Loire Valley

Loire Valley Travel Guide

Super-stylish château-hotels and lovely country auberges tempt the traveler in the Loire Valley. Staying in a château-hotel is a must (surprise! -- a goodly number of them are very affordable). The roll-call of châteaux that are open to the public is legendary. At the Château de Chenonceau, Catherine de' Medici built a white pleasure palace to hover over the river Cher. At the Château de Chambord it's easy to imagine the days when King François I arrived with a retinue so large it took 12,000 horses to transport them. At magical Château de Ussé, Charles Perrault was inspired to write the fairy tale we know as "Sleeping Beauty." The most celebrated gardens are those at the Château de Villandry, whose vast Renaissance-style parterres and water terraces are best seen in early July during its Festival of 1,000 Lights. But the Val de Loire is far more than just châteaux. Gorgeous villages like Saché (Balzac's favorite) await. Historic manors, such as Leonardo da Vinci's own Clos-Luce in Amboise, intrigue. Fontevraud allures as the largest medieval abbey in France, while storybook Chinon has block after block of houses built during the days of Joan of Arc, and hyperelegant Saumur has an historic center and Gothic castle that can't be beat (although we can do without the haut snobbisme of the locals).