We'd been talking about visiting the Loire valley in France for several years.  Every year there was a different reason why we didn't go. This year we finally made it. We wanted to see the beautiful chateaux, the wine caves, the lovely towns and the beautiful river valley that attracted the cream of French aristocracy to build their chateaux here. We spent 8 days here in June and it was a delightful visit. The biggest surprise was the weather. In those 8 days, we had exactly 1 hour of rain. 

We hadn't been to France for several years, so we were very curious to see if certain things had changed. They hadn't. The food markets still close at 1 PM sharp, and it's still pretty much impossible to buy a coffee and a croissant in the same place. Buy the croissant in a bakery and then take it to the neighborhood bar for a cup of coffee.

There are some important things to keep in mind when visiting the Loire. The most important is not to try to see too many chateaux. The Loire is famous for its chateaux, and there are hundreds which can be viewed or visited, but you can't see them all. You should review a list of the "best" chateaux and decide which appeal to you and are close enough to your base or your driving itinerary. After that, you should schedule no more than 2 per day, because walking around a chateau with a hundred rooms, or roaming large palatial grounds and gardens can be very tiring. Leave yourselves enough time to visit some of the great Loire wineries and to eat at some of the outstanding restaurants. On this page you will find links to reviews of the best chateaux and suggestions for how to visit them.

Our itinerary is listed below:

Here's a description of where we went and what we did and saw.
Click on any thumbnail to see the full size picture.

HILLMAN'S WONDERS OF THE WORLD ON CHAMBORD

We arrived at CDG airport in mid morning, rented a car and drove south in the direction of the Loire. It's at least a 3-4 hour ride. We stopped off for a look at Bois from across the river and went to visit CHAMBORD Castle. Chambord is the largest castle in the entire Loire area with about 440 rooms and 100 fireplaces. We viewed it only from the outside and it is pretty impressive.  

CHAMBORG CASTLE

AUBERGE DE LAUNAY

In the Amboise area, we stayed at a little country hotel in a village called Launey. The hotel is called Auberge de Launay and is a delightful little hotel about 4 KM from Amboise. Here's a picture of the hotel to the left. To the right is a picture of the hotel restaurant terrace taken from the garden. It has a very nice restaurant and the hotel staff is very friendly and helpful. We ate at the hotel restaurant twice and both meals were very good and reasonably priced. There are quite a few nice hotels in Amboise, and we had wanted to stay at the highly recommended Le Manoir Les Minimess, which is located right in the center of town, but that didn't work out. It didn't work out because the clerk with whom I was exchanging emails got tired of my questions and suddenly informed me that they had no rooms left, and that was that.

AUBERGE DE LAUNAY GARDEN VIEW OF THE RESTAURANT TERRACE

The next chateau we visited was CHENONCEAU which is one of the most beautiful in the entire Loire area. It's located a few KM south of Amboise and is set beautifully on the Cher river and is very impressive inside and out. This chateau is known as the "castle of six ladies" for the succession of powerful French noblewomen who designed and built it and later lived in it and even swapped it through various political intrigues.

We were so impressed with Chenonceau and took so many beautiful pictures, that I decided to build a separate album of pictures. Click here.

HISTORY AND PICTURES OF CHENONCEAU

MORE ON CHENONCEAU

SOME HISTORY OF CHAUMONT

Click on any thumbnail to see the full size picture.

On the same day as Chenonceau, we also visited CHAUMONT which is located between Amboise and Blois. Chaumont is bigger than Chenonceau and has beautiful grounds although not as nicely manicured as at Chenonceau. Chenonceau was built as a place to live in and clearly has a feminine touch about, while it's clear that Chaumont was built as a fortress, with a drawbridge, a stable, imposing turrets and a strategic location on the Loire River. It also has a beautiful chapel (picture to the right.)

A VIEW OF THE CASTLE AND A BRASS BAND PREPARING FOR ITS PERFORMANCE

AMBOISE is a great town to use as a base for this part of the Loire valley. It's large enough that it has plenty of activities and facilities, and small enough that it's easy to navigate and find a place to park. We were fortunate enough to be there during the French open brass band competition which is held in Amboise every June. There was plenty of music and boisterous brass band musicians from all over Europe celebrating and drinking lots of beer.

