Ma Loire

With the eponymous river winding through historic towns under the watchful turrets of more than 300 châteaux, Loire is a place to drift and wonder. Nicky de Bouille has called the area home for more than 20 years and in this guide she shares her tips for beginning your own Loire love affair. 

Loire Valley local –
Nicky de Bouille

I moved to the Loire valley when I was 23, having met a Frenchman with a family château here. I was pretty keen on him, but also loved calling this incredible region home, and set off to discover every nook and cranny of it – from its famous châteaux to the unspoilt villages, vineyards, artists’ studios, history, flea markets, auction houses, horse riding and music festivals. After more than 20 years I am still enchanted by a new discovery every day. 

Do

  • Walk the lanes around the pretty stone houses in the village of Montsoreau, ideally on flea market day. After a few hours combing the stalls, go for a lunch of oysters washed down with a glass of Saumur chenin blanc on the barrels beside the oyster shucker
  • Visit the wineries of Saumur Champigny, a personal favourite of which is Isabelle Suire. In the cool, troglodytic cellar of a former 15th-century priory, she makes red Puy Notre Dame cabernet Francs, earthy and rich chenin blancs and crisp Cremant de Loire (sparkling whites & roses that rival a good champagne but with a price tag of no more than €8 a bottle. Isabelle is happy to organise tastings in her ancient farm for anyone who is interested, but of course it is the done thing to buy a case of wine (at least) after the tasting. For contrast, try Bernard Baudry in Cravant les Coteaux. His reds, although grown close the the Saumur Champigny vineyards have a very different character.
  • Visit Château du Close Luce, the final home of Leonardo da Vinci. The house is on the outskirts of Amboise, close to the chateau and residence of renaissance king Francis 1st. When he returned from the wars in Italy he brought the aging da Vinci with him to live in comfort. Da Vinci famously brought the Mona Lisa with him, in case you’ve ever wondered how it came to be in the Louvre. This is not only a beautiful property to explore but there is a museum in which Leonardo’s inventions are displayed, in 3d, such as his tank and helicopter. Children love it.

Eat

  • The very pretty medieval town of Chinon has a wonderful riverside ‘guinguette’ – a very French tradition of setting up a rudimentary bar and un-assorted tables and chairs on a riverbank
  • The market hall in the city of Tours is a fun and quirky place to eat, at the stalls of the producers of world-class produce
  • In Angers there’s a gorgeous little place called Crêperie Marie Mil’Goules, which used to be a carpenter’s workshop. The setting is quirky and fun, the crêpes are fantastic and while it might be a bit much to make a special trip just to visit, if you’re in Angers, you should definitely seek it out. 

See

  • Château de Villandry, a family-owned chateau with wonderful interiors and even more fabulous exteriors and gardens considered among the best in France. There’s a great little restaurant, café and shops selling garden-themed things and plants
  • Château de Chambord, the greatest of all the Loire’s Renaissance chateau, built by Francis the 1st with a double helix staircase designed for him by his guest and court artist, Leonardo da Vinci
  • The abbey and town of Fontevraud. The abbey is the largest in France and final resting place of king Henry II of England, his bride Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart. It’s a superb building, beautifully restored, packed full of history, host to classical music concerts such as Jordi Savall and Les Arts Florissants, and permanent collections of contemporary art and seasonal exhibitions year-round. There’s cafés and restaurants in the abbey and, in the charming village itself, an artist you can visit who restores medieval illuminated manuscripts.

Featured places to stay in the Loire Valley

Le Manoir - Gallery

Le Manoir

Cheillé, Indre-et-Loire

Getting around

The Loire is great for cycling, thanks mostly to the Loire a Velo bike track. It’s about 900km long and runs from Cuffy in the east to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins on the west coast. You can use it for a day trip or make it your whole holiday to hop on and off. You can do a similar thing with kayaks on stretches of the river, but over much smaller distances of course. 

 

Getting there

By train:

Take the Eurostar to Paris, switch from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse (by taxi or on Metro Line 4) then head for Tours or Angers (both around 1hr 45) by TGV 

By ferry:

Land at St Malo and drive to 3hrs 15 to Tours or 2hr 35 to Angers, or land at Caen (the port is actually Ouistreham, 15km north of Caen) and then drive 2hr 40 to Tours or Angers. If you take a late ferry, you might end up on a fitting night drive through Le Mans. 

By plane: 

Routes are always being cancelled and modified, but at the moment, most UK airports fly directly into Nantes, and there are flights from Stansted to Tours (St Symphorien) that take around 1hr 15. Angers and Tours are then about 1 and 2 hours’ drive respectively.  

A few days in…the Loire Valley

We’ve put together what a few lovely days in Loire might hold, based on Nicky’s suggestions and tips from our owners and team. Go from strolls in Balzac’s favourite garden to antiques, oysters and the fairy-lit charm of a riverside guignuette.  

Read more >

Foodie guide to Central France by Carolyn Boyd

Read a few morsels from Carolyn Boyd’s new book on the specialities and peculiarities of French cuisine, including the Loire’s 700 varieties of tomato, the ducks and geese of the Dordogne, and the canelé of Bordeaux.

Read more >