From the owner: L' Office de Tourisme est labellisé Loire à Vélo et Accueil Vélo, et également opérateur de voyages…read moreet de séjours. Ses missions : * Accueillir et conseiller les visiteurs particuliers (touristes mais aussi locaux : nous participons à la vie locale en transmettant les informations pratiques à notre disposition). Au vu de l'importance du tourisme à vélo sur notre destination, nos sommes labellisés Accueil Vélo * Promouvoir le territoire via des animations ludiques et/ou culturelles sur l'ensemble du territoire, en partenariat avec nos acteurs locaux, ainsi qu'un plan de communication multicanal. * Soutenir et accompagner nos acteurs : nous avons à cœur d'accompagner nos acteurs au mieux dans leur démarche développement et qualité, ainsi que de faire le lien entre les différents acteurs, dans le but d'ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives touristiques et économiques et ainsi de tous œuvrer au même but commun : l'attractivité globale du territoire.

This is one of the most visited château in the Loire Valley and one of the largest! Château de…read moreChambord is a famous French Renaissance castle, ordered by King François I in 1519, known for its distinctive architecture and the spectacular, interlocked double-helix staircase, which may have been inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. It was built as a hunting lodge as many of the châteaus were in the valley rather than a permanent residence. The château is immense, containing 400 rooms. The most notable - historic double helix staircase, and the incredible 13,000-acre estate, which is the largest enclosed forest in Europe. They have improved the infrastructure around the château within the past 10 years which have many places to park for busses and cars. Allow yourself time to park and walk to the château as it can take a bit of time. Depending on how much you want to see, give yourself ample time to explore as there is much to see: art jewelry, furniture, etc. Additionally, this is one of the most visited châteaus in the valley.

This historic French Renaissance castle in the Loire Valley of France is an astounding sight. Built…read moreunder King Francis the 1st as a grand hunting lodge and a symbol of royal power incorporates medieval and classical styles. This chateau inspired the castle in Beauty and the Beast. It is massive with over 440 rooms. It housed the most iconic art from the Louvre from 1939-1945 including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. A truly mesmerizing experience.

The Château de Chenonceau is a historic French castle known as the "Château of the Ladies" due to…read moreits influential female owners throughout its years. Located in the Loire Valley, it is famous for its elegant architecture, which includes a gallery built over the River Cher. The château features rich Renaissance furniture, tapestries, and master paintings. This Château also paved a pivotal roll during g WWII as its walls helped move Jews out of occupied France to free France during the war. It also has a unique connection to the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. You'll have to visit to find out more. Additionally, the château's iconic gallery was built across the River Cher as an add on to the existing Château. Its interiors are richly decorated with works by artists such as Tintoretto, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Notable rooms include the bedchambers of Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de' Medici, and Louise de Lorraine. The gardens are exquisitely decorated and it's worth spending some time in them. You will need to book your tickets in advance as this Château is one of the most visited and they need it to control the flow of visitors. Be aware it also takes some time to travel, and once parked, to get to the Château (about a 20 minute walk). Enjoy this visit. I have seen it three or four times and always enjoy it!

This French castle spanning the River Cher is an opulent chateau in the Loire Valley of France…read more Built in 1513 to 1517 by Thomas Bohier for his wife Catherine Biconnet. This stunning Renaissance and Gothic architecture is the style of the women who owned and shaped it. The formal gardens are exquisite. The powerful ladies of the Chateau also included Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. The present day owners are the Menier family, famous for their chocolate. In 1539, King Francis the 1st acquired the estate. Later, King Henry the 2nd decided to offer it to the Queen. Our tour started with a wine tasting of three different wines actually grown on the estate. The fairytale like castle and the story of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty may have been the inspiration. The rooms and the kitchen in the basement are well preserved. It was a lovely experience.