SHOPPING STREET IN AMBOISE

PAELLA IN THE SUNDAY MARKET

We were there over the weekend so we were able to enjoy the famous Amboise Sunday market which is quite large and is laid out along the Loire river bank. We strolled the market and bought cheese, baguette, strawberries and some wine to drink and had lunch on the grass.

CAVE DWELLERS IN AMBOISE

To the left is a picture of one of the stands in the market. In the picture is one of 2 giant pots of paella, and in the background are dozens of roasting chickens.
One of the most interesting things to be seen in the Loire valley is people living in caves, that is homes built into the side of the mountain. In Amboise, this is very common, and to the right is a picture of a good example.

Amboise Castle is really a fortified castle rather than a chateau and is very impressive. It was built to protect the city and it has very impressive grounds and beautiful views of the city. It also has a very large and impressive spiral access ramp for cavalry.  For those interested in something different, there are underground tours at 16:30 on weekend afternoons, although the tours are only in French.

ALISA ON ONE OF THE TERRACES OF THE AMBOISE CASTLE

LEONARDO'S HELICOPTER WITH THE CHATEAU IN THE BACKGROUND

We also visited CHATEAU DU CLOS LUCE, which is actually a modest chateau and was the last home of Leonardo Da Vinci. The chateau has been turned into a museum dedicated to the incredible talents of Da Vinci and houses models of many of his inventions. Surrounding the chateau is a beautiful park which includes all kinds of exhibits dedicated to the master. There are many full scale models of his inventions and there is even a restaurant with a renaissance motif. The Chateau is located about a 10 minute walk from the town center and is a must for any visit to Amboise. We had a great Sunday in Amboise - market in the morning, a visit to the castle, and a visit to Clos Luce. To the left and right are pictures of Clos Luce.

MONA LISA AMONG THE TREES

ABOUT LOIRE WINES

FRANCEGUIDE ON
LOIRE WINES

While driving in the Amboise area, we also sampled the famous Loire wines. We visited one winery on the river road between Amboise and Blois. In this area, the wineries are called "caves" and most really are caves. We visited with a local vintner named Philippe Durand (the winery is called "Guy Durand") who gave us a lecture on the regional terroir and the wines of the region. We tasted his wines and purchased 2 bottles of chenin blanc, the most popular white grape of this region. Philippe packed our 2 bottles with great care and wrote on the box detailed instructions for storage and what food to drink the wine with.  To the right is a picture of Alisa and Phillippe in the cave.

During one of our strolls in Amboise, we discovered a painter called Alain Bordier. He paints mostly stylized landscapes and close-ups of flowers using the most vibrant colors. Most (maybe all) of his work is in oil. We were fascinated by his use of colors, and bought a small piece, which is now hanging in a prominent place in our living room. Here's a sample of his work to the left, but you can see lots more by visiting his web site.          

ALISA'S MAIN COURSE:
BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED SEA BASS WITH SCALLOPS ON TOP

While in Amboise, we ate at the hotel twice as well as at two other restaurants, L'Alliance" in Amboise and at "Le Cheval Blanc" in Blere which is about 15 KM south of Amboise. Le Cheval Blanc is also a very nice looking small hotel and Blere is a very nice little town with several hotels. L'Alliance was very nice with a rustic setting, but at "le Cheval Blanc", we had one of the nicest meals of the trip.  We started with the chef's starter, goose liver pate, pumpkin soup with bacon and a falafel ball. For first courses we had langoustine and crab, and our main courses were sea bass with root vegetable puree, assorted vegetables, and broiled sliced scallops on top for Alisa and beef Rossini for me. For desert, we had sorbet with berries and wine and a fruit soufflé with strawberry sauce. We also had petit-fours (picture to the right) which were a chef's extra. We had a Loire white wine, Les Battisses from "Domaine Deletang", 2006.  All in all, a meal worthy of a Michelin star!

