Coming from the South, the river winds towards the West drawing a beautiful semi-circle, set in the heart of a mosaic of lands, vast plains, forests and ponds. The French kings chose these banks of the Loire to build their most splendid homes. No fortresses bristling with instruments of war here – on the contrary, chateaux built for pleasure, with large windows on their facades, surrounded by gardens, ponds and flower beds, with towers and moats preserved for purely ornamental purposes. The Loire and its tributaries are the mirrors which reflect these treasures of the Renaissance. Here, Art reaches its fullest expression.

The Loire Valley widens to its fullest around Gien. That is where it joins the Briare Canal and the Canal Lateral à la Loire, a reminder of the river’s shipping past. Sully Chateau shoots up from its moat, as if it is announcing nearby marvels. Just where the Loire changes direction, curving towards the West, is Orléans, a city filled with history. Its name evokes the memory of Joan of Arc, the heroine of one of the nation’s most famously turbulent episodes. Orléans, city of horticulture and nurseries, nicknamed the “City of Roses,” living up to the its moniker “The Garden of France.” To the north, the Gâtinais and the fertile plains of the Beauce. To the south, Sologne, a region of forests and lakes, a paradise for hunters and walkers in search of tranquility.

Along the curved slopes and noble valleys
Castles are sown like altars,
And in the majesty of the mornings and the evenings
The Loire and its vassals flee down their alleys
— Charles Péguy

One finds the most beautiful chateaus starting around Blois. Blois Castle is a testament to the triumph of the Italian style of decorative art. Chambord, the largest—foreshadowing Versailles—is the most prestigious of François I’s creations. Cheverny possesses a majestic façade that is perfectly symmetrical. Villandry, the last to be built, has incomparable gardens. Azay-le-Rideau, on the Indre, is of a rare elegance, surrounded by water and greenery. Chenonceau, on the Cher, has a past that is filled with famous women, both queens and favorites. It was in the powerful fortress of Chinon, on the banks of the Vienne, that Joan of Arc pleaded with Charles VII to save the kingdom. Several other chateaus, including Chaumont and Langeais, spring up from the river’s banks. An exceptional series of treasures linked to French history.

With the arrival of the French court, the Loire Valley became a cultural center and the epitome of good taste and elegance, especially during the reign of François I. Royal visits, military victories, and royal births were celebrated in grand style. Hunting with hounds completed the picture. A veritable code of etiquette and social niceties was established, and intellectuals, writers, artists, and scientists were received at court. It’s not surprising that the Loire Valley also played an important role in literature. This is where Rosnard, the “Prince of Poets” from Vendôme was born, as well as Joachim du Bellay, and other legendary writers. It’s also not surprising that the kings of France were able to attract the great geniuses of the Italian Renaissance. The most famous of them, Leonardo da Vinci, who was invited by François I, lived in Clos Lucé Manor, near Amboise, where he spent his final days. The brilliant painter-sculptor-architect-writer-musician-engineer-inventor organized sumptuous celebrations for the king, his mentor. They say that to impress the court, he constructed a lion that walked and had fleurs-de-lys drawn on its chest. Leonardo da Vinci drew up intricate plans for civil engineering projects with far-reaching economic impact, and it was he who gave the king the idea—and perhaps sketched out plans—for a grandiose chateau called Chambord.

To this elegant landscape dotted with chateaus, the Renaissance added splendid private mansions (like the Hôtel Toutin in Orléans, and the Hôtel Gouin in Tours), city halls (Orléans, Beaugency, Loches, etc.) and gardens (Villandry, Amboise, Blois, etc.). When it comes to religious architecture, several churches and cathedrals are well worth visiting. One of them, on the edge of the Ile-de-France region, is in a category of its own. The cathedral of Chartres is one of the most prestigious in France. Constructed in only 25 years, it possesses a perfectly harmonious Gothic style. Dedicated to the Virgin, it has more than 4,000 sculpted figures and some 5,000 characters in its famous stained-glass windows, which, along with those of Bourges, are the largest collection in France. Certain colors are almost miraculous, such as the “Chartres Blue,” that becomes so powerful around sunset. The cathedral’s famous spires, which one sees from far in the Beauceronne countryside, were and are, on certain occasions, the meeting point of numerous pilgrims.

