© Les Hautes Roches
© Les Hautes Roches
Chic hotel with rooms built into cave dwellings
Subtlety of expressive cooking, discreet service and the originality of converted bedrooms within the cliffs are on offer at this unique manor house just a few minutes from Tours. Using former monks' dwellings, 12 of its 14 rooms are sculpted into the rock and every one is different. This hotel mixes natural materials elegantly with contemporary designs to create a chic finish. Chef, Didier Edon, has a Michelin star for his excellent restaurant.
The rooms all face South and overlook the Loire river, the decor is modern and uses the natural architecture of the rock to create very peaceful and unique spaces.
In the restaurant, the seafood inspired menu is bold and traditional, the setting is fantastic and the views from the terrace of the Loire will add to the 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.
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.
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.
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.
Built in the grounds of the Château de l'Epinay, this 18-hole golf course extends over 67 hectares. The 5,790-metre course has slightly wavy greens and small rivers, ponds and streams. A reasonably easy course with the Martin Hawtree signature.
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.
Young chef David Guitton gained worldwide training before taking on this restaurant in the grounds of the Domaine de la Bergarie winelands.
An Asian-influenced menu in a great setting with beautiful views over the Loire. The fabulous setting was designed by Jean-Pierre Wilmotte. The fabulous menu was created by Jean-Yves Gueho. It has a fabulous wine cellar too. Definitely worth a visit.
Sample their gourmet burgers, inventive salads, sweet & savoury pancakes and delicious sundaes.
This excellent restaurant in Orléans serves traditional French fare using quality local produce.
This contemporary dining room is housed in a 19th century town house.
This small restaurant in Angers serves traditional French cuisine made with locally-sourced fresh market ingredients explained on the classic chalkboard menu.
Dating back to the 14th century, this Renaissance château was home to many royal mistresses. Nowadays it is visited more for its beautiful grounds which include a vegetable garden with a massive 650 varieties of tomato, the contemporary and colourful Dalhia garden and a medicinal garden. It is possible to stay in the château and take cookery classes there.
The building of this impressive Roman Catholic cathedral commenced in the 12th century and not completed until the 16th century. It is a national historic monument, in a glorious Gothic style, though it has Romanesque features such as its tower buttresses. It is nearly 100 metres long.
This museum is dedicated to modern stained glass and mosaic producing techniques and contains pieces of art which are famous paintings depicted in glass colours. It is located in the Hôtel Raimbault which dates back to the early 19th century. This particular stain glass technique was developed by Jean Cocteau.
Founded in the 11th century, this priory has long been a place where pilgrims took shelter en route to Santiago de Compostela. In the 16th century Pierre de Ronsard, the French Renaissance poet, became the prior - the priory still features the prior's house with de Ronsard's workroom. The rose gardens pay an appropriate homage to the poet who is buried in the church apse.
Château de Valmer, with its striking park and gardens, nestles on the edge of a hillside overlooking the Brenne Valley, a tributary of the Loire river.
This emblematic monument and its landscaped gardens offer one of the most remarkable panoramas of the Loire Valley. A regal heritage, the Château d'Amboise has been home to Charles VII, Louis XI and Charles VIII. The château is registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Still incredibly impressive, the current buildings are just one fifth of the original palace which was destroyed and neglected over the years. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the château's grounds.
