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Loire Valley Regional Information
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| The Loire Valley has many castles: Château de Gien | ||
Region Centre: Cher (18), Indre-et-Loire (37) Region Pays de la Loire: Maine-et-Loire (49) Sarthe (72) Region Poitou-Charente: Vienne (86)  The Val de Loire or Centre region of France is the Valley of Kings - of the Plantagenets and the Valois, reaching the pinnacle of power with the Bourbon dynasty during the reign of the Sun King at the end of the 17thC. The legacy left from the glory days, before the royal court moved to Paris, manifests itself in the 800 châteaux, the parklands and hunting grounds, the cathedrals and grand architecture which attract multi-thousands of tourists each year. But the Loire valley has riches in other ways, all down to nature: unspoiled landscape around France’s longest river, the Loire, with its sand spits and natural habitats, preserved as a UNESCO heritage site, and the agricultural prosperity of the region with its arable, fruit, vegetables and vine cultivation. The climate here is ‘soft and mellow’ and the soil, rich. There are formidable cities, Orléans, the capital, vibrant Tours, Bourges, Chartres, Blois, Châteauroux and Amboise. The region has both stability and strength. Being only one hour from Paris with excellent rail and road communication, it is understandable that this area is popular with the French for weekend pads, with tourists and expatriates all of whom enjoy the best of both worlds ‘the cultural landscape’. The Loire Valley is huge, the size of Belgium, and it is broken up into the descriptive areas of Berry, Touraine, Blésois and Orléanais, and North of the Loire. (Anjou, and Loire Atlantique and the Vendee fall in the Western Loire or Pays de la Loire region). |
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By road, the region is well served by autoroutes, the A10/A11 and A71 from Paris cross the region. The A28 comes in from the north.
By train, the TGV from Paris comes to Tours, Blois and Orléans.
By air, the Paris airports are within easy reach and locally Tours airport offers flights to the UK and Ireland.
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Berry
On the eastern flank bordering Burgundy, the departments of Cher and Indre make up the area known as Berry. Goats’ cheese and delicious white wine from the hill town of Sancerre are just two of the specialities in this richly agricultural landscape of wheat, barley, rape seed and sunflowers. This is an area for nature lovers, particularly around the river Brenne which boasts no less than 2000 lakes. Fishing, bird watching, sailing and canoeing feature here. Bourges, dating back to Roman times, is the major town in Berry and the magnificent Gothic cathedral is listed as a UNESCO heritage site.
Blésois and Orléanais
North of Berry the landscape changes into the wetlands of La Sologne, the famous royal hunting grounds and becomes richly forested, harbouring deer, wild boar, rabbits and hares. From the Middle Ages to the 20thC strategic wars have been fought here, most notably in 1429 when 17 year old Joan of Arc saved the French pride by lifting the English siege of Orléans. Today the town is a major business centre, communication hub and prospers in food processing.
In this region, around the medieval town of Blois, France’s largest and greatest châteaux can be found. Château de Chambord has no less than 440 rooms. The building work was started by Francois I and his ideas of grandeur knew no bounds - he even suggested diverting the river Loire to flow in front of the château. ‘He is forever chasing, now stags, now women’ said the Venetian ambassador. The list of wonderful buildings in this part of the Loire valley is impressive to say the least, with Châteaux Chaumont, Blois and Cheverny just three of the famous names.
North of the Loire
Away from the tourist trails, north of the Loire, the countryside of the Eure-et-Loir department takes on a relaxed air. There are rivers, hills, forests and plains of rich farmland with the centre, the town of Chartres. The jewel in the crown of this Gothic cathedral comes in the form of stained glass windows, 150 in all which illustrate biblical stories and daily life in the 13thC. Such was their importance that the windows were dismantled during both World Wars and removed for safety. Take binoculars with you when you visit to really appreciate this art form.
Also in the north of the Loire, in the Sarthe department of Pays de la Loire, is the town of Le Mans, famous for the 24-hour motor race held each June. The cobbled streets of the old town known as La Cité Plantagenet, are worth exploring.
Touraine
With fertile land and a mellow growing climate, rivers, lakes and forests and plentiful limestone for building at hand, you can see why the area around Tours has always been so attractive. It supplies the nation with white asparagus, French beans, potatoes, soft fruits and market garden products, fish and game, plus wild mushrooms cultivated in the limestone caves. Although less famous than Bordeaux and Burgundy, the wine appellations of Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray are three of many worth trying.
Taking inspiration from Renaissance Italy, the white limestone, known as tufa, was used for the magnificent buildings, with their enormous formal gardens and parks which still pepper the landscape. Château de Chenonceau, straddling the River Cher is perhaps the most beautiful of all the Loire châteaux, Château de Villandry has one of the finest formal gardens in the world. Gardens are a feature in this area of France with ideas for the amateur or landscape professional.
Tours is vibrant, with a good café culture and lively university making it less provincial than many French towns. On the river Loire, the town has been an important trading centre since Roman times. Place de Plumereau lies at the centre of the old town, surrounded by half-timbered buildings going back to the 15thC.
Close by at Amboise, a great visitor draw is the last home of Leonardo Da Vinci showing 40 models of the machines he invented and a display of intricate drawings. A guest of king Francois I, it is said that the artist arrived with three major paintings in his luggage, one of which was the Mona Lisa. The king purchased it and it remains one of the country’s greatest national treasures to this day in the Louvre.
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