Loire Valley, France
LePotdeLapinRestaurant.JPG "Loire Valley, France") |
| Great French Food! - Starter at Le Pot de Lapin Restaurant |
Loire Valley, France (5/12-16/2013) – The Loire Valley is France’s past times too electrical flow fantasyland – a traveler’s paradise brimful of history, keen nutrient & wine, medieval castles, extravagant Renaissance chateaux, picturesque villages, beautiful province roads, lush forests, too romantic places to stay!
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| Quaint Villages - Azay-le-Rideau, Loire Valley, France |
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Loire Valley is for sure the dry ground of France’s rich too famous. For centuries kings, queens, too nobles established extravagant castles too chateaus inwards this strategic expanse close Paris, France’s capital. With such outlandish displays of wealth, Pat says no wonder the peasants revolted.
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| Beautiful Forested Country Roads - Loire Valley, France |
Today the Loire Valley is a wonderful identify to visit. Between visiting these historic fantasy chateaus too castles you lot locomote on beautiful winding province roads amongst roundabouts surrounded past times lots of trees, forests, lakes, too beautiful opened upward fields. On the agency you lot tin can halt at quaint villages too onetime farmhouses, remain inwards atmospheric lodging accommodations, too relish some of the best French nutrient too vino to live on had. It is best to rent a automobile because you lot tin can catch too practice much more.
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| Loire Valley Wine Region |
The Loire Valley is also 1 of France’s transcend vino producing areas including cremant (sparkling) wines – practice seek them! For ruby-red vino lovers, cabernet franc is produced inwards the Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil, too Chinon regions. For whites, Vouvray’s chenin blancs too Pouilly-Fume’ssauvignon blancs are basis famous. Stop at some of the Maisons des vins (wine houses) that display signs for tastings too relish some. Tourist data offices tin can assist you lot amongst maps of the vino areas including the Loire Valley vino route called Route Touristique des Vignobles.
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| Saumur - Loire Valley, France |
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| Amboise - Loire Valley, France |
Travel tips on where to stay... The town of Saumur is a real skilful identify to base of operations your explorations of the western Lorie Valley. Saumur also has some real fantabulous restaurants too is the middle of fantabulous vino tasting drives amongst unique chateaus to visit. The quaint hamlet of Amboise, amongst its plentiful lodging too dining offerings, is a skilful identify to base of operations explorations of Loire Valley’s eastern side where the large most pop chateaux exist.
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| Chateau de Beaulieu - Where We Stayed Near Saumur |
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| Pat Meeting New Friends inwards Living Room - Chateau de Beaulieu |
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| Dining Room - Chateau de Beaulieu |
There is a broad hit of hotel types to conduct from inwards the Loire Valley. We highly recommend the sense of staying inwards a smaller chateau.Just exterior of Saumur, we loved our remain inwards the Chateau de Beaulieu (see photo). It is fellow member of Bienvenue grouping of Chateaux – a prissy selection of authentic historic chateaus that you lot tin can remain in. Like many of the other chateaux you lot tin can remain in, the Chateau de Beaulieu is decorated amongst comfortable homey antique slice of furniture amongst romantic rooms facing out to the Loire River. It was wonderful to sit down past times the warm fireplace coming together interesting quests from all over the world. One of the best reasons to remain hither is the owner, Mary, who goes out of her agency to assist you lot relish your daily explorations inwards the area. She gives keen advice to custom-make your days the agency you lot desire them. We highly recommend the Pot du Lapin Restaurant inwards Saumur.
Here are some of our favorite Loire Valley chateaux nosotros visited:
Hundreds of chateaux point the Loire Valley comprising a M years of astonishingly rich architectural too artistic treasures amongst their sky-topped turrets too glittering banquet halls. The outset were fortifications, amongst moats, drawbridges, too arrow slits. The to a greater extent than extravagant structure took identify later, inwards the 1500’s too beyond, amongst over-the-top Renaissance flare equally French kings too nobility went on a edifice spree, each trying to outdo the other. That spree ended inwards the 17th century when French royalty conduct to remain inwards Paris too neighboring Versailles.
Some of our favorite major chateaux were the large ones located inwards the eastern side (Chaumont, Chenonceau, Cheverny, too Chambord) too the medium sized inwards the westward (Azay-Le-Rideau, Villandry, Breze, too Langeais). Here is a brief review the chateaux too castles nosotros visited:
Chateaux located inwards the eastern side around Blois too Amboise (see photos):
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| Chateau Chaumont-sur-Loire - Loire Valley, France |
Chaumont-sur-Loire – Chaumont is wonderful identify to see amongst its large medieval appearance furnished nicely amongst paintings depicting how they lived. At Chaumont, nosotros were able to catch much to a greater extent than of the chateau than others including many rooms that had non been restored. An peculiarly prissy sense is visiting the gardens during the special Festival International des Jardins held from tardily Apr to mid-October. When nosotros visited, 26 dissimilar artists presented smaller unique artsy gardens depicting a subject – the sense is delightful.
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| Chateau Chambord - Loire Valley, France |
Chambord – Chambord is 1 of the crowning examples of French Renaissance architecture. Everything nigh it was designed to print – nosotros were. Chambord is the most visited too largest of all the Loire Valley chateaux. Built inwards the 16th century past times a manful mortal monarch amongst its 429 rooms amongst 365 fireplaces, it was the most ambitious (and expensive) architectural projects always attempted past times whatever French monarch. Because they practice non conduct maintain a recommended path to visit, nosotros practice recommend getting the good guide. The identify is hence large it is prissy to conduct maintain some thought of what you lot are seeing.
Among Chambord’s most intriguing features is a double-spiral staircase, the so-called Lovers' Stairs, amongst duel sets of steps that never run into (apparently 1 for the king's married adult woman too the other for his mistress). Leonardo da Vinci, who moved to French Republic inwards 1516 at the asking of the king, is credited amongst the stairs’ design. Ironically, people, fifty-fifty the manful mortal monarch who built it, did non similar staying at Chambord finding it likewise draughty. Although most of the master copy furnishings were taken, many rooms conduct maintain interesting slice of furniture too paintings to see. Also, at that spot are prissy restaurants exterior for luncheon or snack.
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| Chateau Cheverny - Loire Valley, France |
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| Beautiful Grounds at Cheverny |
Cheverny – We liked this elegant chateau decorated amongst some of the best furnishings, tapestries, china, too fine art inwards the Loire Valley. Built inwards 1634, it is surrounded past times lush parkland. They proceed 100 French hounds on site too at that spot is prissy brochure to guide your visit. We liked the optional boat ride to that takes you lot through a special constituent of the extensive grounds.
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| Chateau Chenonceau - Loire Valley, France |
Chenonceau – Built over the Cher River too surrounded past times beautiful gardens too forests, Chenonceau is like shooting fish in a barrel to dear beingness 1 of the most elegant too odd inwards the Loire Valley. History abounds here. After beingness taken over from King Henri II’s mistress past times Queen Catherine de Medicis, Chenonceau afterward became a middle of stylish 18th-century monastic state too during WWII people state it was used equally an escape route betwixt gratis too occupied French Republic for many fleeing Nazi occupation. Before leaving, see the beautiful 16th-century farm too seek the garden maze – it is easier than it looks.
Medium-sided chateaux located inwards the western side around Saumur (see photos):
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| Beautiful Gardens at Villandry - Loire Valley, France |
Villandry – Villandry has 1 of the most beautiful gardens inwards the Loire Valley. Travel tip: Climb the stairs to transcend of “Keep” to catch overview of gardens – it is a improve perspective than walking through the gardens. Villandry was 1 of the in conclusion major Renaissance chateaux to live on built inwards the Loire Valley.
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| Pat Waving at Azay-Le-Rideau - Loire Valley, France |
Azay-Le-Rideau – Built inwards the 1500’s on a natural isle inwards the middle of the Indre River, romantic water-ringed Azay-Le-Rideau was 1 of favorite Loire Valley chateaux. We also liked the natural woods fields around it. You walk through a cute hamlet to acquire there.
Breze – Breze is interesting because of tunnels nether it. The western Loire Valley has a unique history of cave living called ‘culture troglodyte’. You tin can walk through a troglodyte abode below the chateau that was converted to role for living, storage, too defense.
Langeais - Built inwards the 1460’s, Langeais is a keen instance of a tardily medieval castle consummate amongst drawbridge. It is real good preserved too furnished real nicely showing you lot how they lived.
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| 'Sleeping Beauty' Chateau d'Usse - Loire Valley, France |
d’Usse – d’Usse inspired the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty castle. It is fun to see. The exterior is to a greater extent than impressive than the inside. If you lot are pressed for time, this would live on a skilful chateau to sentiment from the exterior without an interior visit.
Le Clos Luce – H5N1 see to Le Clos Luce inwards Amboise is fascinating to larn nigh the creations dreamed upward past times Leonardo da Vinci who lived hither inwards his terminal years. We liked the models developed from his drawings (tank, car, etc.) too the walk through the beautiful grounds.
We also visited Chateau Saumur too Abbaye de Fontevraud. Impressive too after seeing the higher upward chateaux, worth a see if you lot are inwards the area.
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| Cramant (Sparkling Wine) with Gold Flakes - Gratein & Meyer, Saumur |
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| Wonderful French Food! |
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| Street inwards Amboise - Loire Valley, France |
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| Main Old Town Square - Cinnon, Loire Valley, France |
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| French Children - Loire Valley, France |
Driving Travel Tips... It is best to rent a automobile because you lot tin can catch too practice much more. The fast toll highway (A85) amongst no towns to interrupt is an fantabulous agency to brand longer journeys, peculiarly at the halt of the 24-hour interval when you lot desire to acquire dorsum to your hotel too seat your feet up. The free, but slower, highway (D952) N of the Loire River is quicker than traveling on the due south side of the river – but don’t missy the wonderful villages, etc. on the due south side. We started adding some “lost time” for finding Chateaux, etc. too truly enjoyed getting lost because nosotros saw beautiful countryside too wonderfully quaint villages. Invest inwards a detailed route map of the Loire Valley to assistance you lot inwards finding places. Consider getting a modest automobile to detect parking to a greater extent than easily inwards these onetime towns. Wait to go inwards a roundabout until it is clear on all lanes. Normally, continuing direct on roundabouts is a skilful strategy if they are non signed. When using toll roads, the North American credit cards without the chip practice non run too some practice non accept cash, hence live on sure to conduct maintain some Euro coins amongst you.
Please catch our other 10 locomote posts on beautiful France:
Paris, France
Mont Saint Michel & Saint Malo, France
Strasbourg - Alsace, France
Alsace Wine Villages, France
Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux Wine Country, Saint Emilion, Paulliac, & Cognac, France
Burgundy & Cote d'Or Wine Country, France
Chablis, Dijon, & Vezelay, France
Champagne Route, France
Reims - Champagne Capital, France
Please catch our other 10 locomote posts on beautiful France:
Paris, France
Mont Saint Michel & Saint Malo, France
Strasbourg - Alsace, France
Alsace Wine Villages, France
Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux Wine Country, Saint Emilion, Paulliac, & Cognac, France
Burgundy & Cote d'Or Wine Country, France
Chablis, Dijon, & Vezelay, France
Champagne Route, France
Reims - Champagne Capital, France
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