House / Gardens Sights in La Loire — 7 of Our Favourites

To show how important the medicinal plant sector activity is in the district, a group of producers decided to create a garden of medicinal plants using the garden of Chemillé's town hall. Its name, Camifolia, is inspired by the camomile which was the first medicinal plant to be introduced into the area. Chemillé, where 60 per cent of the Pays de la Loire production is concentrated, is the first French centre for medicinal plants with more than 70 species cultivated over approximately 600 hectares.

The Terra Botanica opened in 2010 and is a theme park offering interaction with the plant world. With gardens, aquatic areas, greenhouses as well as its interactive attractions, this is a fun and educational day out. It has 4D cinema shows, tree-top trips in pedal-powered shuttles, themed trails and river cruise trips. Covering domestic, rare and mysterious plants alike, this park makes you the paleo-botanist for the day.

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 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.

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.

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.

This arboretum is a national conservatory of the Holly tree, with over 400 different species of Holly in a landscaped park. The park is recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Communication as a Remarkable Garden.