Sights in La Loire

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.

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.

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.

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.

This mosaic house is the remarkable work of one man over a period of 26 years from 1938 until 1964. The entire house and garden is covered in mosaics, depicting many sights, animals, flowers, and of course the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.

This town is almost as crazy about horses as it is about wine. This museum describes the history of the French cavalry - though you might notice that not all French achievements, or otherwise, are alluded to in the museum!

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.

One of the most incredible fortress-style châteaux in the Loire Valley, the Château d'Angers overlooks the Maine river. Though earlier buildings on the site were inhabited by the Romans, today's château was built in the 14th century for Louis IX. In the 14th century, its owner commissioned the Apocalypse Tapestry depicting stories from the medieval Book of Revelation; at 140 metres it was the longest tapestry in the world. Approximately 100 metres of it remain and are on display in the château which houses a museum containing of the oldest medieval tapestries in the world.

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.

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.

Le Lieu Unique is the national centre for contemporary arts. It opened in 2000 in the former Lu biscuit factory and is a space for artistic exploration and cultural effervescence. Offering activities across all arts, it is a unique setting with plenty going on.

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.

For lovers of heritage the building of this château reveals, perhaps more than others, the happy marriage between a fortress and royal residence. In the mid-15th century, Louis de Beaumont undertook the reconstruction of the building, which was partially destroyed after the Hundred Years' War. The thick walls are pierced by windows, while turrets and staircases break the monotony of the façades. The charm of the house is expressed in the beautiful carved balconies and wooden tribune of the chapel. The Gothic château is one of the most beautiful in the region. It is the location of the annual Festival d'Anjou.

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.

Château de Chaumont dominates the Loire Valley skyline and is an illustration of both the defensive architecture of its period and the beautiful Renaissance style. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the château, which belonged to Queen Catherine de Medicis and later Diane de Poitiers, knew an intense period of intellectual activity. The Le Ray de Chaumont family welcomed, one after the other, the sculptor Nini, the American Benjamin Franklin and writer Germaine de Staël. The wider Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire reached its peak at the end of the 19th century thanks to Prince and Princess de Broglie. The royal couple designed magnificent modern stables, with the help of Maison Hermès, and entrusted Henri Duchêne, the landscape architect, with the creation of a landscaped park. The château is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Cave des Roches at Bourré is the only example in the world of the complete production of different varieties of mushroom at 50 metres underground. The farm covers 120 kilometres of galleries on seven levels. The old-fashioned cultivation methods, in a natural atmosphere at 13°C, produce a mushroom unrivalled in terms of flavour, with a guaranteed vitamin content. Total production amounts to over 100 tonnes of mushrooms per year, entirely hand-picked. The Cave des Roches offers a varied selection (pied bleu, shitake, oyster, horse, old-fashioned button mushrooms). It is responsible for 40% of the world's pied bleu mushroom production, principally destined either for the best starred restaurants in France or exported around the world.

Inhabited without interruption since the late 15th century, the Château de Beauregard is hidden behind the foliage of the forest of Russy. In the early 16th century, it was a small house which formed part of the royal domain of Louis XII and was used by François I as a hunting lodge. Jean du Thier, who worked on the château in the 16th century, is the real designer of much of the château you see today. Beauregard is now owned by the family of Cheyron du Pavilion. It is open to the public, though the family still reside there. The major attraction here is its wonderful gardens, which were declared a historic monument in 1992. A beautifully landscaped park with space dedicated to perennials and shrubs. It also has one of the largest rose gardens in the Loire Valley. Look for remnants of the old chapel amongst the trees and greenery.

This grand royal château is a castle of palatial standards. Building commenced in the 16th century in a classic Renaissance style and took 20 years to complete. It was built for François I as a hunting lodge. The source of its exuberant design is not totally clear, some mention Leonardo da Vinci, though it is more likely to have been designed by Hilbert Delorme. Its extensive surrounding lands are a game reserve. The interior matches the grandeur of the exterior, with lavish ceremonial bedrooms and over 80 staircases. Take a trip up to the roof to admire the views. Château de Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley.