France Loire Valley Guide

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The entire Loire Valley, known as 'The Garden of France' is a World Heritage site and contains the essence of France's castle/mansion style, otherwise known as château[x]. Here are the must-sees in this playground of French playboys since the 15th century:
***Château de Chambord, built by King François I and completed in 1534, is the largest, the most extravagant castle of its era, and the most popular in the region.
***Château Chenonceau, is the finest and the most romantic, with a beautiful set of bridges on the River Cher [picture and more information].
**Château de Villandry is an elegant Renaissance house with exceptional gardens.
Organised two or three day guided Château tours are available from Paris.
Otherwise, some charming riverside towns such as Blois, Amboise and Chinon are ideal exploration bases for independent travellers, or the more metropolitan towns of Tours, Angers, Orléans can be convenient.
If you have a fat wallet, many of the chateaux offer rooms to tourists, or in some cases entire castles are for rent.

Saumer Photo by Jean-Daniel Sudres, Maison de la France