Views
of the Valley
In this site, you will
find recommendations on tourist destinations, accommodations,
restaurants and more in the Loire Valley, compiled by experienced
travelers familiar with the region. First-time visitors to
France or to the Loire Valley will also find useful travel
tips and all of the resources necessary to plan an exciting
overseas voyage! |
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| About the
Loire Valley |
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Renowned for
its spectacular châteaux, the vestiges of royal days
gone by, the glorious valley of the Loire is rich in both
history and architecture. The valley is peppered with historic
monuments like nowhere else on Earth. Some of the greatest
cathedrals the Gothic age ever erected stand in the Loire
Valley. This vast region runs through the heart of France;
its sophisticated cities, flourishing landscape and magnificent
food and wine add up to a boundless paradise. |
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Orléans
was France's intellectual capital in the 13th century, attracting
artists and poets to the royal court. But the medieval court
never stayed in place for very long, which led to the building
of magnificent castles all along the Loire. Due to its central
location, culture and excellent cuisine, Tours is the natural
visitor's capital. Angers follows closely, but more authentic
are the historic towns of Amboise and Blois,
brilliantly strung along the river like the queen’s
royal jewels. |
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The
quaint village of Pontlevoy is situated in the heart of the
valley, close to myriad châteaux. Chambord and Chenonceau
remain the two greatest and most prestigious Renaissance châteaux
ever built. They are glorious symbols of imperial rule, dazzling
with their ornamental gardens. This is the classic Loire Valley. |
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Blessed
with a temperate climate and easy access to the heart of France
and Europe, the Loire in the last decade has gone beyond its
touristic traditions to become a favored European site for
retirees to buy homes and corporations to headquarter. Only
a morning’s trip by train from London, Strasbourg, Brussels
or Amsterdam, Pontlevoy and its region are today a crossroads
to new Europe. Where warring aristocrats once erected fortified
chateaux and grand castles to protect their subjects from
the uncertainties of life in the heart of an unstable Europe,
today the Loire’s central location brings with it only
stunning advantages.
The
lush Loire valley is, in a word, majestic. |
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