Loire Valley - a MUST see
Written: Feb 15 '00 (Updated Mar 28 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A life time experience
Cons: Too little time
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| zhartz's Full Review: Loire Valley |
One of my favorite places in the whole world is Loire valley. In fact, I love it so much that I am not sure I want to share it. But hey, I will.
I've been to Loire Valley four or five times and definitely will go there many more times.
Why you must see Loire valley
Because it is beautiful, filled with history and wonderful people. Because the food is great (and, yes, sometimes, you will get to eat stuff which you will find totally unpalatable) and the wine is delicious.
Where it is and how it looks
Loire valley happens to be right in the center of France, about 2-3 hours (depending on your mode of transportation) south west of Paris. Loire is the river which runs through the valley, and happens to be the biggest river in France. There is a number of smaller and very picturesque rivers in the region: Cher, Indre, Vienne.
It is mostly flat with a lot of woods, forests, trees, bushes, rivers, you name it. Most of the vegetation is unspoiled and you can take walks through the forests and have your lunches wherever your heart desires. By the way, I am not a big wine lover but have to say that the local wine tastes great - next to a chateau, in a forest, or, shame-on-me, in the car.The nature and the vegetation reminds me of New England. To me, Loire valley is simply BEAUTIFUL.
How to get there
There are many ways. My recommendation is to rent a car. The car will make you free! The car will let you easily see places and enjoy the scenery. Make sure not to take main highways - you will never regret it. And if you get lost - hey, that's an adventure you will keep remembering. By the way, the gasoline can be costly, but in my mind, should not be a determining factor whether to rent a car or not. Also, the small(er) cars have very good mileage. Reserve your cars while in the States - much (MUCH!) cheaper this way.
My experience is that to rent a car for a week is between $300 to $500 depending on the model. It will be much higher if you want a really fancy car. Automatic transmission is more expensive than manual. If will try to rent a car in France, without making prior reservation from the US the prices will double (again, this is my experience).
When to go and for how long
Almost any time. My favorite times are late spring and early fall. Here are a few tips: some hotels and chateaux are closed during the winter months. It may be rainy during early spring and late fall. Some 'attractions' happen only during the summer months (e.g. most of the music/light shows).
I don't think you can spend enough time there. I would recommend spending at least 3 days there. A week is probably best. Once my 7 year old son and myself (just him and I) spent two weeks in the valley and would stay longer but I have to work. Need the francs if you know what I mean.
Places to see
This is difficult and very personal. Each and every chateau is beautiful and I love them all. Depending on the length of your stay here are my recommendations.
If you are spending just a few days then I recommend the following places:
Chenonceaux - my favorite. Absolutely a must (of course in my opinion). Beautiful, fairy tail like, lots of history.
Blois - a lot of history (Catherine de Medici died here), one of Alexander Dumas' books (the name of the book is 'Forty Five') is based on the events which took place here.
Amboise - history, Leonardo da Vinci buried here. I also love the town itself.
Chambord - the biggest of the chateaux. Famous for a lot of things, among them the double helix stairs, attributed to Leonardo ( a bit of name dropping here. Leonardo of course is da Vinci).
If you have more time, then...
Chinon - the favorite of my son and one of my favorites. Filled with history: Joan of Arc, cardinal Richelieu, Rable. Gorgeous views, wonderful town.
Azay le Rideau - surrounded by water, fairy tale like. Beautiful.
Saumur - oh, Saumur. Love it. The castle, the town - stayed nearby for 4 days.
Loches - lots of history, cute little town.
Villandry - if you are into gardens then you must see it, famous for its gardens. I was there once, liked it but don't think will go back (my opinion).
Usse - literally a fairy tale chateaux since Sleeping Beauty is based on this chateau. In fact, there is Sleeping Beauty museum in the chateaux. Hate the museum, but absolutely love the chateaux. The chateau is owner occupied but open to the public.
There are of course many many others. Big, small, famous and not so famous. There are a few which I will keep to myself. There are a few which you are bound to discover on your own. As I am writing this I am salivating and thinking about going there right this moment. Who knows may be you will run into me there.
Where to stay
I stayed in many different types of places: chateaux, hotels, french equivalents of B$Bs, camps. All are fun. You are almost always guaranteed to find a place. Watch for the weekends - when it gets warm (late spring, summer) the valley may get busy (a lot of visitors from England) and you may have troubles finding a place. I never made reservations in advance (even when traveling with my 7 year old son) and always managed to find a place. One trip my girlfriend and I stayed mostly in privately owned chateaux - I still dream of them. You may find that it is not as expensive as you may think it is (but of course you may make it as expensive as your check book/credit card/wallet allows). By the way, most of the time the hotels are clean (chateaux, of course, are always very clean). I had a bad experience once (found a big dead bug under the blanket, if you want to know) - but that was an exception.
Some people stay in bigger towns,make them their base, and take the day trips to chateaux. There are three bigger towns: Angers, Tours, Orleans. I've been to all three of them and stayed in all three of them. They are nice and may make a good base for the day trips. My personal preference is to stay outside of these places either in or around small towns or just in the country, but that's me.
A night in a chateaux is between $80-$120 (but you can find ones for $300 and up) including breakfast.
A night in a B&B like place can be between $40.00 and $80.00. These are just the ranges but that's my experience.
Who should go
Anybody who is interested. Sometimes visiting the chateaux may be physically tiring - you have to walk a lot. Some of the chateaux have incredible gardens and grounds - prepare to really walk if you want to explore these. I have been to Loire Valley with my girlfriend, and even with my son when he was seven. You can make your trip a very romantic one, a very adventurous one, or an educational one. If you are familiar with French history and literature you will be more than delighted. If you are not familiar you will be as delighted.
General comments
It is impossible to see everything. I would not try to see more than two chateaux a day and even this may be too much. There is much more to the Loire Valley than the chateaux. Other things to do: camping, hiking, horse back riding, wine tasting, hot air ballooning, so on. Oh yes, don't forget, whenever you have a chance: drink coffee (yummmm), eat bread, consume wine, stuff yourself with food (but in a nice way) and have fun! I speak a little tiny bit of French - that definitely helps, at least to break the ice. English is understood most of the time but not always - and nevertheless, I know, you will have no problems even if you don't speak any French: remember it is an adventure and fun. My personal suggestion is that no matter what, don't assume that people will speak English - don't barrage them with a torrent of English - just ask very politely if they speak English. As I mentioned before, English is understood a lot of times (partly because Loire valley is popular with tourists from England).
Just remembered, I never carry too much cash there. On my last two trips, I was very surprised, impressed, amazed that it wasn't painful at all to use ATM (either in Paris, Normandy, or Loire valley) and get francs from my US bank account.
Anyway, I think you'll never ever regret going to Loire Valley. Have a nice trip!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
zhartz
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Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 5 members
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