Loire Valley, France travel guide
The Centre region is found in northern-central France. The official region name - Centre - is little known outside France (and little loved within), but contains one of the most popular regions of France for visitors - the Loire Valley.
Centre includes three historical regions of France - Orleans (northern part) including the city of Orleans, Berry (south-east) and Touraine (south-west of the Centre region). The departments in the modern Centre region are: Eure-et-Loir (to the north), Indre-et-Loire (west), Loir-et-Cher in the middle, Loiret (to the east), and Indre and Cher (to the south-west and south east respectively).
Places to visit in the Loire Valley
It is in the Loire Valley that many of the most famous chateaux of France are to be found, and for many is a major reason to visit the area. But is not the only reason! There is very attractive countryside, plenty of interesting towns to explore, and a stretch of River Loire that is both beautiful and unspoiled (and a listed World Heritage Site), as well as other smaller rivers that traverse the region. All very good reasons to pass time exploring this popular region.
Loire Valley Chateaux
It is true that the big attraction of the Loire Valley is the large number of prestigious chateaux, and no visit would be complete without taking in a couple of the more important castles along the Loire. Of course, many visitors base their entire trip around their visits to many of the castles.
These castles fall into various of the centre departments but above all are found in the departments of Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher.
Heading from east to west, the most popular and visited chateaux in the region include:
- south-west of Orléans, the Château de Blois, the Château de Chambord, and Château de Cheverny, with Château de Valençay a little to the south of this group
- continuing from Blois towards Tours are Château de Chenonceau and Château d'Amboise
- to the west of Tours are Château de Villandry (and the renowned gardens also at Villandry), the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
- close to the western border of the centre region, are Château Chinon and Château du Rivau
See more information, including the positions of these castles on a map, at 'Loire Valley Chateaux'. Three other well known Loire chateaux slightly further to the west - those at Angers, Brissac, and Saumur, are covered in the Pays de la Loire guide
Other places to visit in the Loire Valley / Centre region
The countryside of the Loire Valley provides the perfect setting for the chateaux, but even without these famous landmarks the region would be attractive to visitors.
Apart from the scenery and activities on the Loire River, there are several tributaries- the rivers Cher, Indre and Vienne - that pass quietly through the landscape of fields and woodlands, fruit orchards and vineyards and provide opportunities to enjot the region a ltlle way from the crowds. Other particular highlights include:
Cathedrals: Chartres Cathedral - one of the finest gothic architecture buildings in France (Chartres is to the north of the region, and closer to Paris than to many of the renowned chateaux) and Bourges Cathedral - now a UNESCO world heritage site (to the south-east of the region) found, not surprisingly, at Bourges.
See also Mehun-sur-Yevre to the north-west of Bourges and the Abbey at St-Benoit-sur-Loire.
Larger towns to visit in the Loire region include Tours, Orleans (capital of the region), Blois and Loches. See also Beaugency, site of one of the famous battles of Joan of Arc, and Valencay.
The cluster of monuments in the southern Cher is also interesting, including the castles at Culan, Meillant and Ainay-le-Vieil and the abbey at Noirlac.
LOIRE VALLEY FOOD: The regions of the Loire Valley and Central France pack a culinary punch – from wild game to fresh fruit they offer an unforgettable experience for the lover of fine food. Sample some of the best goats cheese to be found in France, or try the famous cherries, as is, or in Guignolet liqueur.
Most beautiful Villages in the Loire region
There are several classified 'Most Beautiful villages of France' dotted around the the Loire countryside to discover and explore.
These include Lavardin (Loir-et-Cher); Candes-Saint-Martin (10 km SE of Saumur); Apremont-sur-Allier (15 km SW of Nevers); Montresor (20 km E of Loches); St-Benoit-du-Sault (20 km SW of Argenton-sur-Creuse); Gargilesse-Dampierre (10 km SE of Argenton-sur-Creuse) and Crissay-sur-Manse (30 km SW of Tours)
See also an overview of the Loire Valley as a world heritage site
Visit Loire Valley - tourist information
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Places to visit in Loire Valley, France: a local travel guideUse the map of Loire Valley to see the location of selected places and to continue to explore... Place: |
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See also Loire Valley (version Francais)
