Touraine
Spanning the languid Cher River atop a graceful arched bridge, Chenonceau is one of France's most elegant châteaux. It's hard not to be moved and…
Must-see attractions in Touraine
Touraine
Villandry's six glorious landscaped gardens à la française are some of France's finest, with more than 6 hectares of kitchen gardens, cascading flowers,…
Touraine
Romantic, moat-ringed Azay-le-Rideau is celebrated for its elegant turrets, perfectly proportioned windows, delicate stonework and steep slate roofs…
Touraine
The most medieval of the Loire châteaux, Langeais – built in the 1460s – looks much as it did at the tail end of the Middle Ages, with crenellated…
Touraine
Surrounded by massive walls, this hilltop castle – offering fabulous views across town, river and countryside – is split into three sections separated by…
Amboise
The most exciting Loire château to open to visitors in years, Gaillard is the earliest expression of the Italian Renaissance in France. Begun in 1496, the…
Amboise
It was at the invitation of François I that Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), aged 64, took up residence in this grand manor house, built in 1471. An admirer…
Touraine
Loches’ vast hilltop citadel is the size of a small town – a few lucky people even live here! Inside you can visit the Logis Royal and the Donjon et…
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Amboise
Perched atop a rocky escarpment above town, Amboise's castle was a favoured retreat for all of France's Valois and Bourbon kings. Only a few of the…
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Touraine
You don't have to be a French-literature major to enjoy the lovely Musée Balzac, in a Renaissance manor house where Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) was a…
Touraine
At the southern end of the Cité Royale, the rectangular, 36m-high Donjon (Tour Carrée; defensive tower) was Loches’ original medieval stronghold, built…
Amboise
Three kilometres south of Amboise, this seven-storey, vaguely Asian 'pagoda' (44m) was built between 1775 and 1778, when blending classical French…
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Touraine
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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Touraine
François Rabelais (c 1494–1553), whose works include the Gargantua and Pantagruel series, spent part of his childhood in Chinon; you’ll see Rabelais…
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Touraine
La Devinière, the prosperous farm where François Rabelais (1483 or 1494–1553) – doctor, Franciscan friar, theoretician, author and all-around Renaissance…
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Touraine
At the northern end of the Cité Royale stands the royal residence of Charles VII and his successors, originally built as a medieval fortress but later…
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Touraine
Refurbished in 2018, this museum features exhibits on the art and archaeology of Chinon and its environs as well as contemporary art, displayed in the…
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Touraine
Yannick Amirault's reds are velvety, well rounded and almost creamy. His Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyards are midway between Langeais and…
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Touraine
This Romanesque church, in the Cité Royale near the Logis Royal, contains the tomb of Agnès Sorel, Charles VII’s mistress, who lived in the château during…
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Touraine
Perched quietly beneath an imposing 12th-century donjon (keep), the town of Montrichard, 9km east of Chenonceau, is a perfect spot for a fizzy break. Just…
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Touraine
The family home of landscape painter Emmanuel Lansyer (1835–93) is now a museum displaying more than 100 of his paintings, his collection of Japanese art,…
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Touraine
Built into a cave above and 500m east of town, this half-ruined Romanesque chapel – constructed around the tomb of a 6th-century hermit – is noteworthy…
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Touraine
This impressive, 17th-century town house has a double-horseshoe staircase you can see from the street through a carved gateway.
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Touraine
The Gothic Palais du Bailliage was once the residence of Chinon’s bailiwick. Now houses a seasonal hotel.
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Touraine
This wine estate has a wine museum and offers tastings; the ridge-top château is not open to the public.
