The Loire Valley is located in central France along with Loire River and is around 280 km long. As it is abundant with fruit orchards, vineyards, and asparagus and artichoke fields, lining the river, it is known as the Garden of France. Additionally, the Loire Valley is also popularly referred as the Cradle of the French Language.
Attractions of Loire Valley
Chateau de Chenonceau in Chenonceaux is one of the leading attractions in the Loire Valley. This elegant country villa is surrounded by a moat and has architecture that carries features from the Italian Renaissance. Parc Floral Orleans is a major botanical garden in Orleans featuring hundreds of species of flowering plants. It is the ideal place to take your family along when visiting the Loire Valley. The Cathedrale de Chartres is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is world famous for its Gothic architecture. This is the perfect place to spend a day learning about the building and its history.
When planning to visit the Loire Valley, make sure to check the vineyards for its white, red and rose wines. You can follow the wine routes to explore the cave dwellings, gardens and castles along the Loire. Stroll around the Loire Valley markets to explore delicious delicacies. When you want to enjoy a good breakfast or tea, check the Isabeau de Touraine in Grande Rue, Loches. In addition to good French food and a variety of wines, they also offer some delicacies such as ice creams and desserts. You can also enjoy your evening tea at this spot.
Loire Valley Restaurants
When it comes to lunch, you can enjoy some good French food at Le Castelet in Blois, or Les Annees 30 or L'Oceanic in Chinon. L'Orangerie du Chateau in Blois offers some of the best cuisses de grenouilles you can find anywhere. Esprit Gourmand in Chartres and La Parenthese in Orleans are good places to enjoy a dinner, as they remain open until late night.
Transportation
Aeroport de St. Symphorien is located just 6 km from the city of Tours and the easiest airport access to the valley. The other nearest airport, Biard Airport in Poitiers is more than 90 km away. At the Aeroport de St. Symphorien, you can take shuttle buses to reach Tours bus station.
The villages and towns in the Loire Valley are well connected by the public bus transport system. There are a number of bus companies operating in the Valley to provide uninterrupted transport services. If you can spend a little more, it would be a better experience to move around in train. However, it would be needed to use buses to reach all the castles and gardens in the Valley. Couples, friends and individuals can however rent bicycles to check the castles located close to each other.
The Loire Valley is world famous for its vineyards and chateaus. Its castles are representations of the architectural heritage of its historic towns such as Amboise, Chinon, Blois, Orleans, Tours and Nantes. If you visit France, there is no way you can miss this renowned valley that is closely associated with the history of Europe.
