La Vie En Route: The Loire Valley
France’s proximity to Britain gives one explanation for its popularity as a holiday destination, but it’s also a country rich with spectacular sites, delicious food and often great weather. Because you can take your car on the ferry at Dover and get across the English Channel, France is also perfectly suited for a caravanning or driving holiday. The regions of Normandy in the north, Aquitaine in the south west and Languedoc Roussillon in the south east are all particularly good for such adventures, but perhaps the most spectacular sites are to be seen in the Loire Valley, lying to the south west of Paris. The region is often referred to as the ‘Garden of France,’ and it includes an array of historic towns, beautiful landscapes and world famous castles (chateaux). While it’s difficult to see it all in one trip, there are many routes you can take to get a comprehensive feeling of what’s on offer.
Where to Start
To get the best from the Loire Valley in particular, starting at Orleans and driving to Nantes is a highly recommended route. Orleans lies around 80 miles to the south east of Paris, so it’s around a four to five hour drive from Calais. If you’re not altogether sure about driving all the way down there, or you fancy a driving holiday in a more sturdy car than you own, you can easily hire a car and pick it up in Orleans or Paris after getting the Eurostar, then drive on from there. Take a look at car hire from Holiday Autos for more.
Orleans
If you do start from Orleans, then a fleeting visit whereby you pick up your car and drive off down the river doesn’t come as recommended. Instead, it’s worth taking a day or two to sample what this historic city has to offer. It’s a city proud of its medieval past, particularly of its affiliation with Joan of Arc, who liberated it from the English in 1429, and tributes to the heroine can be found throughout the city centre. Historic highlights include the Cathedrale Sainte-Croix , Musee des Beaux Arts and Maison de Jeanne d’Arc, while the main street for eating and drinking is Rue de Bourgogne.
Grand Chateaux
Driving west along the Loire, you’re sure to see many of the chateaux that the valley is famous for. There are more than three hundred along the route, so unless you want to spend about a year touring, then you probably won’t be able to see them all. Some of the most spectacular, from east to west on your journey, are Chambourd, Blois, Chaumont, Villandry and Samuar. Many of the castles function as guest houses, but there are also plenty set solely as tourist attractions. Some of them, such as Chaumont or Usse, look as if they’ve come straight out of a fairy tale in this beautiful landscape. The central part of the Loire River Valley, between Maine and Sully-sur-Loire, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
Fine Wine and Cuisine
Another thing that the Loire Valley is famous for is a vast selection of wines. It is France’s third largest wine region, with over 124,618 acres under vines and 740 million gallons of wine produced annually. The vast selection goes with a fantastic array of local dishes, particularly shellfish from the Atlantic Coast. Meanwhile there are also famous cheeses to sample, of which Chavignol, Selles-sur-Cher, Sainte-Maure de Touraine are some of the most touted varieties. To find out more about the Loire Valley food and wine, take a look at the useful Loirevalleywine.com. Just make sure you don’t sample too much of the wine before you get back in the driver seat!
If this short taster has wetted your appetite for a journey down the Loire Valley, then take a look at Travelzoo to see if you can snap up a bargain. This website regularly has offers on holidays in France, and if you time it right you could find yourself staying in a chateau along your route for next to nothing!