Rivage Hotel, Olivet

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.

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.

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

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.

The golf course of the Château Cheverny has been constructed in the 142 hectares of the historic hunting grounds of the château.

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 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.

Young chef David Guitton gained worldwide training before taking on this restaurant in the grounds of the Domaine de la Bergarie winelands.

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.

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 café-bistro is located in the centre of Saumur, right on the busy Place Saint-Pierre.

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.

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.

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.

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.