In the Spring, outside of certain periods when the river spills over its banks, the Loire flows peacefully and lazily through Touraine. It turns in graceful curves between tiny islets sprinkled with trees and white sandbanks. In every season, at every hour of the day, the play between the light and the water and the land composes a new landscape. These tranquil horizons, this subtle light and shadow, this endless gentleness has been immortalized by painters and poets. Among others, the English painter Turner, who navigated the river from Nantes to Orléans and created a series of extraordinarily poetic and realistic drawings and paintings. A description of the river’s landscapes, its banks, its bridges, its flat-bottomed boats, and its river activities, the quays and the ports, the villages, the towns, the castles. A precious testimony of life in the 19th century.

Without a doubt, one of France’s most famous and original writers was Rabelais, a Loire Valley native, born near Chinon at the end of the 15th century. Through the adventures of his earthy characters, Pantagruel and his father, Gargantua, he conveys his philosophical and religious ideas. Benedictine monk and reputed doctor, Rabelais was very attached to his native land, which he used in certain episodes in his books, like the “Picrocholine” war, where he criticizes the craving for conquest. His works made a deep impression, as is evidenced by certain words that are still used in French: one still calls a huge meal “Pantagruelesque.” Rabelais was France’s first “Lord of Language.” Other great writers have also used their native region to great effect. Balzac exquisitely described life in Touraine. Charles Péguy celebrated his town, Orléans, the Beauce region, and Joan of Arc. Marcel Proust, who was originally from the Beauce, was inspired by his homeland in “Rememberance of Things Past.” Alain-Fournier, who was from Sologne, used the region as a setting in “Le Grand Meaulnes.” Maurice Genevoix described his region marvelously. Few regions inspire so many authors. Let us add that the way French is spoken in the Loire Valley is supposed to be the most “pure,” and the accent the best!

In Gargantua’s country, it is well viewed to know how to “sit well at the table.” No one would deny these words. In these fertile lands, joie-de-vivre reigns, particularly when it comes to cuisine, thanks to its excellent regional products. The locals say that if you haven’t eaten a “hunter’s meal” in Sologne at the end of the wine harvest season, than you haven’t really been to the region. In the merchants stalls at the open-air markets you will find the best produce, particularly asparagus, which grows in the area’s sandy soil, “Belle de Fontenay” potatoes, Berry lentils, and many different types of mushrooms, including the “gros blond” de Touraine. The days when workers were paid with salmon from the river are over, but you can still find perch, eel, pike, lamprey, and tiny gudgeon, which are served deep-fried, in the river. In the lakes of Sologne and Brenne there is carp along with many other fish.

The region is also known for its poultry and charcuteries: patés and sausages, particularly andouille de Jargeau, which has its own “brotherhood of andouille tasters” and festivals. Leg of venison is one of the most famous dishes of Sologne cuisine. The delicious pears of the Orleans region are used to make Olivet liqueur. Among other regional cheeses, the Olivet, covered in ashes or in “hay,” the many goat cheeses from Berry, the “crottin” from Chavignol are some of the best. The wines of Touraine are renown: Bourgeuil and Chinon for the reds, and Vouvray for the whites. Those with a sweet tooth have large choice of regional desserts. One of them, created in Lamotte-Beuvron, is the famous upside-down apple tart invented by the Tatin sisters.
Chosen by the French kings, who built their most beautiful chateaus here, its praises sung by poets, the Loire Valley is no less famous for its exquisite cuisine and its way of life…

Boutique hotels and designer bed and breakfasts in the Loire Valley