Jason

I will be spending one day in the Loire valley (near Chateuaroux, southeast of Tours)and two days in the Dordogne valley (east of Montignac). Those are the closest major towns I could find. I am really interested in seeing medieval chateaux/castles in the Loire valley and medieval/romantic towns in the Dordogne region. This will be my honeymoon so the more we stay away from tourists the better. Unfortunately we will be going in July so there isn't much hope of that. If someone could just give me a list (one for each place) of places to see that are fairly close together, that you think would interest me I would be most grateful. Thanks!

anne

We spent some time in the Dordogne last July, south of the town you mention - you may be pleasantly surprised by the lack of tourist crowds there. Doesn't seem to be as heavily touristed as other areas...but is gorgeous! <BR>

catherine

Hi Jason,I just got back from both those areas.This is my opinion on what was wonderful. <BR>In the Dordogne, the towns of Beynac,castelnau,Roque Gageac and Domme are lovely.My favourite was Domme, but it was very busy with tourists until about 4pm.All those villages, are in a few kilometers of each other and would be very easy to see in a day.Also it would be a relatively short drive from Montignac.Don't miss the public garden in Domme,it was very pretty.All those places are very steep to walk around so you need comfortable shoes.It was also baking hot. We needed hotels with a pool.Take plenty of bottled water. <BR>At Beynac, you can rent a canoe or take an hour long boat trip.I would recommend it. <BR>Closer to Montignac, is a lovely village called ste Leon sur Vezere.This is a lovely village with a beautiful walk along a river bank, with weeping willows dripping into the water,very romantic,There is also a fine, very old, Romanesque church.This place was much less touristed than the others. <BR>Another lovely village very close to Montignac is St Amand de Coly.The church there made me gasp out loud.It is really quite spectacular. <BR>Lascaux 2, was really fun to see,but according to Fodors there is a 2 week waiting list in the summer.You have to buy the tickets at the tourist office in Montignac. <BR>If you wanted a bit more of a drive,Rocamadour is spectacular.I loved it so much and we were lucky enough to see it without many tourists.It was definitly a highlight for me.,I am not catholic,but the black Virgin at Rocamadour moved my soul.I meditated on the statue for an hour.I can see why she can do miracles.Apart from the Virgin Rocamadour is a fairytale town with lovely scenery. <BR>The Loire Valley.The golden crown for me was the chateau of Chenonceau.It is lovely, inside and out.The only trouble was too many tourists.Even with all the tourists, it was still worth seeing.I would try to get there either, the minute it opens, or 2 hours before it closes in order to beat the crowds.There are extensive woodland walks in the grounds were it would be easy to get away from the hordes for a nice romantic walk.I would not miss it for anything. <BR>if you have some time after Chenonceau,I would see Chinon and Loches.If only one, then Loches.It is a medieval town with old walls.It has a beautiful church St Ours.The chateau is lovely. See the tomb of Agnes Sorrel in the chateau. It has a very impressive ruined Donjon.It has an ancient prison, a true dungeon with graffiti from the 16c.We loved Loches. <BR> Have a great honeymoon.

Leslie

Jason, we stayed at the hotel Esplanade in Domme and loved it. The town is wonderful and the hotel charming. Our room had a romantic valley view. The Esplanade's dining room is beautiful and the food was fantastic. <BR> <BR>Have a memorable trip! <BR>

ca

Jason-Get yourself a history book and a guide to the Chaetaux of the Loire. The change from Fortress-structures with dunjons and moats into Stately homes for lavish entertaining is most striking. If you're a history buff, the sites where Jean D'Arc recognized the true king, or where Sfroza was imprisoned, or where Leonardo had an underground passage to the king's castle become the center of interest. They're all there waiting for you. Read up....you'll enjoy knowing what to look for. We stayed in Chissay en Tourraine and toured Ambiose, Chenoceau, Loches, Chambord, Azay le Rideau, Chinon (read Rabelais), among others. The wine is wonderful (Chinon reds and MontLouis whites....oh and Vouvray whites....I wish I was there again). Learn about gardens by LeNotre and visit Villandry and Vaux le Vicomte...Fountainbleu.....Go to romantic Samur with its fairytale looks. <BR>My husband made points with this trip.

martha

I spent 4 days in the Loire Valley in May--I had a great time, but if I had it to do over again, I would do it differently. I suggest the following: Start at Blois--on day 1 visit Chambord, Cheverny, Chaumont, and Blois. Spend lst night in country near Blois. The next day visit Chenonceau, Amboise, Clos Luce. Spend the night in Chissay or Montrichard area. The third day visit Azay-le-Rideau, Langeais, Villandry, and Usse. Spend night near Chinon. The fourth day visit Chinon, the burial place of the Plantagents, Fontevraud Abbey, and Saumur. Spend night near Saumur. The last day, visit Angers. It's hard to say which of these place was the best, since each had its own special character, ranging from Medieval to Renaissance or later. And I missed some other places that would be good--Balzac's home at Sache and Rabelais's house. I have hotel suggestions to go with some of this, which I will share with anyone interested.

Dena Harrington

Dear Jason: <BR>Congrats on your upcoming nuptials! My husband & I were in the Loire in March of this year. What a perfect place for a honeymoon. My suggestions is to purchase Karen Brown's book entitled "Inns & Itineraries" of France. You can probably find it at your local book store. The title is something like that. At any rate, she is a very good source of info on where to stay and how to get there, but you will still need to purchase a detailed map. The castles are incredible, you will have a wonderful time. We stayed at the Domaine des Hauts de Loire, which is located in Onzain, in between Tours and Blois. It was listed in Karen Brown's book and was the most BEAUTIFUL place you can imagine. Service and food were tops. You will have a great time just seeing the sights, I'm sure, wherever you go. Congratulations again, au revoir!