We had allocated a week following the Paris Marathon to visit a region of France that we hadn’t explored before. We had already decided to hire a rental which we would return in Bordeaux, but a full week there would have been too long. I was keen on the coast as I’d read of many interesting places in Normandy. This also peaked Geoffrey’s interest but as he would be doing all the driving he thought a more direct itinerary through the Loire Valley better. A couple of chats with our French friends also confirmed that this would be the better option. I’m sure either destination would have worked out just fine (it’s hard to get anything wrong in France) but Loire Valley ended being one of our most rewarding road trip experiences ever.
The Loire Valley comprises around 800 km2 and is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list. There is such a huge variety of stunning places to see that the visitor is truly spoilt for choice. Being mid-April it was still early before the huge crowds descended so this was perfect timing.
In a sentence the Loire Valley is the perfect combination of nature, history and French culture. It is Châteaus (over 300), cities, numerous medieval towns, wineries (over 7,000), outdoor activities and so much more.
After picking up our Paris rental from Gare Saint-Lazare we unfortunately got stuck in a traffic jam and it took us a good 45 minutes before we hit the motorway and then the 200km drive to Les Sources de Cheverny – one of a number of Château Hotels in the Loire Valley. There are many Château in the region that have found new lives as hotels offering a 5-Star service and staying here was the perfect introductory experience to the area. After checking in we visited the nearby Chateau Cheverney which is renowned for being the model used by the Belgian comic book creator Hergé who used Cheverny as a model for his fictional “Château de Moulinsart” (Marlinspike Hall in English) in the Adventures of Tintin books. In these books, the two outermost wings are not present, but the remaining central tower and two wings are almost identical. There is an interesting permanent interactive exhibition there all about the Tintin universe.
Dinner back at the Hotel was first class – a full three-courses with matching wines. After dinner Geoffrey slept well and happy in our bell-tower room for what was a long but very satisfying day.
The next morning, we headed off to Château de Chambord – probably the most recognisable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture. Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley and as such can get very crowded. It was a good idea to have booked our tickets online and arrive early. You can literarily spend as much time as you want there (and at many of the other large château) let alone allow time to explore the grounds which are of “as far as the eye can see” size.
We stopped over at the commune or city of Blois for lunch. We elected to not to enter the Château of Blois but to walk the interesting shops / markets. Geoffrey got some great photos of the town and the Loire River from the left bank. The final stop for the day was Domaine des Huards – a vineyard that has been in the same family since 1846. Since 1998 the vineyard has been managed organically and biodynamically. The wines produced here are solely made from their vineyard’s grapes. Geoffrey grabbed a few bottles, but we were weary of our growing luggage and Geoffrey’s increasingly tipsy state!
The next morning, we set off for Château Royal d’Amboise – famous for being the Royal Residence for a number of French monarchs. King Charles VIII died at the château in 1498 after hitting his head on a door lintel. Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years here and it is where you can find his final resting place in the Chapel.
A nice add-on that many of the château offer is the Histopad which is a free self-guided tour tablet where you can view the rooms as it may have looked hundreds of years earlier.
Our final stop was Tours – the largest city in the Loire Valley. We didn’t spend much time exploring the sights but had lunch at a traditional Chinese restaurant talking to its owner who had immigrated to Tours from China 30 years ago.
The rest of the day was the final 2hr 30min drive to Bordeaux.
Please contact me if you are interested in knowing more about this destination.
The majestic Château de Chambord