Orleans has a good collection of Jean d'Arc. This is very much she make her name know as a brave…read morewomen that pick up the sword and fight. This hotel also has some of the collection of Jean d'Arc. The hotel is built with Renaissance style mid 15th century. The entrance has an statue of Jean d'Arc. It is sculpture by princess of Orleans. The courtyard is beautiful. It is photo spot. The day we visit the hotel was use by photo shot of wedding. I can imagine it is good place to be with photo for important day. The hotel interior is like a small size palace. The wall put many Jean d'Arc pictures. The ceilings is beautiful. To visit this place only take 1/2 hours. It is easy access. Because of Covid condition, they make the visit route one direction.

The house in the Tintin comics is based on this chateau so they had a Tintin exhibit on the…read moregrounds. The comic series was never that big in the US so the exhibit meant little to me. I learned though that Tintin was huge in France so all the French fam were oohing and aahing. Afterward we took a tour of the chateau. Lots of very ornate decorations and paintings of dead folks. Considering we've got small kids the pieces they had relating to child care were pretty interesting but the jackpot, the real money shot, at least for this dude, was the war room on the second floor. Lots of spears and lances and armor. Even several early firearms and a couple of crossbows. It was amazing to consider that every piece was unique and handmade and that every repair or alteration was a custom job. So much work! And just when you thought the fun was over you read a little more about that massive head in the stairway. It's a prehistoric Moose fossil. This dude was given the head of a bleeping prehistoric moose because some dude in Russia knew he was interested in geology?! And the thing's mounted 10 feet off the ground and they think that that was about the correct living height of the animal. Now that right there was worth the price of admission!!

A great chateau with a treasure trove of period furniture that is still occupied by one of the…read moreoriginal families - the count of something and his young family. Unlike many of the other places in the valley, this one escaped much of the destruction and looting that stripped most chateau to their bones. Here you can see ornately painted rooms and furnishings and even the current Countesses' wedding dress (that's one clever way to recycle your dress!). One of the other big attractions are the kennels of hunting dogs. I am not sure of the breed but they are much taller than what I was expecting sort of the size of coon hound with the markings of a beagle. Several dozen reside together in a large enclosure and are managed by one guy who knows all their names. Each has a "V" snipped with tiny scissors on its side sort of like branding a steer, to identify their ownership. A great spot for a visit.

From the owner: La Maison de Jeanne d'Arc est une maison à pans de bois, reconstitution des années 60 de la demeure…read morede Jacques Boucher, trésorier général du Duc d'Orléans, qui hébergea Jeanne d'Arc du 29 avril au 9 mai 1429 durant le siège d'Orléans. Restructurée et modernisée, la Maison de Jeanne d'Arc propose aux visiteurs : * Au rez-de-chaussée - une salle multimédia diffusant un film panoramique sur la Guerre de Cent Ans, la vie de Jeanne d'Arc et son souvenir à Orléans et proposant des bornes interactives, une frise chronologique illustrée et une cartographie de l'épopée de Jeanne. Renseignements et réservations : 02 38 68 32 63 - mja@ville-orleans.fr Tarifs : 4€/2€/ entrée donnant accès au musée historique et archéologique de la ville. Horaires d'ouverture : D'octobre à mars : de 14h à 18h - projection toutes les heures D'avril à septembre : de 10h à 18h - projection toutes les 1/2 heures Fermé les lundis et jours fériés * A l'étage - le centre Jeanne d'Arc, le plus grands fonds documentaires

We visited Caves Duhard between Chateau Chenonceau and Cateau Chambord and it was a great…read moreexperience. Very interesting tour and wine tasting. We purchased a case of great 2015 Bourgueil, 2016 Vouvray and a fantastic 1989 Vouvray. They delived it to New Jersey in two weeks, every bottle in perfect condition. Great place, great wine, great experience! We will be ordering more wine soon! Nous avons visité les Caves Duhard entre Château Chenonceau et Château Chambord et ce fut une expérience formidable. Visite très intéressante et dégustation de vin. Nous avons acheté une caisse de grand Bourgueil 2015, Vouvray 2016 et un fantastique Vouvray 1989. Ils l'ont livré au New Jersey en deux semaines, chaque bouteille en parfait état. Super endroit, bon vin, super expérience! Nous commanderons plus de vin bientôt!