Anjou
Housed in a one-time cigarette factory, this non-profit museum displays more than 200 blindés (tanks) and other military vehicles – some in working order …
Must-see attractions in The Loire Valley
The Loire Valley
Idyllically situated amid rolling countryside near Céré-la-Ronde, this turreted château, furnished by the family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries…
CERCIL – Musée-Mémorial des Enfants du Vel d'Hiv
Orléans
Between 1941 and 1943, more than 16,000 Jews were interned in two camps about 50km northeast of Orléans, Beaune-la-Rolande and Pithiviers. The adults were…
Touraine
At the northern end of the Cité Royale stands the royal residence of Charles VII and his successors, originally built as a medieval fortress but later…
The Loire Valley
Home to about 40 Benedictine monks, this abbey – shut down during the Revolution and reopened in 1944 – is known for its Romanesque basilica, whose 11th…
Orléans
The Renaissance-style Hôtel Groslot was built between 1530 and 1550 as a private mansion for lawyer and bailiff Jacques Groslot; it became Orléans’ city…
Angers
Has a superior 14th- to 20th-century collection (mainly paintings) that ranges from French masters Ingres, Fragonard and Watteau to the Florentine Lorenzo…
Angers
The Angers-born sculptor Pierre-Jean David (1788–1856), aka David d’Angers, is renowned for his lifelike sculptures, which adorn public monuments such as…
Anjou
Soaring above the town’s rooftops, Saumur’s fairy-tale castle was largely built in the 13th century by Louis XI, and has served variously as a fortress…
Musée d'Histoire et d'Archéologie
Orléans
The centrepiece of this history museum, in the Renaissance-style Hôtel Cabu, is an extraordinary collection of Celtic and Gallo-Roman bronzes, recovered…
Blois
Avant-garde from the floorboards to the roof, this museum showcases the art and 'state of mind' of the 1960s Fluxus movement, inspired in part by the…
Château de Montsoreau-Musée d’Art Contemporain
Anjou
Converted into a museum of conceptual art in 2016 – the focus is on the Art & Language movement – the Renaissance-style Château de Montsoreau, beautifully…
The Loire Valley
Rochemenier is one of the region's best examples of troglodyte culture. You can explore the remains of two adjacent farmsteads, complete with dwellings,…
Tours
Founded in 1843, Tours' delightful 5-hectare botanical gardens have a tropical greenhouse, a medicinal herb garden, a small zoo and children's playgrounds…
Blois
Bandes dessinées (BD; adult comic books) have achieved the status of an art form in France. This museum, unique in the country, provides a rare…
The Loire Valley
Creative lighting and sound effects illustrating the origins of falun stone and its fossils turn the entire 600m walking route here, though ancient…
Anjou
Get acquainted with some fabulous fungi at this mushroom museum, where you can see about a dozen varieties growing in glowing shades of orange, yellow,…
The Loire Valley
At the base of a soaring allegorical sculpture (1920) by Paul Landowski – who later designed Rio de Janiero's Christ the Redeemer monument – a plaque…
Anjou
This is one of the last places in France producing the traditionally made dried apples known as pommes tapées. You can see displays on how it’s done,…
Anjou
This soaring, crenellated village church, built in the Gothic style from 1175 to 1240, venerates the spot where St Martin died in 397 and was buried for a…
Orléans
In the centre of Orléans' main square, a bronze statue (1855) depicts Joan of Arc atop a prancing steed; nearby there's a carousel (merry-go-round). A…
Angers
The square in front of Cathédrale St-Maurice is linked to a new riverside esplanade (under construction in 2018) and a gourmet covered market (set to open…
Tours
Hidden behind an Italianate façade, this gorgeous early-Renaissance residence – visible through a stone gate – was built for a wealthy merchant around…
Touraine
Refurbished in 2018, this museum features exhibits on the art and archaeology of Chinon and its environs as well as contemporary art, displayed in the…
The Loire Valley
The exhibits here, which focus on La Sologne's 3000 étangs (ponds) – all of them human-made over the past millennium – come alive on guided tours,…
Touraine
Yannick Amirault's reds are velvety, well rounded and almost creamy. His Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyards are midway between Langeais and…
Touraine
This Romanesque church, in the Cité Royale near the Logis Royal, contains the tomb of Agnès Sorel, Charles VII’s mistress, who lived in the château during…
The Loire Valley
Smaller and less visited than the Blésois' more famous châteaux, peaceful Beauregard has charms all its own. Built as yet another hunting lodge by…
Touraine
Perched quietly beneath an imposing 12th-century donjon (keep), the town of Montrichard, 9km east of Chenonceau, is a perfect spot for a fizzy break. Just…
The Loire Valley
Often used as a location for films set in the Middle Ages, Le Mans' old city and its picturesque, stone-paved lanes – and tiny vineyard – are surrounded…
Tours
In the Middle Ages, Tours was an important pilgrimage city thanks to the relics of soldier-turned-evangelist St Martin (c 317–97). In the 5th century a…
The Loire Valley
Fans of Tintin might find the façade of Château de Cheverny strangely familiar: Hérgé used it as a model (minus the two end towers) for Moulinsart …
The Loire Valley
This quirky château is still furnished much as it was 150 years ago when it belonged to Polish count, financier, railroad magnate and friend-of-Napoleon…
The Loire Valley
Built from the 11th to the 15th century, this vast cathedral juxtaposes a Romanesque nave with later Gothic elements. The stained glass dates as far back…
The Loire Valley
Built in the early 1100s and rebuilt in the mid-1600s after being burnt by Calvinists during the Wars of Religion, this church – visited by Joan of Arc in…
The Loire Valley
Well-presented exhibits tell the story of how a river that's basically non-navigable was used for commerce using ultra-shallow-draft (70cm) boats…
Orléans
An excellent 15-minute film (in French or English) tracing Joan of Arc's origins, accomplishments and historical impact is the main attraction at the…
The Loire Valley
Inside this seigniorial residence, parts of which are Gothic, furnished rooms – and suits of armour – illustrate life in the 15th century (as does an…
Angers
Right behind Cathédrale St-Maurice stands the Maison d’Adam, one of the city’s best-preserved medieval houses (c 1500), which is decorated with a riot of…
Touraine
The family home of landscape painter Emmanuel Lansyer (1835–93) is now a museum displaying more than 100 of his paintings, his collection of Japanese art,…