A PORTION OF
PETIT-FOURS PRESENTED AS AN UNORDERED EXTRA

A VIEW OF THE BLOIS CATHEDRAL

The day we visited BLOIS was one of the few overcast mornings we had, however by the afternoon the weather had cleared up very nicely. Blois is bigger than Amboise and it's a lot harder to find parking, and in the end, we parked in the underground parking garage near the castle. We strolled the town center and visited the cathedral and the castle. The castle is very interesting as it is made up of 4 distinctly different parts, each one from a different historical period. It has an incredible outdoor spiral stairway and is more like a museum than the other chateaux or castles we visited. It contains quite a collection of historical and archeological artifacts. Perhaps the most interesting novelty is a beautiful set of stained glass windows which had been lost until only a few years ago. The ladies in the windows are very beautiful and I must admit, downright sexy. If you look closely at the full size picture, you will also notice the amusing poses of the nymphs in the lower panels. Check them out to the right.   

A TOUR OF BLOIS, CHAMBORD &  CHEVERNY

THE LADIES OF CHEVERNY

 CHEVERNY TAPESTRY

In the middle of the day, we left town to visit CHEVERNY Chateau which is very close to Blois. Cheverny is remarkable because of its immense grounds and the fact that it is still an active estate. We were very impressed by the beautiful furnishings and some of the bedrooms which were lived in as late as 1984. Also, very impressive were the tapestries, some of which still have incredibly vibrant colors. Here's one to the left. One of the attractions here is to see the pack of hunting hounds which live here. They are taken out for feeding or for a walk several times a day. Here's a picture of the hounds to the right.

THE HOUNDS OF CHEVERNY

PLACE DE LA RESISTANCE

After Cheverny, we drove back to Blois because Alisa had seen a very desirable pair of shoes in the morning in the window of a store which was closed. The town has a very nice shopping area and the store was open in the afternoon. Alisa went shopping and I went down to the river and had a beer in a cafe at the Place de la Resistance. My view of things can be checked out in the picture to the left. It turned out to be a lovely day and a relaxing beer. The shoes were nice too.

We drove through TOURS, the biggest city in the central Loire area on our way to Saumur where we would spend the next 3 nights. On the way to Tours, we stopped in Vouvray, home of one of the best known white Loire wines. Unfortunately, we were there too early and all the places for tasting were still closed. As a compromise, we did enjoy a bottle or two of vouvray with our dinners.
Tours is a large modern city with 150,000 inhabitants and another 150,000 in the surrounding metropolitan area. We parked our car in the first fully automated parking garage I have ever used. I felt like a country bumpkin trying to figure out what to do with the car. "Just get out of it and leave it" they said (several times). So, that's what we did. We took our stuff and got out.  The car was taken on a track through heavy steel doors (see the picture to the right) and the next time we saw it was on a television screen when we came to retrieve it.

TOURS PARKING GARAGE

TOURS TRAVEL GUIDE

A TOUR OF TOURS

A TOUR OF TOURS WITH A LIST OF RESTAURANTS

The information services in Tours are excellent. In the center of town at the information center, they provide an excellent map and the girl at the center marked on it a very convenient circular route through town which included the cathedral, Colbert Street, the old city, Les Halles, and back to the center.
The cathedral is really beautiful and very impressive. Here's a picture to the right. Also worth visiting is the Museum of Fine Arts located right next to the cathedral. Actually, we didn't go inside the museum but its gardens are really beautiful and we enjoyed sitting on one of the benches absorbing the atmosphere. 

TOURS CATHEDRAL

COLBERT STREET IN TOURS

Despite the beautiful cathedral, and the incredible automatic parking garage, the highlight of our visit to Tours was Colbert Street, which is a long pedestrian street running between the cathedral and the old city, filled with ethnic restaurants and an eclectic collection of shops and galleries. The old city was also a fascinating warren of old streets and interesting buildings. To the left is a view of Colbert Street, and to the above right is a picture of the old town.
Near the old town is "les Halles", a beautiful enclosed shopping hall full of fresh produce and lots of atmosphere. Below to the right is a picture of Alisa checking out the fish.

AZAY LE RIDEAU

After a lunch of fresh pasta in Tours, we set out in the direction of Saumur, our next base. Our first stop was AZAY LE RIDEAU Chateau. This is another chateau the inside of which we didn't visit. It looked quite old and decrepit, but the surrounding village turned out to be the most beautiful spot of the entire trip. The village is situated on a little river and is very pretty. There are benches along the river bank. You can see two beautiful views to the right and left.

