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Les Châteaux of the Loire Valley

Discovering a valley that was once the favourite area of the French Kings. As Capetians (987-1328) they established their dynasty at Orleans before choosing Paris as their Capital. No journey in the world offers such a variety of exceptional sites and historical monuments; here History combined spiritual and cultural ways of life. All The “Châteaux”, Manor Houses, Churches and Abbeys are testimonials of the French History.

“The Loire is a Queen loved by Kings”.

Chambord: The greatest Château : 440 rooms, 365 chimneys, 84 staircases (its famous double spiral one), a wall of 32 kilometers around the domain (as long as the Paris ring road). King Francois 1st and Leonardo Da Vinci represent the spirit of this Royal Château.

Cheverny: The most magnificently furnished Château in the Loire Valley. Among the many masterpieces to be seen are: paintings by Raphael School, Le Titien, etc…, tapestries from Ateliers de Paris, 17th century Flemish tapestries, a remarkable Louis XV wall clock, a rare Louis XIV “Laque de Chine” commode, the lying-in-state bed in the King’s bedroom and a thousand others. In the outbuildings of the Château : the Trophy room offers an exceptional collection of 2,000 pairs of stag’s antlers and the kennels which house a pack of 70 French-English hounds.

Chenonceau: Built on the river Cher, whose still waters reflect the unique beauty of its Renaissance architecture, the château of Chenonceau is the crown’s jewel of the Loire Valley. Renowned as the “Lady’s Château” in French history; built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, it was refurbished successively by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis and saved from the rigours of the Revolution by Madame Dupin. As a result, Chenonceau owes a great deal to women.

Amboise : One of the first truly “royal” residences of its kind, Amboise was built during the 15th and the 16th centuries upon the orders of Charles VIII, Louis XII and François 1 successively. Following in the footsteps of the great Kings of France, you will discover a magnificent example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Today, the Chateau still houses an exceptional collection of furniture which has been admirably preserved. Dominating the city of Amboise, the gardens of the chateau offer one of the most splendid views of the Loire Valley.

Clos Luce Manor : It was at Amboise that Leonardo Da Vinci lived out his last years. Thanks to the King’s patronage, this remarkable genius was able to devote himself to his final concerns and objects to study until his death on May 2nd, 1519. You can discover the preliminary models of many of his inventions in the rooms of the Manor. His body now rests in the chateau’s Saint Hubert chapel, an elegant 15th century building in the flamboyant gothic style.

Villandry: Among the Châteaux of the Loire, Villandry undoubtedly owes its fame to the splendid terraces of gardens which encase it like a jewelled casket. The water garden, on the upper level, with a huge cloister of lime trees, a mirror-like lake collects the water required to irrigate the gardens and feed the fountains. The decorative ornamental garden, composed of three sections on the same level as the château: “The garden of love” and “The garden of music”, where box, yew and flowers combined to form symbolic patterns, and “The herb garden” with aromatic plants and herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes. The ornamental kitchen garden, at the lowest level, this splendid kitchen garden is divided into decorative squares extends over an area of more than 13,000 sq Feet. This garden is completely replanted twice a year, during spring and summer.

You will choose à la carte a one, two or three days tour.