Centre Val de Loire
Loire Valley, the Royal Valley
The Loire Valley is also known as the Royal Valley because of the many chateaux the kings of the French Renaissance and their vassals built along the river
Read MoreChateau de Chinon – Loire Valley – History
Chateau de Chinon, restored ruins of the fortress built by Henry II of England where Joan of Arc came to serve King Charles VII during the Hundred years War
Read MoreCycling along the Loire River
The best cycling routes along the Loire River, a series of trails that follow the river from its spring in Auvergne downwards to its mouth in the Atlantic
Read MoreVillandry Renaissance Chateau – Gardens
The Renaissance Chateau and gardens of Villandry in the Loire Valley, fully restored by Joachim Carvallo, and today registered as UNESCO’s World Heritage
Read MoreRoyal City of Loches – Agnes Sorel’s castle
Royal City of Loches, a masterpiece of medieval Military architecture with one of the oldest and best preserved stone dungeons in Europe, where Agnes Sorel lived
Read MoreTraveling to the Loire Valley from the UK
Traveling to the Loire Valley from the UK by air, sea and land is easy as the region is served by 3 airports, ferry links and railway and road networks
Read MoreRichelieu – Utopian city – Indre-et-Loire
Richelieu off the Loire Valley, the ideal city of Cardinal de Richelieu, a walled city built in the 1630s on a grid plan and surrounded by ornamental moats
Read MoreChateau du Rivau – The fairytale gardens
The fairytale Chateau du Rivau, one of the first castle built in the Loire Valley was restored to its past glory and boasts fourteen fun thematic gardens
Read MoreLoire Valley architectural styles
A brief overview of the evolution of the Loire Valley architectural styles, which produced so many exceptional castles and religious buildings
Read MoreSt Benoit sur Loire Church – Fleury Abbey
St Benoit sur Loire Church is all that is left of the Abbaye de Fleury built on the site of a pagan sacred ground which was the geographical centre of Gaul
Read MoreChateau de Cheverny and cartoonist Herge
The Chateau de Cheverny, a masterpiece of Classical architecture used as model by Hergé for Captain Haddock’s Chateau de Moulinsart in his Tintin books
Read MoreChateau de Chenonceau – The Ladies’ Chateau
Chateau de Chenonceau, a masterpiece of French Renaissance architecture known as Wonder of the Loire Valley and Ladies’ Château as owned by women only
Read MoreChateau de Chambord – Leonardo da Vinci
The Renaissance Chateau de Chambord built in the Loire Valley for François I boasts 440 rooms and a double helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci
Read MoreUsse Castle – Sleeping Beauty’s Chateau
Usse Castle in the Loire Valley, the source of inspiration for the writer Charles Perrault when he sought a setting for his fairytale Sleeping Beauty
Read MoreAmboise Castle – Early Renaissance Chateau
Amboise Castle, the first Renaissance chateau built in the Loire Valley includes the Chapelle St-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be buried
Read More