AZAY LE RIDEAU

VILLANDRY

Our next stop was VILLANDRY chateau. Villandry is another chateau we didn't visit inside, because the gardens are absolutely beautiful and you can easily spend a few hours viewing them. And that's what we did - strolled around the gardens on a very beautiful day. Again, check out the pictures to the right and left.

VILLANDRY

Our next base was the city of SAUMUR. We stayed 3 nights at the hotel Adagio, a Best Western Hotel, which I usually do my best to avoid, but in this case we were pleasantly surprised. The hotel is located on an island which is part of Saumur, and which is right in the middle of the Loire river.  The hotel is on the far side of the island from the center of town but is still only a 10 minute walk from the center of town, and also has free public parking on the street right in front of the hotel. The hotel is totally modern, as opposed to the hotel we stayed in near Amboise, and we enjoyed it very much. The staff was very helpful and best of all, there was a terrific bakery about 20 meters from the hotel door. For breakfast, we went to the bakery to buy fresh croissants, and then to the bar next store for our morning espresso.

SAUMUR

Saumur has a beautiful castle, but it has been closed for renovations for some time and visiting inside was not possible during our visit. However, I did go up to visit the castle at sunset one evening and took some nice pictures. To the left is a picture of the castle as we crossed the bridge on the way to the town center from the hotel, and to the right is a picture I took of the castle from close-up at sunset.

SAUMUR CASTLE

PLOUZEAU WINERY

During our stay in Saumur, we visited the towns of Chinon and Anger. CHINON was an absolute delight (More about Anger below). It is a small town on the Vienne River, and is the center of one of the best known wine appellations in the Loire valley - not surprisingly known as "Chinon". We strolled the town, and were most impressed by the concentration of wine caves, which are located throughout the town. We visited the Caves of the Plouzeau Winery and had a very nice visit with a very pretty hostess who knew plenty about the wine, and enjoyed the tasting as much as we did. This winery is one of the older and best established wineries in Chinon, and their wines were excellent. We bought a couple of bottles. To the left is a picture of Alisa at the tasting bar within the cave, together with our lovely hostess.

In Chinon, we ate lunch at a restaurant called "les Années 30", which was recommended by the girl at the Plouzeau winery. It turned out to be one of the nicest meals we had and also wasn't too expensive as we didn't eat the full formula meal, but only ordered 2 main dishes and a small bottle of white wine. Despite our limited order, the restaurant still presented us with an unordered dish of assorted appetizers. For our main dishes, Alisa had pike wrapped in potato slices accompanied by asparagus, baked sweet potato, and peppers, and I had duckling with apple tart, small potatoes on a standing skewer, a date or two all in an outstanding sauce. In the picture to the upper left is my duck, and below it is our unordered selection of appetizers, and the small bottle of local white Chinon which we ordered.
It was late lunchtime and the restaurant was almost empty. The only other table was filled with four mature French gentlemen with whom we struck up a conversation (OK, Alisa had the conversation with them as I don't speak French). They had driven down from Chartres ( a 2.5 hour drive) to eat lunch at this restaurant, and verified our impressions that "les Annees 30" was probably the best restaurant in Chinon. It was an excellent meal. 

BEST CAVES IN THE LOIRE

About 20 KM west of Saumur, is the ROCHEMENIER Troglodyte Village. The Troglodytic farming concept was very popular in the Loire Valley during the previous 2 centuries. People dug underground, and established living farming communities. The word "troglodyte" comes from the Greek and means cave dweller. There are about 20 underground rooms at Rochemenier.  To the right is a picture of Alisa in the "wine cellar" of the troglodyte village.  There are a few people still living like this in the area(more for tourism's sake than economic necessity), and there are several restored communities or farms which can be visited as museums, much like this one.
If you are interested in the troglodyte experience, you can meet people still living like this in the tiny village of Fosse, not far from the Rochemenier Village. They charge an entrance fee of a few Euros and are happy to talk about themselves.

