Lonely Planet Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips

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

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