The surroundings
Culture
Discover or rediscover the castles
Chambord, grandiose and elegant, the largest of all, with its 440 rooms and 282 fireplaces; Chenonceau and its multiple arches overlooking the Cher River; the jewel of Amboise. Taste the wilderness of Touraine and gorge yourself on greenery and art at the Chaumont sur Loire Garden Festival, try to spot frogs, grey herons, black-necked grebes, deer. Stroll through the medieval streets of Tours, in the alleys of Blois. Savor on their places of origin, a Selles sur cher, a wine of Touraine.
From our gites, you can easily reach the Loire Valley Castles, Chaumont sur Loire and its Garden Festival, Amboise, (the castle, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum and the magnificent Sunday market), Chenonceau and the Ladies' Castle, the city of Blois, (the Magic Museum, the Foundation of Doubt, and the castle), the castle of Cheverny and the Tintin exhibition, (30 min. by car), the Chateau de Chambord (50 min. by car), and the famous Beauval Zoo (20 min. by car).
Discover the incomparable charm of Touraine for a weekend or more ....
Discover the incomparable charm of Touraine for a weekend or more ....
Chaumont sur Loire and its gardens
Contemporary art, luxuriant gardens and prestigious stables rhyme with the Chaumont-sur-Loire estate and its International Garden Festival in the heart of the Loire castles. Often sold, never abandoned, the estate has never stopped reinventing itself and offering its visitors moments of discovery with their families or as art lovers...If the Chaumont-sur-Loire estate had a soul, it would be that of an artist. Your visit to the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire and its International Garden Festival will be enamelled with aesthetic discoveries that may well surprise you.If the season lends itself to it, it is impossible to miss the International Garden Festival. You will leave having made a real world tour of the wonders of landscaping.Do you like unusual encounters ? The installations of about twenty contemporary artists decorate the exterior of the castle. Which one will hold your attention the most ? Then go through the prestigious stables, long considered the most luxurious in Europe.
Chenonceau, jewel of the Loire Valley castles
French history has called it the "Château des Dames", because it owes everything to them. In 1513, Katherine Briçonnet directed the building work according to the plans of a Venetian palace. Then it was successively embellished by Diane de Poitiers, initiator of the bridge, and Catherine de Medici, who, inspired by her native Ponte Vecchio, imagined the two galleries that form a unique architecture in the world, before being saved from the Revolution by Louise Dupin. This brilliant woman of the Enlightenment received Voltaire, Fontenelle, Marivaux, Montesquieu, Buffon and Rousseau, who was her secretary. The castle also bears the imprint of several other women....
www.chenonceau.com
www.chenonceau.com
Cheverny, the most remarkably furnished chateau of the Loire Valley chateau
You may never have visited it, but you have seen it. In the Tintin albums, Hergé was inspired by the castle of Cheverny for the drawing of the castle of Moulinsart. Among the largest castles of the Loire Valley, the castle of Cheverny, often cited as the best furnished of the Loire castles, is inhabited for 6 centuries by the same family determined to perpetuate the charm of the place. You visit the castle of Cheverny, but they sleep there all year long. The Hurault de Vibraye family has lived and maintained the Cheverny estate for six centuries. In 1922, fearing that they would have to give it up, the family opened the doors of their "house" to visitors for the first time. Since then, it has been a true family vocation, a heritage, a pride, to be discovered all year round in the Loire Valley.Haddock, Snowy, the Castafiore and the others are in the Tintin Museum of the Cheverny Castle of course !As you may have guessed, the real stars of the place are not the castle owners, but rather Tintin and his adventure friends. It is as obvious as a house: Cheverny is a life-size replica of the castle of Moulinsart ! However, Hergé, the author of Tintin, never visited Cheverny and was simply inspired by a brochure dating from the 1930s.cheverny.fr
Amboise, an architectural splendor
Bâti aux XVe et XVIe siècles, le château d'Amboise peut se visiter en suivant différents parcours, qui vous permettront chacun d'apprécier ce haut lieu de l'Histoire de France. Le château, rattaché à la couronne de France en 1431, fut le témoin d'évènements marquants de l'histoire de France (baptêmes et mariages princiers, mort accidentelle de Charles VIII en 1498, obsèques de Léonard de Vinci en 1519, exécution des conjurés d'Amboise en 1560, édit de tolérance de 1463, etc.). Aménagé par Charles VIII et son épouse Anne de Bretagne entre 1492 et 1497, il fut la résidence du jeune François d'Angoulême, futur roi François Ier qui ordonna la surélévation du logis royal.
