[highlight]Leia em Português[/highlight]

Route in the winter
Route in the winter
Loire Valley (Valée de La Loire) deserves a ride, because it is a bit far away and has many castles. It is also possible to join excursions that leave from Tours. We decided to go by car, and as we got away from Paris, we found fields and trees covered in snow, everything white and a cloudy sky, contrasting with the gray road and leafless trees.

The castles and cities I visited:

Amboise castle
Amboise castle

AMBOISE

All plain on the way to Amboise, where Leonardo Da Vinci lived the last 3 years of his life. He is buried in this beautiful village, with the CHÂTEAU of French kings and CLOS-LUCÉ – Da Vinci’s last residence that today is a museum, with several models of his inventions around the garden.

Clos-Lucé, Da Vince museum
Clos-Lucé, Da Vince museum

BLOIS

I just visited the CHÂTEAU, which is all remodeled to welcome tourists. There is not much left from the time there were kings, but it was cool anyway; it is a museum inside a castle that represents pretty well the lifestyle of a time in France.

Blois castle
Blois castle
St. Gatien cathedral
St. Gatien cathedral

TOURS

It is a great place to stay and travel around. There is a lot to do, I did little in 2 days. I thought I would find a small old town, but I was wrong. The historical center is quite old, but all around it is big and modern. The main points are ST. GATIEN CATHEDRAL (gothic, rich details), the ruins of BASILICA OF SAINT MARTIN (400 A.C.) and the historical center LE VIEUX TOURS. You can also walk along Loire River, which runs across town.

Chamboard castle
Chamboard castle

CHAMBORD

The biggest and most beautiful castle I have ever seen. It is huge, full of towers and a green area forming a park around it. Here was where the kings used to go hunting. We did not have time to go inside, I just went for a walk. I am sure it is worth the visit. We still had a 6-hour drive to Nancy that day, we thought it would be better to hit the road.

[box]TAKE NOTE 

Where to stay HOTEL DU CYGNE in Tours. Well located and clean. Private bathroom and hairdryer. € 54 the double room. Breakfast for € 7.

[/box]

Translated by Lúcia Maciel
English teacher
Contact: luciamaciel@territorios.com.br

© All rights reserved. Pictures and report 100% originals.

Author ro martins

Advertiser, tourism content generator, Territorios’s creator, photographer and travel guide. From the last 12 years, reports her travel experiences focusing on culture and ecotourism on her award-winning blog (Best Content Travel Blog at FITUR Madrid 2017).

Write A Comment

Pin It