Centre Things to Do

  Da Vinci Memorial, Amboise, July 2008
by von.otter
 
  • Da Vinci Memorial, Amboise, July 2008
      Da Vinci Memorial, Amboise, July 2008
    by von.otter
  •   Castles
    by June.b
  •   Castles
    by June.b
  •   Castles
    by June.b
  •   Castles
    by June.b
 

Most Viewed Things to Do in Centre

26.

Castles   Tours

Castles, Tours

 33 Reviews  1hour south of Chinon is the beautiful castle of Rivau. You have to drive there (exit st maure) but it is worth it as the gardens are really beautiful ! I went there with my kids and they loved it,... 

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27.

Old town   Tours

Old town, Tours

 18 Reviews  Place Plumereau is the central square of Tours. It is the most picturesque and busiest place in Tours. Restaurants here are affordable, contrary to the habit of raising the price like hell in central... 

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28.

Churches   Tours

Churches, Tours

 40 Reviews  Amateurs of the architecture of the end of the XIX century cannot pass by the extravagant pseudo-Byzantian basils. Sacred Martin's relics is based in a crypt. A legend tells us that he was a soldier... 

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29.

Museum   Tours

Museum, Tours

 3 Reviews  The building of the museum is the former archbishop palace in Tours. One of France best provincial museum, it houses wide range collections of painting and rugs from the great houses of Touraine... 

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30.

Loire river   Tours

Loire river, Tours

 2 Reviews  Loire - the river of the French kings. The history of France was managed on coasts of this small but very important river. Earlier it was navigable within all the year. Now its channel is essentially... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Loches Has an Ancient Keep & a Castle-Fortress

by hquittner

Loches (pop. 7k) is situated 41 km south of Tours and the Loire river. The Porte des Cordeliers sits on the southwest side of the Indre and beyond it is the town. On a bordering hill looking down is the Castle and its enclosing ramparts. Inside are a massive keep and an interesting 11C Romanesque church as well; it is a complete unit. The keep was used as a vicious prison for select prisoners in the early 16C and makes an interesting tour in itself.

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Amboise Has Two Royal Properties

by hquittner

A trip to Amboise allows you to see an older chateau that was converted from a fortified defense to a royal residence. Not far off on the edge of town is a mansion (hotel), "Le Clos-Luce", where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last four years of his life as the honored guest of Francois I. It is believed that a tomb in the chapel of the Chateau contains the body of da Vinci (routinely visited). Amboise (pop. 11.4K) lies on the south bank of the Loire and has an important bridge crossing.

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Bourges: A Commoner's Palace & A Great Cathedral

by hquittner

Bourges should be visited for at least two reasons besides the fact that it is a charming town. First its church of St.-Etienne is one of the 10 most important cathedrals in France. Secondly, the Palace of Jacques Coeur is a rare and large example of secular Gothic luxury, built by a man not of nobility. It is quite sumptuous.

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Sully-sur-Loire Is the Easternmost Chateau

by hquittner

The most eastern of the large chateaux and thus the least often visited, is Sully-sur-Loire (east of Orleans). Charles VII minister plenipotentiary took the name of the Chateau as his when he purchased it (in 1602) and was given a Dukedom of that name and has gone down in history by that identity. He remodeled the chateau and the grounds, changed the waters of the moat and protected it from Loire flooding.

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Do Not Miss St.-Benoit & Germigny Churches

by hquittner

There are several interesting sites to visit along the upper Loire River as it turns to head South towards its source. They are still in Centre (but once were in Burgundy); this is east of Orleans and north of Bourges. Most important are the Chateaux at Sully and Gien, but more spectacular are the beautiful Romanesque church at St.-Benoit-sur-Loire and the Greek-Cross church of Germigny-des-Pres from 806 AD, only a mile apart (See Our Tips).

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Azay-le-Rideau Is the "Jewel" of Loire Chateaux

by hquittner

Azay-le-Rideau is not overly large and is beautifully situated rising from the Indre River and surrounded by an English Garden (a later improvement). It is the site ofa Sound and Light Show in season, so plan accordingly. Azay is 32 km from Tours and there are 4 major chateaux nearby west of that city to choose from to fill out a day (plus evening): Chinon, Usse, Villandry and Langeais (just across the Loire). Of course a car is mandatory.

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Blois Chateau Was the Royal Seat of Government

by hquittner

The Chateau of Blois is a collection of buildings built following the defense walls of a fortress that surround a central courtyard. The structures were built over a period from 1498-1638 and present a textbook of French architectural styles: Medieval (Gothic, Renaissance and Classic. This is because Blois was always a royal residence of sorts and a meeting place of power. The chateau is surrounded by a medium sized city (50K pop.) with an interesting old town.

