I have seen so many travel shows and read so many travel articles about the Loire Valley that including it in our last trip to France was a must. We decided to fulfill that inclination by doing a full day bus tour from Paris, our home base.
There are lots of great towns to stay in if you travel to the Loire Valley for a period of time, but getting around once there can be a challenge, especially if you don’t want to rent a car, which we didn’t. Instead we went with City Wonder Tours (https://citywonders.com/paris-tours). Our guides, Saeed and Leonardo were full of funny, historical and sometimes raunchy stories that brought all of the destinations to life.
The Loire Valley spans 280 kilometers in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. It is also one of the world’s most well-known areas of wine production. The chateaux, numbering more than three hundred, range from the fortifications of the 10th century into to 17th century when French nobility spend their money building expansive hunting retreats in the lush valley. Today it is tourism that predominantly drives its economy.
Our tour took us to two of the better know chateaux, Chambord and Chenonceau, a wine tasting, as well as a stop in the town of Blois.
Chateau Chambord is said to be the inspiration for the Beast’s Castle in the popular French fairy tale written by
Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The estate was built by Francois I in 1515 as a hunting lodge and the grounds still boast a large number of wildlife. Unfortunately the chateau was very cold and hard to heat so rarely used. There are not many furnishing or fixtures left but a few displays have been set up in order to make it more welcoming. The sheer magnitude of the structure and its architectural design is what makes this an impressive stop on any tour of the valley. Most notable is the double helix staircase, built so that the king never had to pass anyone while on the stairs.
The town of Blois also boasts its own chateau which we saw from the outside only as part of the walking tour introduction. We were really there for a chance to get lunch. Ken and I had packed a picnic that morning and enjoyed our sandwiches in the shade of a beautiful garden near the chateau. Blois is a quaint French village full of interesting restaurants, small museums and beautiful outdoor art. Each year the staircase connecting the upper and lower part of the town is painted by a local artist.
Chateau Chenonceau, again dating from the early 14th century, is the most visited chateau in France, next only to the Palace of Versaille. Unlike Chambord it was occupied throughout most of history, usually by prominent women of the day. As a result it has a more lived in feeling with all of the rooms furnished and decorated. The grounds are beautifully manicured as well. It’s most recognizable feature is the wing that spans over the river, which includes a sumptuous ballroom and a smaller museum. On the grounds is a large tower that is rumored to have inspired the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale Rapunzel.
We were invited into the cellars at Chenonceau to taste the wines produced on the premises. We bought a lovely bottle of red to take home and enjoyed it later that night as a fitting end to am amazing tour. Next time you visit France be sure to include the Loire Valley on your itinerary.