Peace and tranquillity at this opulent château
This small but beautiful 19th century château immediately impresses with its grand stairways to the entrance. With just five guest rooms and a gîte, decorated with original furniture, this place oozes peace and tranquillity. It has a wonderful traditional conservatory, a small outdoor pool and 2 hectares of lovely parkland.
Each of the rooms are beautifully decorated and a good size. They are light and bright, and comfortable. All the rooms have views of the park or the conservatory and are well equipped.
The conservatory is huge and filled with numerous plants, making it a tranquil place to relax.
Located on the banks of the river Loire with Sancerre hill in the background, this course in the midst of century-old trees, ornamented by natural water hazards, is considered one of the most attractive golf courses in the centre of France. An 18-hole course with bunkers and water hazards which offer some interesting problems. There is also a pro-shop, restaurant, 6-hole practice course, driving range and putting green.
The Golf de Sologne is the oldest course in the Centre region, and probably one of the most beautiful natural settings.
Bateaux Nantais offers cruises along the river Erdre or the river Loire on their modern and sleek boats. Particularly popular are their lunch or dinner cruises and their themed evenings.
Balloon Revolution offer flights over the Touraine region of the Loire Valley allowing you to discover its beautiful châteaux from the sky. Usually launching from the grounds of one of the châteaux, it's an unforgettable experience.
NaviLoire offers short guided boat trips on the Loire river from Rochecorbon, taking in cave dwellings, discovering the rich wildlife along the banks, as well as catching a glimpse of the wine-producing Château de Moncontour.
This train dating from 1950s travels from Thoré to Trôo taking in troglodyte dwellings, Saint-Rimay tunnel, the town of Montoire and Varennes and more.
This excellent restaurant in Tours was named after the original chef and serves gastronomic delights from a contemporary ambitious menu. The talented Hervé Lussault now heads up the kitchen and was awarded a Michelin star in 1998. Lussault is also famed for his excellent bread. The restaurant is light and spacious, feeling luxurious and warm, and has a lovely garden for when the weather permits.
This restaurant, translated as The Fisherman's Place, offers an excellent selection of predominantly fish dishes served with locally grown vegetables. Christophe Cosme has earned a Michelin star for his dishes in this small spot in Blois.
Young chef David Guitton gained worldwide training before taking on this restaurant in the grounds of the Domaine de la Bergarie winelands.
Chef, Didier Edon, has a Michelin star for his excellent restaurant in the Hautes Roches manor house.
This café-bistro is located in the centre of Saumur, right on the busy Place Saint-Pierre.
This old post house dating from the 19th century has managed to retain a unique style where beams, bricks and tiles combine with modern comforts.
Owned by the Filliatreau family, this grand manor is part troglodyte cave. Once the dwelling of lords, it has a fine chapel and extensive vineyards producing some of the best Saumur-Champigny wines in the area.
Originally built in the 10th century, this pretty château with its blue slate roofs overlooks the enchanting town of Saumur. The existing building dates back to the 12th century when it was rebuilt by Henry II, King of England. Having been an army barracks at one time and a prison at another, today the château is also a museum of horses, given the importance of the equestrian school to the town.
This town is almost as crazy about horses as it is about wine. This museum describes the history of the French cavalry - though you might notice that not all French achievements, or otherwise, are alluded to in the museum!
With one of the largest collections of tanks in Europe, this museum charts the history of the development of this armoured fighting vehicle. It's a must for military history enthusiasts as it contains good international examples and demonstrates technological advances through the years. Although you may only view around a couple of hundred tanks, the museum actually holds over 800!
Between Saumur and Chinon, on the hillside along the Loire River, you will find Le Saut aux Loups. It was favoured in prehistoric times by men and wolves who found a home here. Since the Middle Ages, there have been limestone quarries in the hillside for the stone required to build the châteaux the region is so famous for. The quarrymen also built the troglodyte houses as lodgings and these have been preserved in their original state here at Le Saut aux Loups. The caves are now home to extensive mushroom production lines and here you can visit their 800 metres of underground galleries before trying the speciality of the house, galipettes, delicious stuffed mushrooms, in their restaurant.
These incredible underground caves were excavated as quarries in the 18th century and were once homes as well as storage locations for the mushrooms which were also grown in the caves. The cathedral-shaped rooms give these caves an impressive resplendent feel. Covering over four acres, some rooms reach up to 50 metres in height.
