Lonely Planet Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781743607091
• eBook ISBN: 9781743609019

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Discover the freedom of open roads with Lonely Planet Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips, your passport to uniquely encountering Loire Valley and Burgundy by car. Featuring four amazing road trips, plus up-to-date advice on the destinations you'll visit along the way, see famous chateaux, wines and medieval architecture, all with your trusted travel companion. Get to France, rent a car, and hit the road! Inside Lonely Planet Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips: Lavish colour and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - easy-to-read, full-colour route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Detours, Walking Tours and Link Your Trip Covers Loire Valley, Burgundy, Route des Grands Crus, Chinon and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips is perfect for exploring Loire Valley and Burgundy via the road and discovering sights that are more accessible by car. Looking for more extensive coverage? Lonely Planet France's Best Trips covers road trip itineraries for the whole country, Lonely Planet France, our most comprehensive guide to France, is perfect for exploring both top sights and lesser-known gems, or check out Discover France, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions. Also looking for a guide focused Paris? Check out Lonely Planet Paris for a comprehensive look at all the city has to offer, or Pocket Paris, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Destinations

Loire Valley

If it’s pomp and splendour you’re looking for, explore the châteaux, villages and vineyards of the Loire Valley.

Burgundy

Burgundy entices with its world-class vineyards, rolling green hills and medieval villages.

Château d’Azay-le-Rideau (Click here)
LIONEL LOURDEL/GETTY IMAGES ©

Loire Valley

Sprinkled with many of the most extravagant castles and fortresses in France, the Loire Valley is jam-packed with astonishingly rich architectural, artistic and agrarian treasures.

History

The dramas of French history are writ large across the face of the Loire Valley’s châteaux. Early on, the Loire was one of Roman Gaul’s most important transport arteries. The first châteaux were medieval fortresses established in the 9th century to fend off marauding Vikings. By the 11th century massive walls, fortified keeps and moats were all the rage.

During the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) the Loire marked one of the boundaries between French and English forces and the area was ravaged by fierce fighting. After Charles VII regained his crown with the help of Joan of Arc, the Loire emerged as the centre of French court life. Charles took up residence in Loches with his mistress, Agnès Sorel, and the French nobility, and from then on the bourgeois elite established their own extravagant châteaux as expressions of wealth and influence.

François I (r 1515–47) made his mark by introducing ornate Renaissance palaces to the Loire. François’ successor Henri II (r 1547–59), his wife Catherine de Médici and his mistress Diane de Poitiers played out their interpersonal dramas from castle to castle, while Henri’s son, Henri III (r 1573–89), had two of his greatest rivals assassinated at Blois’ Castle before being assassinated himself eight months later.

8 Getting There & Away

AIR

Tours’ airport has flights to London’s Stansted, Southampton (England), Dublin (Ireland), Marseille, Marrakesh (Morocco) and Porto (Portugal), while Angers’ small airport serves London and Nice.

TRAIN

The TGV connects St-Pierre-des-Corps, 4km east of Tours, with Paris’ Gare Montparnasse (one hour) and Charles de Gaulle Airport (1¾ hour); in the west, Saumur, Angers and Nantes; and in the south, La Rochelle and Bordeaux. Angers is also on the TGV line via Le Mans to Paris. Blois and Amboise are served by high-speed trains to Paris. Some châteaux are on or near regional lines.

8 Getting Around

Most main towns and many châteaux are accessible by train or bus, but having your own wheels allows significantly more freedom.

Blois has decent public buses and shuttles to nearby châteaux. Tours and Amboise are loaded with bus tour options.

BICYCLE

The mostly flat Loire Valley is fabulous cycling country – peddle through villages and vineyard...

Table of contents

• Cover
• How to Use This eBook
• Contents
• Welcome to the Loire Valley & Burgundy
• Loire Valley & Burgundy Map
• Loire Valley & Burgundy Highlights
• Paris City Guide
• Need to Know
• Road Trips
• Destinations
• Road Trip Essentials
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers
• Index
• Back Cover