Rochemenier is one of the region's best examples of troglodyte culture. You can explore the remains of two adjacent farmsteads, complete with dwellings, stables and a chapel, that were originally excavated to provide lime fertilizer. A film and an interactive map of troglodytic sites around the world were added in 2017. The printed guide is available in 18 languages.
Rochemenier
The Loire Valley
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.54 MILES
Surrounded by massive walls, this hilltop castle – offering fabulous views across town, river and countryside – is split into three sections separated by…
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16.71 MILES
The highlight of this 12th-century abbey complex is the vast but movingly simple church, notable for its soaring pillars, Romanesque domes and polychrome…
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7.97 MILES
One of the world's premier equestrian academies, the prestigious French National Riding School is home to the Cadre Noir, an elite group of riding…
20.55 MILES
Looming above the river, this forbidding medieval castle – seat of power of the once-mighty counts of Anjou – is ringed by moats, 2.5m-thick walls and 17…
11 MILES
Owned by the Brissac family for 18 generations (since 1502), this seven-storey castle, the tallest in France, has 204 rooms, many of them sumptuously…
Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine
20.91 MILES
Inspired by the Apocalypse Tapestry in the château, Jean Lurçat (1892–1966) began his epic tapestry masterpiece, Le Chant du Monde (Song of the World;…
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27.66 MILES
The creamy white towers and slate roofs of the Château d’Ussé offer sweeping views across the flat Loire countryside, the flood-prone Indre River and…
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25.5 MILES
François Rabelais (c 1494–1553), whose works include the Gargantua and Pantagruel series, spent part of his childhood in Chinon; you’ll see Rabelais…
Nearby The Loire Valley attractions
3.38 MILES
Creative lighting and sound effects illustrating the origins of falun stone and its fossils turn the entire 600m walking route here, though ancient…
3.78 MILES
At this Merovingian-era mine, stone coffins were produced from the 5th to the 9th centuries and exported all over western France. Tours, in French with…
3. École Nationale d’Équitation
7.97 MILES
One of the world's premier equestrian academies, the prestigious French National Riding School is home to the Cadre Noir, an elite group of riding…
8.74 MILES
Tufa-stone sculptures of 20 of the Loire Valley's most famous monuments, from Tours' cathedral to the château at Amboise, are displayed in a former tufa…
8.8 MILES
Get acquainted with some fabulous fungi at this mushroom museum, where you can see about a dozen varieties growing in glowing shades of orange, yellow,…
9.37 MILES
Founded in 1885, this winery specialises in Crémant de Loire (sparkling wine made using the Champagne-style méthode traditionelle) as well as non-bubbly…
10.23 MILES
Action-packed oil paintings, colourful but impractical uniforms, plumed helmets and old photos trace the history of France's cavalerie (cavalry) from 1445…
10.56 MILES
Restored, cleaned and stabilised in 2016, this mostly 12th- and 13th-century church brings together Aquitaine-style Romanesque and Plantagenet (Anjou…