TROGLODYTE
WINE CELLAR

SOME HISTORY OF FONTEVRAUD

FRANCE THIS WAY

ABBEY HOME PAGE
(THIS PAGE DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK PROPERLY)

A NICE SITE WITH SOME SOME INTERESTING FACTS

15 KM in the other direction from Saumur (east), is the fabulous Abbey of FONTEVRAUD, which is nearer to Chinon than to Saumur. The Abbey was founded in 1099, and became a nunnery and a monastery whose head and senior officers were always women. The Abbey became the burial place for many of the Plantagenet royal family, and today one of the main attractions is the tombs of four of the most famous, Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I, and Isabella, Queen of King John. They are located in the "Minster Church" which is the main building for the entire complex. Check the picture to the upper right for an interior view of the church, including the four royal tombs and a fully alive photographer setting up his tripod.
History aside, this was one of the highlights of the trip. The entire complex which includes several buildings, is absolutely beautiful. The Minster Church is incredible. Best of all, we had a gorgeous day when we visited here. Check out the picture to the lower right for a beautiful view of the exterior of the Minster Church and the Gardens of the Grand Moûtier.

About 20 KM east of Fontevraud, and 10 KM north of Chinon is Chateau d'USSE, which is reputed to be the inspiration for the castle in the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, but the chateau ownership certainly takes advantage of the supposed linkage. All their advertisements and souvenirs in the chateau store push the idea, and the admission price is the highest of any of the chateaux we visited (12.50 Euros). We had already decided to only view d'Usse from the outside as we didn't have a lot of time when we went by and we had also heard that the tour inside wasn't very impressive. There aren't many good vantage points for a good view from the outside, but we did manage to see why the castle is supposed to be the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty. 

In Saumur we found another great restaurant, LA GAMBETTA. This is one for which we reserved a table from home via email. It was by far the most adventurous and avant garde of the restaurants we ate at, and the chef was very much into modern cuisine including the latest "molecular" cooking.
The meal opened with pea soup and shellfish foam. This was the only restaurant we ate at which served butter with the bread. In this case the butter was a seaweed butter and was very tasty. I took the full menu and my appetizer was a selection of 4 shrimp samples (picture to the upper left). Alisa ordered a main dish and dessert. Her main dish was rolled and stuffed monk fish with vegetables and potato Lorraine. I had dourade with a very original egg-roll, and asparagus. We washed it all down with an Anjou white wine of Chateau Bois-Boicon, 2005.
Everything was delicious, but the highlight was the desert. I ordered a strawberry desert which can't be described in words nearly as well as by looking at the picture to the lower right. It included fresh strawberries, a strawberry ice cream, and a test tube with strawberry juice. Alisa ordered a chocolate mélanges which included chocolate laced with hot pepper (not too hot)! We also had the cheese board, and to top things off, the chef sends out an extra unordered desert which was incredible. It included a custard, tiny individual creme brulées, and more chocolate. The very talented chef's name is Miguel Pieu. The bill came to 108 Euros and the calorie count probably got to 10,800 or more.

ANGERS is a city of 150,000 people located about 50 KM from Saumur. We enjoyed strolling about the city. We visited the chateau which is very impressive and has a beautifully landscaped gardens as well as the cathedral which wasn't all that impressive. We reached the river bank and visited the old city. We also visited the David d'Anger sculpture gallery. Pierre-Jean David d'Anger was born in Angers in 1789 and became a well known sculptor and probably the best known artist to have been associated with the city of Anger. The gallery is built from a renovated church and is very beautiful, particularly on a beautiful sunny day like the one when we were there. There's lots of glass and the light pours in from every direction. There is a combination ticket available for those visiting more than one of the city's attractions. To the left below is a picture of the interior of the Davis d'Anger gallery.

THE LIFE OF DAVID D'ANGER

ANJOU TOURISM HOME PAGE

FRANCE FOR VISITORS ON ANGERS

THE DAVID d'ANGER SCULPTURE GALLERY

For lunch we discovered the perfect French fast food for a quick lunch - the Galette. From what I have read, the galette has many different forms, but in Angers, it was a crepe on which were laid out the ingredients of a full small meal - a little salad, some tuna, or meat, some vegetables, or what-have-you. It was a pleasant quick lunch in the old city of Anger. To the right is a picture of the shopping area in central Anger with the cathedral spires in the background.

