Loire Valley – What to visit?
The Loire Valley is an area in France known for its magnificent “châteaux” which in French means both castles and palaces.
In this region around the Loire River you can find some of the best examples of Renaissance architecture and French enlightenment.
Although there are about 300 castles in this region, there are some that stand out, or for their magnificient, or for its history.
Chinon
Our passage through the region began in Chinon, a small, very friendly medieval town that is divided by the river Vienne, a secundary river of the Loire, the city has small streets, with many historic buildings and a beautiful castle rising to the top of the city.
Castle Price: 8,5 € Adult / 6 € Students and Youth
AMBOISE
Then we proceed to Amboise, a town once home to the French court and where Leonard DaVinci lived the last years of his life, at the invitation of the French king Fransisco I, who gave him the castle Clos Lucé to work on his project.
The city still maintains much of its medieval streets, with typical houses with wooden facades and a nice area at the foot of the river.
This area has a lot of tourism, mainly because it is in a good area to explore the rest of the Loire Valley, because of its castle and the fact that it has received Leonardo da Vinci in a certain part of its life.
Castle price: 11,5 € Adult / 9,9 € Students / 7,7 € Young people
Price Clos Lucé (Leonard Da Vinci Palace): 15,5 € Adults / 11,5 € Students / 11 € Young people
CHENONCEAU
About 15 km from Amboise is the castle of Chenonceau, our favorite castle in Loire Valley.
This castle is unique in the world, because the river that pass underneath, the river Cher, around it has beautiful gardens, which make us think about what life would be like at that time.
This castle passed through several phases of French life, and has changed greatly over time, until it became a hospital during the Second World War.
In our view this is definitely a place not to be missed.
Castle Price: € 13 Adults / € 10 Students and Youth
CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE
After 20 km we went to Château de Chaumont-sur-loire, one of the most beautiful castles in the region, characterized by its renaissance traits.
The first stone of this castle was laid to about 1000 years, when it was still only a fortress, during the following centuries it was the scene of conquests and reconquest, until assuming the current features, around the sec: XVI.
The castle is in a prestigious position on the river Loire, and has a very beautiful view on all this region.
The grounds of the castle are very beautiful and often have permanent and temporary exhibitions to further embellish the space.
Price of the castle: 15 € Adult / 9,5 € Students / 5 € Young people
BLOISE
Bloise, is perhaps one of the largest towns in the Loire Valley, and this can be felt, with streets with quite a few people, especially at the time we went, which was the time of Christmas.
The streets have plenty of cafes, shops and old buildings, which make it a very pleasant take a walk through the city.
Near Bloise there is one of the most well-known castles in France, the castle of Chambord which unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to visit but which undoubtedly deserves a visit.
Price of the castle Blois: 10,5 € Adult / 8 € Students / 5 € Young people
www.chateaudeblois.fr
Chambord castle price: 13 € Adult / Free for young people and students
www.chambord.org
This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful areas of France and worth visiting at least once in your life, it is very pleasant to walk along these towns / villages and enjoy everything they have to offer, from beautiful castles and palaces , to good restaurants, and good parks to enjoy pleasant moments.
We visited this area in December, and every town was full of Christmas markets and with lots of life, which undoubtedly gave another charm.
The best way to go is to rent a car in Paris and do about 140km to Orléans and then travel the Loire River towards Tours, are 150km wax and we recommend about 3, 4 days to visit this area without haste and to absorb all she has to give us.
For a overnight stay in a motorhome :
Tours : N 47.36695,E 0.69998 N 47°22’01”, E 0°42’00”
Free, with water and other facilities
Amboise :N 47.40812, E 0.98964 N 47°24’29”, E 0°59’23”
Free
Blois : N 47.58024, E 1.32591 N 47°34’49”, E 1°19’33”
Free
Angé : N 47.33240, E 1.24451 N 47°19’57”, E 1°14’40”
Free, water, Light, Internet
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