Du Mail Hotel, Angers

This golf course is part of the Blue Green group of golf courses.

Take in the magnificent scenery of the Loire by air in a hot air balloon. Offering a number of different tours and launch sites along the Loire river, what better way to take in the châteaux from up above where their size and splendour can really be seen.

Canoeing and kayaking tours on the Loire river are offered by this company based in Loire. An excellent way to enjoy this beautiful countryside, you can take overnight tours, camping at night, or do the more active sport kayaking in fast rapids.

Austin Lehman Adventure Travel has been sharing their love of adventure holidays with guests for around 40 years. Their insider's knowledge and extensive contacts in La Loire allow them to offer cultural and artistic experiences and encounters that give guests an in-depth feel for the local people and their way of life.

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.

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 contemporary dining room is housed in a 19th century town house.

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 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.

Escape into the countryside and discover this rustic French restaurant serving traditional meals with pretty views of the gardens.

This modern restaurant is located at the top of an art gallery and its floor-to-ceiling glass windows and terrace offer great views of the quays. Simple white chic tables and chairs with dark walls and a splash of colour give this place a fun trendy feel. The cuisine is modern European, with lots of excellent fish dishes.

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.

The Sancerre House dates back to the 14th century and is built like an upside-down nave. It was previously shared by several different owners but today it houses an exhibition space dedicated to Sancerre wine production, explaining why the soils combined with the vine growers “savoir-faire” make Sancerre such an exceptional wine area.

This picturesque 14th century château, set close to the town of Sully, has beautiful grounds with century-old trees and a typical 'English' garden. Owned by the Barons of Sully, then the Dukes of La Trémoïlle and finally Maximilien de Béthune, it became the property of the department of the Loiret in 1962. Its chapel features listed frescoes and walls pierced with miniature gun ports. The château moat sits on a fork in the Loire and features the classic towers, keep and rampart. The impressive interior contains excellent tapestries and paintings in some of the grand château rooms.

The abbey in St-Benoît-sur-Loire, dates back to the 7th century. It is a well-known Benedictine abbey. The remaining abbey church is one of two originals. The second, dedicated to St Peter, was knocked down in the 18th century. The abbey is thought to contain the remains of St Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Western monastic ways of living, though this is disputed.

The oratory at Germigny-des-Prés was built in typical Loire light stone in the early 9th century by Bishop Theodulf of Orléans. The Spanish bishop was one of the most significant in Carolingian times. It is one of few Western European churches of its kind still to be in existence. A pretty oratory, now the village church, the most impressive feature is the mosaic on the ceiling of the apse, showing the Ark of the Covenant. It was painted over for a long time, hence its excellent preservation and was only rediscovered in the mid 1800s.

The mastermind behind this most impressive of Gothic cathedrals is unknown, as is so often the case. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was completed in the 13th century, though further work was required in the 14th and 15th centuries to support both towers when the ground was too weak to support them. It is simple in design but has a huge imposing impact on everyone who visits. It still has much of the original stained glass in the windows.

This palace was built for Jacques Cœur, the Finance Minister to the King, in the 15th century. This impressive Gothic building in the centre of Bourges took less than 10 years to build. Declared a historical monument in the late 19th century, its façades and interior have been restored. Home to the courts for a century, the building was returned to the state in the 1920s.