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The Chateau de Chambord is the Largest

by hquittner

The chateau is the largest in the Loire Valley and is probably the nearest one of the chateaux to Paris of those in the region. However it is not that easy to get to as a day trip. There is so much to enjoy outside of Paris that I would never consider going here without planning to stay in this delightful region for several days. For this logistical reason all of the chateaux are never as crowded by tourists as other French sites and there are many small accomodations throughout the region in places where you can linger. With a little planning it is possible to even find (not famous) chateaux to stay in and some even offer table d'hote evening meals, all for less cost than the equivalent in Paris. The hardest part of visiting Centre and the Loire is getting away from Charles de Gaulle Airport and circling Paris. (From Orly it is easy. If that is your return target, plan a chateau visit...

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Stay in Chartres, It is Worth More than a Day Trip

by hquittner

If you stay overnight in Chartres (pop 40K) you can easily enjoy a good dinner or if your taste is limited, a fine pizza at the Roma Nostra. The second dividend is the night-life, looking at the Catheral as dusk fulls and the illumination comes on. Then there is walking the town , down and up to the Eure and the two other old churches:St. Pierre and St. Andre and some more (but different) glass. It allows you to have time to visit the Crypt and more in the cathedral, plus the most remarkable off the beaten pathvisit to Meslay-le-Grenet to see the Danse Macabre.

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Chambord- Madness of a king

by Dariana

Chambord, the largest castle in Loire Valley was built by Francois I as a hunting lodge. Often called “the madness of a king” it perfectly express one single idea, that of Francois Ier`s supreme power. He spent only 42 nights there during his 32-years reign.This extraordinary castle combine the most recent Italian ideas with the most traditional French architectural forms. The chateau has 85 staircases, 440 rooms and a chimney for every day of the year. It was designed by the Italian architect Domenico de Cortona in 1519. The major attraction is the Great Staircase, which consists of two separate spirals that entwine but never touch as they lead up to the roof. The legend said that so the wife and the mistress never meets. There are no evidence but some say that was Leonardo da Vinci ideas and plans.Around the castle, a wall built between 1542- 1645 enclose the largest parc in Europe...

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Fun things to do in Centre

Top 3 Hotels in Centre

Mercure Tours Nord  Tours

 1 Review and 57 Opinions  Well so far so good I guess. We just arrived last night and we have not had a chance to head into... 

 Hotels in Tours

Mercure Chartres Centre Cathedrale  Chartres

 72 Opinions

 Hotels in Chartres

La Roseraie  Chenonceau

 1 Review and 336 Opinions  Words cannot describe the pleasure that I felt at this hotel! The owners are AMAZING, the area... 

 Hotels in Chenonceau

548 Hotels in Centre
 
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Reviews and photos of Centre attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Centre sightseeing.

Experience Centre
Things to Do: Cities in Centre
  1. Chartres Things to Do
  2. Tours Things to Do
  3. Amboise Things to Do
  4. Chenonceau Things to Do
  5. Blois Things to Do
  6. Chambord Things to Do
  7. Orléans Things to Do
  8. Cheverny Things to Do
  9. Villandry Things to Do
  10. Azay-le-Rideau Things to Do
  11. Bourges Things to Do
  12. Chinon Things to Do
  13. Chaumont-sur-Loire Things to Do
  14. Loches Things to Do
  15. Langeais Things to Do
  16. Châteauroux Things to Do
  17. Sancerre Things to Do
  18. Beaugency Things to Do
  19. Briare Things to Do
  20. La Châtre Things to Do
  21. Somme Things to Do
  22. Gargilesse-Dampierre Things to Do
  23. Germigny-des-Prés Things to Do
  24. Apremont Things to Do
  25. Saint-Aignan Things to Do
  26. Rigny-Ussé Things to Do
  27. Châteaumeillant Things to Do
  28. Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre Things to Do
  29. Luynes Things to Do
  30. Cléry-Saint-André Things to Do
  31. Argenton-sur-Creuse Things to Do
  32. Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire Things to Do
  33. Nohant-Vicq Things to Do
  34. Cinq-Mars-la-Pile Things to Do
  35. Sully-sur-Loire Things to Do
  36. La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin Things to Do
  37. Beauregard Things to Do
  38. Saint-Amand-Mont-Rond Things to Do
  39. Lémeré Things to Do
  40. Fougères-sur-Bièvre Things to Do
  41. Dreux Things to Do
  42. Aubigny-sur-Nère Things to Do
  43. Le Blanc Things to Do
  44. Chaumont Things to Do
  45. Augy-sur-Aubois Things to Do
  46. Lingé Things to Do
  47. Grossouvre Things to Do
  48. Marseilles-lès-Aubigny Things to Do
  49. Marçais Things to Do
  50. Le Châtelet Things to Do

More Cities in Centre

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Sorry, I have asked many questions re this problem but HELP PLEASE, we decided to use Loche as a base for a 5 day stay. We have to... 

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A: I think you are spreading yourself too widely including Bayeux in the 5 days. 2 by 6 hours wipes out one day by the time you add getting to and from the train station if... 

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