), Vierzon (1,889 hours a year), Tours (1,885 hours a year), Joué-lès-Tours (1,885 hours a year), Orléans (1,823 hours a year), Olivet (1,823 hours a year), Saint-Jean-de-Braye (1,823 hours a year), Fleury-les-Aubrais (1,823 hours a year), and Blois (1,813 hours a year).

How many towns in Centre-Val de Loire are ranked?

11 out of 1,754. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation.

Where do these figures come from?

They are Météo-France climate normals (30-year averages), recorded at the weather station closest to the town hall, no more than 30 km away and within 300 m of elevation: towns linked to the same station share the same value and are tied. Towns without a station close enough are not ranked. Only cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants are ranked here; towns with 2,000 or more inhabitants appear in the sunniest cities ranking.