Top Pays de la Loire hotels
This estate has been around at least since the 11th century. In recent history, it was used as a temporary hospital during WW1. In WW2 during the Nazi Occupation, a many escaped through the castle to unoccupied France on the south side. Its entrance was in occupied France.A visit here can easily take half a day and the photo opportunities are endless. You can also go for walks in the 70 hectares of wooded park and among the 40,000 flowers.
This Medieval French-English fortress has become famous because of the movie Joan of Arc. Her spirit must still be dwelling somewhere between the castle ruins on the rock.It's here in this place that she recognized the real king Charles VII among the nobles.I visited the castle earlier in 1980, and then this place was nothing but a messy ruin. Nowadays some parts have been rebuilt, and the remains are well preserved. The garden and the reconstruction of the wooden slingshots are theming the dry castle moat.There is a little souvenirs shop at the cash desk. You'll find the same stuff as in the other castles of the region.The visit of this fortress is highly recommended as variety's sake. Most other chateaux are younger.Also children will like this one because of the Medieval atmosphere of knights and maidens.Free parking at the square down the castle.
In this region of France, you should visit a couple of the world-famous chateaux.They are considered as World Heritage by the Unesco organisation.We visited Chambord, Chenonceau and Azay le Rideau since we were there only for a week.Chambord is the biggest of all these castles.It was used by the former king of France (François).If there is 1 castle you need to see it is this one.It is big and although there are hundreds of tourists a day visiting the castle, it is never crowded.You visit first the lower floors. There is a headphone system which is pretty useful telling you the historical context, etc.When going to the 2nd floor, take the special double staircas. An idea taken from the great Leonardo Da Vinci.This floor consists of the private bedrooms of kings, queens and other nobility.Finally you reach the rooftop where you can see the many fire exhausts and a beatiful view of the...
If you're touring the Loire region then the town of Angers is worth a stop. It's also a good town to base yourself in, not too huge but with plenty of life & nightlife.The town features many must-sees: the Château d'Angers (a massively impregnable fortress with impressive grounds), the St.Maurice Cathedral (a wonderfully ornate 900 year old gothic masterpiece), the medieval cloth hanging of The Apocalypse, and The Maine River just for starters. Angers is also the home of Cointreau distillery (the world-famous orange liqueur) which you can tour.For more details see my Angers Page, or browse section on Angers (see Popular Places" above and select "Angers"). I have included many tips on nightlife there.
Built in 1515 by Thomas Bohier, this became royal property in the reign of Francis the first when Bohier defaulted on debt. Henry II gave this property to his Mistress Diane, however in 1559 upon his death Catherine Medeci his legimate wife had Diane booted and took over the castle for herself.
The home of the Count of Cheverny, this castle is one of few still in private hands. it was built in 1624 and although less "castle like" on the outside has a more complete view of period life in the rooms inside.
Built in 1519 by Francis the first, this is the largest Chateau in the Loire Valley. Although it can't be confirmed its believe that Leonarda da Vinci who was resident at Francis court at the time helped design the Chateau.
The castle Chenonceau stetches over the Cher River with a 197-foot gallery built over a series of arches. The rooms are all furnished with fine paintings and tapestries. The chapel's stained glass windows were destroyed by a bomb in 1944 and were replaced in 1953.There is door below the kitchen that opens onto the River Cher where supplies were delivered by boat.There are shows of light and sound on selected nights during the summer. Call the 02-27-23-90-07 for more information.* July: 10:00pm.* August through mid-September: 10:00pm.
Cheverny, one of the best known Loire chateaux, belongs to the decendants of the Hurault family well-known in Blois from the 13th century. Boyer of Blois was the architect of Cheverny and it was fashioned after the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. The erection of Cheverny was to have set the French style in 1630-1640. The chateau is richly furnished and still owned by the Hurault de Vibraye family, descendents of the original builders. Each generation has added to the beauty of Cheverny. The 18th century Orangerie was used to hold the treasures of State one being the Mona Lisa.Although many of the Chateaux in the Loire today only contain empty rooms devoid of furnishings, the Château de Cheverny has an exceptionally rich collection of original furniture, from Louis XIII to Empire style. Its collection of tapestries has not lost much of its original color. The scenes painted on the paneling in...
Chambord is the best known castle in the Loire Valley, it is also the largest, it has 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces. As you walk down the walkway towards the castle it is overwhelming huge. It was built more than 400 years ago (started in 1519) and Francois I (who it was built for) only spent 42 days there. The architect believed by some to be Leonardo da Vinci, but no one is sure of this. The basic architecture is Renaissance while there is Gothic roofing studded with chimneys, towers and sklights. All this makes the castle resemble a palace from a historical novel. It was built primarily as a hunting lodge but is as fortified as a fortress.Chambord is a Unesco's World Heritage Site Open daily except Jan 1, May 1, Nov 1 & 11, Dec 25. In the summer months it's open until 7:15pmYear round attractions: The Royal Apartments, the Hunting and wildlife art Museum, the Museum of the Count of...
Hotel Pommeraye Nantes Nantes
2 Reviews and 122 Opinions My room was spacious, bright, stylish, right in the heart of the shopping district & had a view....
Hotel Continental Angers
2 Reviews and 28 Opinions We stayed at the Hotel Continental in Angers for 3 nights in July 2011, as a home base for touring...
Campanile Le Mans Le Mans
1 Review and 23 Opinions 295 - 315 Francs nice room, good food and lock up garage for bikes.
Reviews and photos of Pays de la Loire attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Pays de la Loire sightseeing.
Q: Hi all, me and my gf are going to be cycling the Euro Velo 6 in October, we have been doing mountains of research and was...
A: Plenty of châteaux to look up but some are better than others. Don't know where you plan to ride from and to as the Velo 6 is long but its all great cycling friendly...
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