The Loire's 10 Best Tourist Attractions
The Loire's 10 Best Travel Destinations (by Rough Guides)
10. Chenonceau
The Château de Chenonceau is a French château near the small village of Chenonceaux, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. The château was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before its first mention in writing in the 11th century. It was designed by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme.
9. Loire a Velo
A brand new network of cycle-paths and cycle routes on minor roads now makes cycling along the River Loire even more enjoyable -- and safer -- than it was before.
8. Chartres cathedral
Chartres Cathedral is a medieval Roman Rite Catholic cathedral located in Chartres, about 80 kilometres southwest of Paris. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The current cathedral, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1250, is the last of at least five which have occupied the site since the town became a bishopric in the 4th century.
7. Food markets
Every town has its lively, traditional weekly market where you can stock up on picnic provisions and local specialities.
6. Canoe and kayak trips
The best way to get to know the River Loire is by boat, and you can rent canoes and kayaks all over the region.
5. Montsoreau and Candes-St-Martin
Candes-Saint-Martin is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. It overlooks the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers from a steep hill on the left bank of the Loire, and marks the boundary between the modern departments of Indre-et-Loire to the east, and Maine-et-Loire to the West.
4. Villandry gardens
The lands where an ancient fortress once stood were known as Colombier until the 17th century. Acquired in the early 16th century by Jean Le Breton, France's Controller-General for War under King Francis I, a new château was constructed around the original 14th-century keep where King Philip II of France once met Richard I of England to discuss peace. It is also known for its beautiful gardens.
3. Au Cabernet d'Anjou
This former Loire mariners' bar enjoys a sun-flooded terrace overlooking one of the prettiest stretches of the river.
2. Chateaudun
Looming over the river on its clifftop height, little-visited Chateaudun is an eerily Gothic chateau. Châteaudun is located about 45 km northwest of Orléans, and about 50 km south-southwest of Chartres, on the river Loir, a tributary of the Sarthe.
1. Chateau de Blois
The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France, in the center of the city of Blois. The residence of several French kings, it is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans. Built in the middle of the town that it effectively controlled, the château of Blois comprises several buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th century around the main courtyard.
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Places to see in ( Le Mans - France )
Places to see in ( Le Mans - France )
Le Mans is a city in northwestern France. It's known for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum, which chronicles the history of the city's famed 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race. The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans race track, offers simulator rides and amateur go-karting. In the old town, the Gothic-style Le Mans Cathedral features stained-glass windows and flying buttresses. East is the 13th-century Royal Abbey of Epau.
“Le Mans” means racing: The venerated 24 Hour of Le Mans is still going strong almost a century after the first race. Motorsport lovers can pay homage at the track, and even drive parts of it as the course uses public roads. Then see the veritable treasury of racing heritage at the circuit’s museum. Yet Le Mans is so much more than just a race track, and deserves your time even if you’re not interested in cars.
Kings were born in Le Mans, Richard the Lionheart’s wife Berengaria of Navarre lived and died here, and the Cité Plantagenêt is an entire district of real medieval houses unaffected by time. On summer evenings the Nuit des Chimères light show illuminates old Le Mans with whimsical projections, telling the city’s story in a way that will enchant both kids and grown-ups.
Le Mans is proud of its link to the House of Plantagenêt, which ruled England for more than 300 years, and in 2003 adopted the name for its old quarter. Roughly following the outline of the Gallo-Roman walls, the Cité Plantagenêt has many streets of romantic old houses with timber frames, and renaissance palaces with elegantly carved walls. Alot to see in Le Mans such as :
Cité Plantagenêt
Le Mans Cathedral
La Nuit des Chimères
Gallo-Roman Walls
Circuit des 24 Heures
Musée des 24 Heures du Mans
Maison de la Tourelle
Rillettes
Abbaye de l’Epau
Musée De Tessé
Maison de la Reine Bérengère
La Maison de la Forêt
Musée Vert
Spaycific’Zoo
Papéa Parc
( Le Mans - France ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Le Mans. Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Le Mans - France
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Places to see in ( Angers - France ) Castle of Angers
Places to see in ( Angers - France ) Castle of Angers
The Château d'Angers is a castle in the city of Angers in the Loire Valley, in the département of Maine-et-Loire, in France. Founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou, it was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. It is located overhanging the river Maine. It is a listed historical monument since 1875. Now open to the public, the Château d'Angers is home of the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Originally, this castle was built as a fortress at one of the sites inhabited by the Romans because of its strategic defensive location. In the 9th century, the Bishop of Angers gave the Counts of Anjou permission to build a castle in Angers. It became part of the Angevin empire of the Plantagenet Kings of England during the 12th century. In 1204, the region was conquered by Philip II and an enormous castle was built during the minority of his grandson, Louis IX (Saint Louis) in the early part of the 13th century.
In 1352, King John II le Bon, gave the castle to his second son, Louis who later became count of Anjou. Married to the daughter of the wealthy Duke of Brittany, Louis had the castle modified, and in 1373 commissioned the famous Apocalypse Tapestry from the painter Hennequin de Bruges and the Parisian tapestry-weaver Nicolas Bataille. Louis II (Louis I's son) and Yolande d'Aragon added a chapel (1405–12) and royal apartments to the complex. The chapel is a sainte chapelle, the name given to churches which enshrined a relic of the Passion. The relic at Angers was a splinter of the fragment of the True Cross which had been acquired by Louis IX.
The castle continued to be used as an armory through the First and Second World Wars. It was severely damaged during World War II by the Nazis when an ammunition storage dump inside the castle exploded. On 10 January 2009, the castle suffered severe damage from an accidental fire due to short-circuiting.
