Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is one of the foremost tourist areas in France and it encapsulates all that is best in France with vineyards, chateau, stunning scenery, great food and wine.
The area is geared for tourism and hotels abound but I find the best way to enjoy the area is to hire a gite and use that as a base to explore the region.
The region stretches from the Atlantic coast through to the heart of France reaching the borders of Burgundy, so is quite diverse in terms of terrain and culture. Indeed, unlike many regions of France, this area doesn’t appear to have its own cultural identity.
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The central Loire region is popular with Parisians who have second or weekend homes here.
There is so much to see in this region it could easily have a comprehensive website all to itself, so I will concentrate on some of the major, and better lesser known attractions.
Starting at the Atlantic coast is Loire-Atlantique and the Vendee.
It is here the Loire flows into the sea at St Nazaire.
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There are many beaches along the Atlantic coast and the area does have something of a Breton feel to it.
Angers, after which the Anjou area is named, is actually situated on the River Maine, five miles before it joins the Loire and was the heart of the Plantagenet realm. The city has wide boulevards, plentiful gardens and an atmospheric historic area, not to mention a stunning Chateau.
Arguably more importantly, it is home to the liqueur Cointreau – which cannot be a bad thing.
Samur has a fairy-tale Chateau overlooking the town, beneath which is a labyrinth of medieval streets leading down to the river
After Anjou comes Touraine, with the city of Tours being the centre.
Tours medieval centre is a delight to explore, beautifully restored with plenty of street cafés, if you’re a people watcher this is for you.
Even away from the old town, the city itself is s delight to walk round with some wide boulevards and green spaces.
If you’re into churches then Tours Cathédrale St-Gatien is worth a visit.
If you happen to be in Tours on 26th July any year and you like garlic then a visit to the Garlic and Basil Fair is a must.
Amboise is a delightful town overlooking the river with the chateau right in the centre of the town, surrounded by narrow streets, many of which are pedestrianised. It's a good place for a lunch stop as there are plenty of cafés and restaurants, competitively priced.
There is a lovely park alongside the river which is home to a large, varied and incredibly popular Sunday morning market. The market is very popular and it also makes use of some of the town centre car parks, so be prepared for a long walk from your car to the market.
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Like most of the region this area is home to many Chateaux.
One of the highlights is Villandry, the chateau itself is nothing out of the ordinary but the gardens are up there with the best in France, even giving Versailles a run for its money.
The gardens have typically French formality with perfect symmetry ….. they like their cabbages here as well and you’ll never look at a cabbage the same way after visiting here.
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Visiting different times of the year will give you different displays and one of my favourites would be a series of walkways covered in vines and when laden with grapes, just as the leaves are turning it makes a lovely walk.
The chateau itself can be visited but it is the gardens which attract the visitors.
The Chateau de Chenonceau is one of the most iconic of the Loire chateaux, with its six magnificent arches and blue / grey turrets. As well as an impressive building the gardens, a mixture of formal and informal, are worth a visit in themselves.
Blesois and Orleanais are next as you travel east, with Blois and Orleans being the central towns respectively.
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For most of the 16th century Blois was home to the French Royal Court and, as such, is a rather grand town, with the highlight being the Chateau Royal de Blois, a chateau, literally, fit for a King.
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Speaking of chateau the Chateau de Chaumont is worth a visit, especially when hosting its annual flower festival
A ruined chateau overlooks the small town of Montrichard, worth a brief stop if passing by.
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The chateau at Cheverny is worth a visit but the grand chateau in this area is the Chateau du Chambord.
Vendome is built on a group of islands on the River Loir, yes my spelling is correct as there is a River Loire and a smaller River Loir, it’s one letter less, which is why its smaller.
The very ornate Abbaye de la Trinité is worth a visit and there is a park on a hill, overlooking the town which is a great to chillax and offers stunning views of the town.
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Orléans is one of the grand cities of France and the Cathédrale Ste-Croix is, arguably, the most stunning cathedral in France and certainly one of the top ten in the world.
The area surrounding the cathedral is full of stunning buildings and, of course, there is a museum dedicated to the Maid of Orléans, Joan of Arc, even though she only stayed there 10 days.
A couple of other places worth mentioning which seem to be off the tourist trail but worth visiting are Sasniéres Gardens, a beautiful Anglo-French garden, seemingly missed by the hoards but a relaxing place to spend a couple of hours and it has a nice café to boot.
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The town of Autréche is home to a delightful, small wildlife park.
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Berry is the westernmost part of the Loire region and is geographically in the centre of France. It is also the least visited part of the Loire Valley. It is still home to pretty villages, vineyards and grand houses but without the throngs of tourists getting in your way.
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Bourges is the main city this area and it has been permanently settled since Roman times. It has a magnificent cathedral, again surrounded by quaint narrow, historic streets.
The area is renown for cheese and wine and a 19 mile circular tour takes in the best of both.
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Northern Loire, although well away from the river itself is still a popular tourist area.
Le Mans is well known as being host to the ridiculously boring 24 hour motor race. I once had the misfortune of attending this event and I think there would be more enjoyment watching paint dry.
What many don’t realise is the town of Le Mans with a beautiful area of cobbled streets dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
Chartres is known for its magnificent cathedral but it is also a major market town where local farmers and produces gather to sell their wares.
However it is the cathedral that most people come to visit, in particular the stained glass windows, which number over 150