This 15th century château is built on the ruins of an 11th century fortress. Different families have lived in this domain, which included farms devoted to rearing livestock and wine production. It was a safe fortress where the peasants took refuge to protect themselves from the soldiers who scoured the region. All that is left today is the Château and its outbuildings, a park planted with trees, vines and land over a surface area of 15 hectares.
Marcay Cheateau, Marcay
Elegant 15th century château
Its rooms are elegantly finished in a traditional style and the staff are friendly and welcoming. The château continues to produce appellation wine and offers cookery courses. A pretty outdoor pool is a welcome retreat from the heat of the summer sun. All the rooms are different, there are 30 in total. The views are either of the park, the courtyard or the vineyard.
The restaurant celebrates fish from the coast, meat and poultry from the local region and fruit and vegetables grown along the Loire.
Things to do nearby
Things To Do in La Loire
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Balloon Revolution
Hot air balloon rides over the Touraine region.
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.
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Le Saint-Martin-de Tours 
Le Saint-Martin-de Tours
Guided trip along the Loire from Rochecorbon.
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.
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Train Touristique de la Vallee du Loir
Tourist train in the heart of the Loire.
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.
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Erdre Golf Course, Nantes
Lovely hilly course close to Nantes.
This golf course is part of the Blue Green group of golf courses.
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Pole Nautique de Saumur, Saumur
Saumur-based water activities including kayak tours
Windsurfing, Stand-Up paddleboarding, Catamaran sailing and Kayak tours ranging from half day to several days can be taken with this canoe and kayak company based on the Ile Millocheau in Saumur.
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Nantes Carquefou Golf Course, Nantes
Martin Hawtree signature 18-hole course.
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.
Restaurants nearby
Restaurants in La Loire
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Favre d'Anne Restaurant, Angers
Excellent menu from chef Pascal.
This contemporary dining room is housed in a 19th century town house.
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Bigot Restaurant, Loire
One of the best chocolatiers in the Loire
This fondue house and chocolatier has been running since 1913 serving pastries, macaroons and wonderful hand-made chocolates in its tea house. You can attend a chocolate-making demonstration and workshop.
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Le Relais d'Artemis Restaurant Restaurant, Bracieux
Excellent food in luxury setting.
This wonderful restaurant run by Bernard Robin, the renowned chef, used to be a coaching house. Today is serves excellent traditional cuisine in a fine dining setting accompanied by an excellent wine selection. A top dining spot in the Loire with a Michelin star to match.
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La Table de la Bergerie Restaurant, Champ-sur-Layon
La Table de la Bergerie Restaurant, Champ-sur-Layon
Excellent cuisine by chef David Guitton.
Young chef David Guitton gained worldwide training before taking on this restaurant in the grounds of the Domaine de la Bergarie winelands.
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Le Petit Comptoir Restaurant, Angers
Classic French bistro.
This small restaurant in Angers serves traditional French cuisine made with locally-sourced fresh market ingredients explained on the classic chalkboard menu.
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Les Hautes Roches Restaurant, Rochecorbon
Sample the delights of this excellent Michelin-starred restaurant.
Chef, Didier Edon, has a Michelin star for his excellent restaurant in the Hautes Roches manor house.
Sights nearby
Sights in La Loire
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Maison de la Deviniere
Museum to François Rabelais.
The 15th century country house where François Rabelais, the writer, doctor and humanist, lived is now a museum to his life and works. Located in Seuilly, it houses sketches of the writer, describes medicinal plants talked about in his works and even has a shop selling wine from the vineyards in the grounds.
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Chateau de Chinon, Chinon
Incredibly restored 12th century fortress built by Henry II of England
Overlooking the crossroads of the three provinces of Anjou, Poitou and Touraine, the rocky spur upon which the royal fortress of Chinon stands is a strategic and much coveted location that has been occupied since Roman times. There has been a castle on the site since at least the 10th century when Theobald the Trickster, Count of Blois, built a tower there. But it was not until 1154 that Henry II, Count of Anjou and King of England, set the fortress on the road to its present grandeur. The fortress began its fall into decay in the 17th century, under the ownership of Cardinal Richelieu. Now, after four years of restoration work on a scale unprecedented elsewhere in Europe, the fortress has the military splendour and cohesiveness that it enjoyed in bygone days.
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Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud
Largest monastic city in Europe.
This vast royal abbey was founded in 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel, a preacher from Brittany. Its monastery buildings are Romanesque in design and were built to house 300 nuns. The abbey church, with its pristine white interior, was not completed until 1160. Having housed royal abbesses, its fortune changed and, from the early 19th century, it was turned into a prison before being donated to the French Ministry of Culture in 1960.
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Champignonniere Le Saut aux Loups, Montsoreau
Visit the extensive troglodyte caves used to produce mushrooms and sample the local speciality dish.
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.
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Chateau d'Usse, Rigny-Usse
Inspiration for Perrault's Sleeping Beauty
This sleeping beauty château, overlooking the Indre river, is thought to have inspired the children's book written by Charles Perrault in the 17th century. Parts of the existing château date back to the 15th century - unfortunately all aspects from earlier dates have been destroyed. However, this picture-book Gothic château with some Italianate features is in immaculate condition. Its interior has been maintained in authentic style and it has a sumptuous king's chamber decorated in gold leaf, just in case a king happened to be passing and drop in!
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La Grande Vignolle, Saumur
Troglodyte manor and vineyard.
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.
