WHY CHOOSE THE LOIRE VALLEY ?
« Harmony, history, nature… Just 20 years ago, in the year 2000, the Loire Valley was added to the World Heritage List, highlighting its extraordinary culture and landscapes, marked by the brilliant alchemy of man and nature. »
THE CASTLES
THE GARDENS
CYCLING PATHS IN THE LOIRE AND INDRE REGIONS
In Touraine, cycling in the Loire Valley is a different way of visiting the chateaux, the Loire river, and wide natural landscapes.
With flat, well-marked routes, cycling in the region is an option that’s accessible to everyone, including families with young children.
The ride will take you through charming little towns and villages such as Blois, Chaumont, Amboise, Tours, Chinon or Rigny-Ussé, Bréhémont, and Candes-Saint-Martin… The Loire is also a natural habitat for bird species such as terns, grebes, ospreys, or other grey herons as well as beavers and of course the Loire fish.
VINEYARDS
Visit the tourist wine cellars to discover the true identity of Val de Loire wine: still or sparkling, white, red or rosé, dry, semi-dry, or sweet.
Visit the cellars for a wine-tasting experience, wine-making workshops, segway rides through the vineyards, escape games…
LOCAL PRODUCTS
The Saint-Maure-de-Touraine AOC : this log-shaped goat’s cheese has an intriguing strand of rye in the middle.
Rillons et rillettes from Tours : Once slow-cooked for hours on a wooden stove, the shredded pork meat can be eaten in a salad, as a garnish or even on bread as an aperitif.
Truffles : The south of Chinon, Richelieu is the land of truffles. Visits and truffle-tasting to a truffle field can be organised.
Flat pears of Rivarennes : The fruit, previously dehydrated in an oven, is tapped with a wooden instrument called a « platissoire ». They can be stored for many months and served eaten as they are or rehydrated in wine and syrup.
Saffron : With a unique taste and a vivid yellow/orange coloring, saffron has been cultivated in the Loire Valley for a long time. The saffron flower is a variety of crocus that blooms in autumn and inspires a number of delicious gourmet dishes.
ANIMAL PARKS
The ZooParc and the equatorial dome cover over 40 hectares and are home to 800 species, some of which are unique in France such as giant pandas, koalas, and Tasmanian devils.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Beauval is thinking big, creating the park’s craziest achievement to date: the equatorial dome! A giant greenhouse almost 40 metres tall that features an impressive walk through the lush vegetation, home to 200 species of wild animals. An amazing innovation that will take you around the equator.
Photo credits : La Loire à Brehemont ©D. Darrault, CRT Centre-Val de Loire | Château de Chenonceau ©BriqEcliptique | Jardins de Villandry ©Château et jardins de Villandry | Vignobles ©Domaine de la Chevalerie | Guépard ©Zoo Parc de Beauval