Loire Valley France

Loire Valley, France

Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life in the Loire Valley, at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, as a guest of Francis I. He brought three paintings with him from Italy, including the Mona Lisa, which he was still working on. He died at Clos Lucé in 1519; the Mona Lisa remained with the French royal collection. The connection between Leonardo and the double-helix staircase at the nearby Château de Chambord, both designed around the same years, has been debated by architectural historians since the 18th century. No documentation survives confirming Leonardo’s involvement, which hasn’t stopped the debate.

The Loire Valley holds more châteaux than anywhere in France, around 300 of them, ranging from modest fortified manors to the absurdist scale of Chambord. The valley runs 280km through Touraine and Anjou, following the Loire River from Gien in the east to the Atlantic near Saint-Nazaire. Most visitors concentrate on the 80km stretch around Tours and Amboise, which contains the most significant sites.

The valley is flat and largely accessible by bicycle. Several Loire à Vélo cycling routes follow both banks of the river; hiring bikes in Amboise or Tours and cycling between châteaux is how many people experience the area. Train connections link the main towns; a car is faster for reaching the larger sites outside town centres.

The Châteaux

Chambord is the obvious starting point. Built from 1519 onwards under Francis I, it has 440 rooms, 365 chimneys, and a double-helix staircase in the central keep that may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo was living at Amboise at the time). Adult entry is around €15. It’s 14km east of Blois and requires either a car or a summer shuttle bus from Blois.

Chenonceau, the château spanning the Cher river on a series of arches, is the most visited in France after Versailles. Entry around €16. The gardens are included. The château changed hands between a succession of powerful women during the Wars of Religion and later periods, which is the “Ladies’ Castle” attribution. Go early or late in the day; it draws heavy visitor numbers throughout summer.

Château de Villandry has the most impressive gardens of any château in France, six hectares of formal French parterres arranged on multiple terraced levels, with a working vegetable garden as the centrepiece. Entry around €13. The château itself is secondary to the grounds.

Wine

The Loire produces a wider variety of wine than most regions, Muscadet from the Atlantic end, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (Sauvignon Blanc) from the upper valley, Vouvray and Montlouis (Chenin Blanc), Chinon and Bourgueil (Cabernet Franc reds). The AOC system means producers are regulated by location; visiting a domaine near Vouvray for tasting costs nothing and produces wines unavailable outside the region.

Where to Stay

Tours is the practical base, good train links to Paris (1h10m on the TGV from St-Pierre-des-Corps) and direct buses to the main châteaux. Amboise is smaller, more charming, and walkable from the château d’Amboise. Several châteaux have converted wings into accommodation; Château d’Artigny near Tours offers the full experience. Prices for château accommodation range from €150-400+ per night.

Eating

Rillettes de Tours, slow-cooked pork spread, are the regional staple and eaten on bread at almost every meal. The Marché de Tours on Place Jean Jaurès has local produce on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For a proper meal, restaurants along the Rue Colbert in Tours central have good options in the €25-45 range for a full dinner with wine.