DISCOVERING THE LOIRE VALLEY CHATEAUX

DAY 1
Arrival in Tours in the morning.

During the morning :
Departure to Vouvray with your car, small village built at the foot of the cliff where cave dwellings are dug in the rock. It is also the Vouvray wine area, famous for its white wine from the IV th century, during which Saint Martin introduced the vineyards. Guided tour of the "Cave des producteurs de Vouvray" and tasting. Located in the heart of the Vouvray vineyards, this wine cellar groups together 50 wine producers attached to their land, traditions and quality. The wines are strictly selected and bottled, are aging inside the cellars, galleries dug into the rock which are more than 2 kilometres long. Deep inside those cellars, you will be told the secrets of the making of the sparkling and still wines.

Lunch on your own

During the afternoon :

Visit on your own the GARDENS OF VILLANDRY
They surround like, a jewellery box, the last great Early French Renaissance château built on the banks of the Cher river (1536).
You will walk through one of the most beautiful gardens in France distributed on three levels : the water garden, surrounded by a cloister made of linden trees , the ornamental garden, displaying its "love", "music" and herb gardens, the kitchen garden, over 12,500 m2, which reproduces the shape of an authentic multicoloured checkerboard divided in nine squares where vegetables and fruit trees are symmetrically planted.

Back to Tours at the end of the afternoon.

Setting up at your chateau hotel ****.

We propose you 3 hotels ****:

LE CHATEAU D'ARTIGNY in MONTBAZON

The white stones of the majestic Artigny Castle, the dream Belle Époque castle of François Coty, the famous perfumer, may be seen from a distance as they rise above the Indre Valley. Twenty-five hectares of park containing a French garden, marble statues, woodwork and trompe l'oeil frescos. No expense was spared in the creation of this beautiful residence, now an elegant castle hotel located south of Tours.

LE DOMAINE DE BEAUVOIS in LUYNES

This very attractive manor dating from the 16th and 18th Centuries west of Tours is surrounded by 140-hectare park and faces Lake Briffaut. Nature reigns supreme at the Domaine de Beauvois.
You will appreciate the cuisine in this attractive, refined and comfortable private hotel, whether it is served in the stylish dining rooms or on the terrace.

LE CHOISEUL in AMBOISE

At the foot of the Amboise Castle ramparts, overlooking the Loire, The Choiseul is a collection of private residences built in the 18th Century, surrounding Italian-style gardens.
An ideal base for those who wish to visit the royal castles of the Loire Valley & to savour the area's celebrated cuisine.

Dinner in the restaurant of the chateau hotel****.

Setting up at your chateau hotel ****.

DAY 2

Breakfast

Departure with your car for a sightseeing of the Loire valley. You will visit 2 monuments on your own :

In the morning :
Sightseeing of the chateau of Chenonceau. Built in the XVIth c., it is one of the purest Early French Renaissance style works. The square dwellings, built in the riverbed itself on the piles of a fortified mill, the square building is the original chateau. On the bridge built by Diane, rises The two-level gallery completed by Catherine de Medicis.

You will discover the guardroom, the chapel, a superb 60 metres long gallery above the Cher river, Diane de Poitier and François 1st rooms. In the upper levels, you will admire the bedrooms of Gabrielle d'Estrees, Catherine de Medicis and Louise of Lorraine… Settled inside the two piles of the former mill anchored in the Cher river bed, the kitchens will reveal the art and ingenuity of the Renaissance builders. Not far from the gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis, stands "La Galerie des Dames de Chenonceau" settled in the former Royal stables. Here are told the dreams, ambitions, the great projects and the destinies of those women who made the history of the place. A walk in the French style gardens will provide a pleasant end to your tour.

In the afternoon :
Sightseeing of the chateau of Amboise. Built during the XVth and XVIth centuries by Kings Charles VIIIth, Louis XIIth and François 1^st, Amboise was really the first royal residence. You will discover its French Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. Today, the chateau still owns an exceptional collection of furniture, beautifully preserved. Leonardo da Vinci is buried inside the St Hubert chapel, built during the XVth century in the Flamboyant Gothic style. From the gardens, overlooking, the town of Amboise, you will discover one of the most beautiful panoramas of the Loire valley.

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