Loire Valley

Why Loire Valley works

The Loire Valley earned UNESCO World Heritage status for the density and grandeur of its chateaux, built as country retreats for French royalty and nobility from the 15th to 18th centuries. Chateau de Chambord, the largest, was begun by Francis I in 1519 with a double-helix staircase attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and 426 rooms beneath a skyline of turrets and chimneys resembling a small city. Chateau de Chenonceau arches directly over the River Cher on a series of stone piers, its long gallery once used as a hospital during the First World War and now hosting summer illuminations. Azay-le-Rideau, moated and reflected perfectly in the Indre, is considered the valley's most romantic chateau, while Villandry is famed instead for its geometric Renaissance gardens rather than the building itself. Between the chateaux, the valley's flat terrain and the Loire a Velo cycling route make it one of France's most popular biking regions, threading through vineyards producing Sancerre, Vouvray and Chinon. Riverside towns like Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years and is buried in the chateau chapel, and Blois offer half-timbered old quarters and Sunday markets selling goat cheese and rillettes.

Trip Snapshot

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