Domaine de Vaugouard Golf Course, Fortenay-sur-Loing
This 18-hole course is set in the grounds of an 18th-century château which is now a leisure complex with outdoor pool and tennis courts as well as a charming hotel.

© Champvallins Chateau, Sandillon

© Champvallins Chateau, Sandillon
Elegant 18th century château bed and breakfast
The five rooms in this elegantly decorated 18th century château offer a great place to stay in the heart of the Loire and not far from Orléans. It has a heated outdoor pool in the grounds and offers bed and breakfast service. Recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2011.
The rooms are spacious with en suites bathrooms. Four of the rooms have views over the gardens.
Breakfast is served in the atmospheric dining room, and includes fresh produce from the castle. In summer, breakfast can be taken on the terrace.
This 18-hole course is set in the grounds of an 18th-century château which is now a leisure complex with outdoor pool and tennis courts as well as a charming hotel.
The golf course of the Château Cheverny has been constructed in the 142 hectares of the historic hunting grounds of the château.
This relatively new course, set in beautiful Saumur, is a pleasant 9-hole round if you're searching for a change from historical monuments and châteaux.
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.
This theme park is a historical tour around a medieval city, an 18th-century village and a year 1900 town square. It also has a number of historical shows reenacting Ancient Roman gladiator fighting, attacks from the Vikings and medieval adventures. The summertime evening shows are an explosion of colour, lights and entertainment. An incredible spectacular.
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.
This excellent restaurant in Orléans serves traditional French fare using quality local produce.
Sample their gourmet burgers, inventive salads, sweet & savoury pancakes and delicious sundaes.
This small restaurant in Angers serves traditional French cuisine made with locally-sourced fresh market ingredients explained on the classic chalkboard menu.
This cute traditional French restaurant in Blois serves good quality food on, as the name suggests, red benches! The dishes are innovative and work well, and the is atmosphere charming.
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.
Charming little coffee shop and lunch spot offering good food on its terrace or tucked away in the cellar. Look out for the decadent dessert selection.
This museum houses an exuberant collection of fine arts and is possibly one of the best collections in France. It traces art from the 15th to the 20th century in its permanent collection, with works from Italian, Dutch, Flemish and French artists. It also has many temporary exhibitions which are worth visiting. It is one of the oldest museums in France.
The impressive Gothic cathedral in the centre of Orléans was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It dominates the skyline of the city when viewed from afar. Jean of Arc famously attended mass in the cathedral in 1429 when the city was under siege from the English during the Hundred Years' War. A stained glass window in the cathedral depicts her story. There is a great view of the city from the top of the bell towers.
Understandably for a city whose history was changed by one 17 year old Jean of Arc, known locally as the "Maid of Orléans", there is a museum dedicated to the short time she spent in Orléans as well as to her wider life. Apparently Jean of Arc in fact stayed in a building located on the site of the museum.
The adjacent Joan of Arc Centre, founded in 1974, includes some impressive collections on Jean of Arc: books, pamphlets, engravings, films, documentaries and more. This is the place to pop in, or spend a day, if you want to really study the life and times of Jean of Arc.
The Floral Park on the outskirts of Orléans came to being in 1963 thanks to architect Louis Arretche, as part of the creation of the district of La Source. Within its 35 hectares of grounds, on the edge of the Loire river, it's a perfect spot for garden lovers, walkers or if you just want to escape the city.
The Hôtel Cabu was built in 1548 by the architect Jacques Androuet for Phillipe Cabu, an Orléans attorney. It is said that the mistress of Henry II, Diane de Poitiers, stayed here a year later. The Orléans Museum of History and Archaeology is now housed in this Renaissance brick hotel, charting the history of Orléans from the Roman period though to modern times. It's definitely worth a trip to this elegant building.