ANGER CENTER

Our last stop in Angers was a visit to the Cointreau factory. Alisa loves the Cointreau liqueur and when I found out that their main factory is in Anger, and they give tours, I decided that we should visit. I tried to surprise Alisa and didn't tell her where we were headed, but in the end, I had to tell her because it's almost impossible to find it and I needed her to ask someone in French where it was. We drove around for quite a while and even my GPS couldn't find it. Signs are few and far between and later it was explained to us that wine is king in France, and harder liquor, like Cointreau must be advertised in a very low profile way. In any case, we found it in the end, but we were too late for the only tour in English.  If you decide to go, get a good map and specific directions.

ALL ABOUT  THE COINTREAU FACTORY TOUR 

There are several tours during the day, but if you want one in English, call first and make a reservation. The tour is a serious one and lasts for an hour and a half. There's also an interesting 10 minute movie about the history of Cointreau and after the tour a tasting session in the factory bar. We saw the movie and took part in the tasting. Despite missing the tour, we had a good time. See a picture of the Cointreau bar to the right.

COINTREAU

STAINED GLASS IN THE CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

We spent our last night and day in CHARTRES in order to be a shorter drive to the airport. From Chartres, it's about an hour and a half to Charles de Gaulle in Paris if you don't get lost on the way. Chartres is famous for its cathedral (called Notre Dame like its brother in Paris) which is quite incredible. It is completely filled with stained glass windows and intricate sculptures. It's one of the most impressive cathedrals we've ever been in. To the left is a picture of the stained glass windows inside the cathedral and to the right is the main portal of the cathedral.  Below are 2 very interesting articles about the occult and mysteries connected with the Chartres Cathedral.

MAIN PORTAL
OF THE CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

CHARTRES OLD TOWN

Not only is the cathedral filled with stained glass. Chartres is famous for its stained glass and one of the most incredible places to visit is a gallery of stained glass art work. The place is right near the cathedral.  Photography is permitted and to the right is an example of the artwork on sale. Here's the web site.

CHARTRES STAINED GLASS

CHARTRES PEDESTRIAN SHOPPING AREA

In Chartres we stayed at the Chatelet Hotel, which was excellent. We were only there for one night but we enjoyed it. It is right near the train station and about a 5 minute walk from the cathedral and has its own enclosed parking lot.
The pedestrian shopping district is beautiful, with statues and benches and lovely stores. We strolled through it several times, bought some cheese to take home and picked out a beautiful boulangery for our breakfast. To the left is a picture of the boulangery with unusual statues in front, and to the right is a peek at the beautiful cakes in the display case inside.

INSIDE AN INCREDIBLE BOULANGERY

We had seen many advertisements for light shows at some of the chateaux or cathedrals we visited. The light shows start after dark and in June, dark means around 10:30, so we didn't get to see any of the shows until we got to Chartres where we were staying only a 2 minute walk from the cathedral. All I can say is that it is very very impressive. What they do with light on the facades of the cathedral is absolutely incredible. A similar light show is presented on several other buildings within the city. We tried to take pictures but without a tripod it's impossible. Click here for the French language home site for some information about the city wide light show and a few good pictures.

ABOUT THE VIDEO PROJECTION AT CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

MY APPETIZER AT
LA VIELLE MAISON

We had dinner at one of the best restaurants in town, "La Vielle Maison". It's located about 50 meters from the cathedral and the meal was excellent, but the service was very very slow, apparently because one of the waiters stayed home to watch France lose in the European football Cup on Television. In any case, the poor service didn't detract from the quality of the meal, and about halfway through the meal, the chef's wife arrived to make things right. We opened with a chef's extra of a tiny portion of gazpacho tomato soup. Again, we ordered a set menu for me and a main course for Alisa. My appetizer was tuna tartar, with sorbet citron, red pepper, and cardamon, which was the best dish of the meal (picture to the left). Our main courses were filet of bass with vegetables, artichoke and cardamon for Alisa, and a dish with chicken stuffed in its own skin with risotto in a rich wine sauce. For dessert, it was a dessert with a name - "Baba", which was a pear tort flambé on a bed of pineapple carpaccio. What was really special about this restaurant was that it is really beautiful (see the picture to the right). Despite the terrible service, the meal was excellent.   

INSIDE
LA VIELLE MAISON

BELOW ARE SOME USEFUL LINKS IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO THE LOIRE.