The Royal Logis, which contains old tomes and administrative offices, was the most heavily damaged part of the chateau, resulting in 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) of the roof being completely burnt. The Tapestries of the Apocalypse were not damaged. Total damages have been estimated at 2 million Euros. According to Christine Albanel, the Minister of Culture, the expected date of completion for the restoration was the second trimester of 2009.
Today, owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere castle has been converted to a museum housing the oldest and largest collection of medieval tapestries in the world, with the 14th-century Apocalypse Tapestry as one of its priceless treasures. As a tribute to its fortitude, the castle has never been taken by any invading force in history.
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Places to see in ( Le Mans - France ) Cathedrale de Saint Julien de Mans
Places to see in ( Le Mans - France ) Cathedrale de Saint Julien de Mans
Le Mans Cathedral is a Catholic church situated in Le Mans, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop, who established Christianity in the area around the beginning of the 4th century. Its construction dated from the 6th through the 14th century, and it features many French Gothic elements. The cathedral, which combines a Romanesque nave and a High Gothic choir, is notable for its rich collection of stained glass and the spectacular bifurcating flying buttresses at its eastern end.
Nothing is known about the form of the original church founded here by St Julian, which was co-dedicated (as with many early cathedrals) to The Virgin and to St Peter. Although there is no archaeological evidence for the building phases prior to 1080, the history of the bishopric and its cathedral is extensively detailed in the 9th century Actus pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium According to this chronicle, in the first half of the 9th century, a major rebuilding of Julian's original cathedral took place under Bishop Aldric.
This new building, designed to house the relics of St Julian, incorporated a large choir (consecrated 834) with an apse and an ambulatory housing five altars – possibly one of the very earliest examples of the chevet-type design that later became a standard for major churches throughout northern Europe. Another remodelling was undertaken throughout the second half of the 11th century (begun under Bishop Vulgrin c.1060, completed under Bishop Hildevert and consecrated 1120).
The 134 meters long cathedral occupies the northeastern corner of the old town (known as Vieux Mans or the Cité Plantagenêt), an area on top of a slight ridge dominated by cobbled streets and half-timbered houses. After the completion of the choir, the next priority was to rebuild the transepts in order to link the new Gothic elements to the Romanesque nave; however, this work was delayed by lack of funds. The south transept, designed by Jean le Maczon, was begun in the 1380s and completed in 1392 with the aid of funds donated by King Charles VI (who had been cared for by the canons of Le Mans Cathedral during one of his bouts of insanity).
Opening into the south aisle of the nave is an early gothic portal (c.1150), sheltered by a substantial porch that would have provided shelter for ceremonies and processions entering or leaving the cathedral. Stylistically and in its overall design, this portal is closely related to the Portail Royale at Chartres Cathedral and the west facade at the Abbey Church of St Denis, with which it is roughly contemporary. The tympanum features the Majestas Domini (Christ in a mandorla surrounded by the four Evangelist symbols), over the twelve evangelists on the lintel. The doorposts feature St Peter and St Paul (as at Moissac), flanked by eight Old Testament figures on the jamb columns, carved in the hieratic Early Gothic style found at Laon, Chartres (west facade) and in the south portal at Bourges.
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Pays de la Loire France Travel
Pays de la Loire France Travel - La Baule-Escoublac, commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western FranceHistory
In 1779, a violent storm buried the village under sand. La Baule-Escoublac was rebuilt further inland. At that time, the very unstable dunes were occupied only by customs officers, who gave them the name of Bôle, a term indicating an easily flooded maritime meadow.
[edit]Culture
The Grand Prix de la Baule was a Grand Prix motor racing event held here during the 1930s. Today, the Grand Prix de la Ville de La Baule is a prestigious equestrian show jumping competition that is part of the international Equestrian Nations Cup series.
The bay is regarded as the most beautiful in Europe.
The commune of Escoublac has achieved a new vitality with the restoration of its civic center and the installation of many attractions. SOURCE : WIKIPEDIA
Enjoy Your Pays de la Loire France Travel!
Vacation in Normandy, France
Vacation in Normandy, France in 2012
For Sale Loire France
For sale country house in France 3 hrs drive from Paris, 1 Hour south of Tours in the Loire Valley, Land, Pool, Veg & fruit, space for animals, out buildings, much potential and inexpensive running costs, please e-mail gardenoffrance@gmail.com for more information. Very relaxed place to live, 15 minutes from the medieval market town of Loches.
Normandy, France: Mont St-Michel
More info about travel to Mont St-Michel: Mont St-Michel has been among the top pilgrimage sites in all Christendom. For over a thousand years, the silhouette of this island-abbey has sent pilgrim’s weary spirits soaring.
At you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
B&B Normandy Pays de Loire Border
Fabulous B&B rated #1 of 150+ in the Pays de la Loire on TripAdvisor.
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La Dune du Pilat (notrebellefrance, site naturel de france)
Lovée entre océan et forêt, la plus grande dune d'Europe domine fièrement l'entrée du bassin d'Arcachon du haut de ses 109 m. La beauté de son paysage, sculpté sans fin par le vent et les marées, en fait une véritable merveille de la nature, éphémère et fragile. Mais sous ses 60 millions de mètres cubes de sable, se cachent une histoire et une vie insoupçonnées... Plus qu'un splendide belvédère, la dune du Pilat renferme bien des secrets... Après avoir grimpé sa pente raide, venez percer les mystères de ce Grand Site protégé !