Blois : Favorite residence of the kings of France
1 castle, 4 eras and an intriguing dive into the heart of the secrets of the King's court... it's at the royal castle of Blois of course ! It overlooks the Loire Valley and can be visited, discovered and animated, day and night, in a playful mode for the youngest, connected for the geeks, around animations and exhibitions for the history buffs... The castle of Blois, which has seen 7 kings and 10 queens of France live within its walls, naturally has a sense of welcome !The castle of Blois : 4 eras, 4 architecturesSince the construction of the first fortress in the 9th century, the masters of the royal castle of Blois have constantly modified the building, always according to the codes of their time. Four wings of four different architectural styles coexist and form a castle that speaks more than a history book. chateaudeblois.fr
Chambord : Castle of all the excesses
One visit is not enough to penetrate the mysteries of the domain and the castle of Chambord. Whatever your desires, whatever your temperament, you will find your ideal visit within these royal walls as well as in the gardens or the park of the domain...Inside or outside, who knows what you will come across during your visit ? A majestic stag or perhaps the ghost of Leonardo da Vinci? From room to room, the history of Chambord castle... it's royal !Grandiose and brilliant! These are probably the two words that best define this impressive building, a "simple" hunting lodge imagined by François I, and over which the shadow of Leonardo da Vinci hangs...
And if the must-see sites of the destination are not to be missed, let us guide you to more discreet, even secret sites, which are also worth a visit. Don't worry about getting lost... on the contrary ! To visit the Loir-et-Cher is to travel through time, the world, and even unsuspected magical and unusual dimensions... chambord.org
And if the must-see sites of the destination are not to be missed, let us guide you to more discreet, even secret sites, which are also worth a visit. Don't worry about getting lost... on the contrary ! To visit the Loir-et-Cher is to travel through time, the world, and even unsuspected magical and unusual dimensions... chambord.org
Beauregard : A true key to revealing and deciphering history
Beauregard is the hidden treasure of the Loire Valley. It was recognized early on as an exceptional place for its famous Portrait Gallery with 327 portraits of illustrious people, a remarkable lapis lazuli ceiling and an exceptional paving of 5600 Delft tiles. The castle also unveils its authentic 16th century kitchen, its studiolo made by King Henry II's cabinetmaker and a collection of exceptional furniture that completes this elegant residence. "The Loire is the Garden of France !" It is in this spirit that a contemporary conceptualization of the 40-hectare landscaped park was begun in the 1980s with the assistance of the famous landscape designer Gilles Clément. Beauregard Park & Castle, 41120 CELLETTES
Selles sur Cher : Renaissance pavilions and a medieval castle
Renaissance pavilions, a medieval castle and a 2 hectare park also hosting festivals. All this, in the heart of the city. Festivals all year long: Les Lumières Célestes in December-January, medieval and Geek Faieries in May and/or June, dinosaurs from July to September included. Castle of Selles-sur-Cher, 41130 SELLES-SUR-CHER
Fougères-sur-Bièvre : a medieval castle on the road of Renaissance castles.
A small fortified castle built in the second half of the 15th century and at the beginning of the 16th century, the castle of Fougères-sur-Bièvre has an imposing curtain wall with machicolations, a covered way and a keep. By the choice of materials and techniques, this castle is the perfect illustration of the art of building in the region. In the 16th century, a gallery with arcades, inspired by the one in the castle of Blois, marks the rise of the Renaissance. The frameworks of the castle are open to the visit, as well as its garden of medieval inspiration. Castle of Fougères-sur-Bièvre, 41120 LE CONTROIS-EN-SOLOGNE