Sights in La Loire

With one of the largest collections of tanks in Europe, this museum charts the history of the development of this armoured fighting vehicle. It's a must for military history enthusiasts as it contains good international examples and demonstrates technological advances through the years. Although you may only view around a couple of hundred tanks, the museum actually holds over 800!

Built on the river Cher, the Château de Chenonceau is the epitome of beauty. Château des Dames, as it is recorded in the French history books, owes a large part of its charm to women.

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.

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.

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.

This impressive château looks down onto the small village of Talcy, and dates back to the 16th century. It has a medieval feel and original 18th century interior covered with tapestries and paintings. Its grounds house an orchard of apples and pears.

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.

The Château de Chamerolles has undergone extensive renovation in its 16th century style. However the real reason to visit is to see its six beautiful gardens dedicated to colours and aromas. Both French native plants and exotic species have been grown, as well as vegetable gardens, honeysuckle and more. Inside the château, rooms are dedicated to the development of scents and perfumes over the centuries.

This war fortress was built in the late 11th century and became one of the most impressive residential châteaux in the Loire Valley during the Renaissance. Dismantled during the French Revolution, the château turned into a village district and, in the 1950s, the gallery became a museum to the history of Grand-Pressigny. The museum charts history from the 6th to the 21st century, noting key archaeological features including the use of the regional flint stone.

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.

On the Ile de Nantes, which has been transformed in recent years, this gallery in the old shipbuilding area features the mechanical designs of François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice whose imaginations were inspired by the works of Jules Verne. The huge moving urban sculptures, such as the Great Elephant and the Branch of the Heron Tree, are open for the public to experience, though bookings are required as they are extremely popular.

This 29-hectare park was part of the Château Colbert at the beginning of the 20th century and was designed with a Japanese theme over the first 15 years of the century. This oriental park became the property of the Maulévrier council in 1980 who began its full restoration. It is the largest Japanese-inspired park in Europe. From May to September you can visit the park at night and experience the magic created by the imaginative lighting.

The château at Loches really forms this fortified royal town. It houses an impressive 36 metre high dungeon, built by the Count of Anjou, which was once Louis XI's royal prison. Built in the 11th century, it is a striking example of Norman architecture. The royal apartments in the château are decorated in Renaissance style.

This château began life as a medieval fortress and was rebuilt in a Renaissance style in the 16th century, taking over a century to complete. It is now a private residence and home to the Prince and Princess of Merode who have kept it furnished in a traditional manner. Inside the library contains more than 12,000 books and the kitchen has over 200 pieces of brass. They run discovery and decorative arts tours of this lovely château.

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 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.

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.

Taking its name from Valois history, the impressive Cléry basilica is of such size because purportedly a farmer dug up a statue of the Virgin Mary which was invested with miraculous powers. As a result, the location attracted the attention of King Philippe IV who funded the basilica's construction. It continued to attract royal patronage over the years and is the burial place of Louis XI.