From the owner: Parmi les plus beaux sites du Val de Loire figure l'ancien palais de l'archevêché classé Monument…read moreHistorique, aujourd'hui musée des Beaux-Arts. Ses collections renommées, notamment une des plus grandes collections de Primitifs italiens après le musée du Louvre, en font un des plus riches musées de France. Ses chefs-d'œuvre comptent les peintures de Mantegna, Rubens, Rembrandt, Le Sueur, Champaigne, Coypel, Nattier, Boucher, Restout, Hubert Robert, Perronneau, Peyron. Disposées dans de magnifiques salons de réception, ces œuvres évoquent, grâce à la présence d'un riche mobilier, de sculptures et d'objets d'art la vie dans un palais au 18ème s. Le 19ème s. présente notamment des œuvres de Chassériau, Delacroix, Gervex, Degas, Monet, Rodin. La collection 20ème s. regroupe Asse, Calder, Davidson, Debré, Denis, Ernst, Hantaï, Monory, Poliakoff... Exposition : "Balzac Monumental. Petite histoire des monuments au grand écrivain". 18 mai - 2 septembre 2019

From the owner: L' Art Hotel Tours 4* est situé au cœur des Châteaux de la Loire et les fameuses caves Vouvray et…read moreMontlouis sur Loire, à 5 km de Tours à Rochecorbon. Il propose une connexion WI-FI gratuite, un bar lounge " Black &White ", salle de petit-déjeuner, salles de réception, mariage, événementiel. Un hôtel haut de gamme mariant l'architecture la plus classique aux formes et aux tonalités les plus actuelles. Art de Design et Art de Black & White investissent les murs du château plus que centenaire ainsi que ses pavillons. A coté du monde réel, un monde plus humain dans l'art et le design s'ouvre avec ses 28 chambres reparties dans le château et ses pavillons. Climatisées et insonorisées, toutes les chambres présentent une ambiance design en noir et blanc. Elles sont toutes équipées de la télévision par satellite, d'une salle de bain privative avec accessoires, mini-bar et plateau courtoisie Nespresso, une salle de coffre forts est disponible à la réception.

Loved every minute of our 2 hour tour of the streets and alleys of Amboise with our tour guide…read moreNicolas. We did the wine tasting tour which took us to the Caves Duhard wine caves and tasting room which was an awesome experience as well.

One of our favorite châteaus to visit - Château d'Amboise is a royal castle in the Loire Valley in…read moreAmboise, France. Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Loire River, it transitioned from a medieval fortress into a Renaissance palace and was a favored royal residence in the 15th and 16th centuries. The château is known for its Gothic and early Renaissance architecture and its association with notable historical figures. The history is incredible, and worth a tour with a tour guide or the self guided audio guide. One of the nicest surprises of the château, it's the Final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci: Da Vinci is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, located on the château grounds. I have visited three times and never get tired of seeing it!

this was very beautiful and had great views. honestly the actual chateau itself was kinda small and…read moreunderwhelming compared to others but the garden and views made up for it

The Château de Chenonceau is a historic French castle known as the "Château of the Ladies" due to…read moreits influential female owners throughout its years. Located in the Loire Valley, it is famous for its elegant architecture, which includes a gallery built over the River Cher. The château features rich Renaissance furniture, tapestries, and master paintings. This Château also paved a pivotal roll during g WWII as its walls helped move Jews out of occupied France to free France during the war. It also has a unique connection to the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. You'll have to visit to find out more. Additionally, the château's iconic gallery was built across the River Cher as an add on to the existing Château. Its interiors are richly decorated with works by artists such as Tintoretto, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Notable rooms include the bedchambers of Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de' Medici, and Louise de Lorraine. The gardens are exquisitely decorated and it's worth spending some time in them. You will need to book your tickets in advance as this Château is one of the most visited and they need it to control the flow of visitors. Be aware it also takes some time to travel, and once parked, to get to the Château (about a 20 minute walk). Enjoy this visit. I have seen it three or four times and always enjoy it!

This French castle spanning the River Cher is an opulent chateau in the Loire Valley of France…read more Built in 1513 to 1517 by Thomas Bohier for his wife Catherine Biconnet. This stunning Renaissance and Gothic architecture is the style of the women who owned and shaped it. The formal gardens are exquisite. The powerful ladies of the Chateau also included Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. The present day owners are the Menier family, famous for their chocolate. In 1539, King Francis the 1st acquired the estate. Later, King Henry the 2nd decided to offer it to the Queen. Our tour started with a wine tasting of three different wines actually grown on the estate. The fairytale like castle and the story of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty may have been the inspiration. The rooms and the kitchen in the basement are well preserved. It was a lovely experience.

I'm a little biased since the Musée de la Préhistoire is in our local château and practically our…read morenext door neighbor. It's quite impressive, and is popular with visitors to our small village. The musée focuses on the history of the flint (silex) for which this area is known. Guided tours are available, but I like to wander through on my own. A free audioguide in several languages is available if you download an app. This is definitely a worthwhile stop if you are visiting Le Grand-Pressigny.

It was interesting to see the caves & learn about their 120km network where they grow shiitake,…read moreblue foot and champignons de Paris They also house an underground city carved out of the limestone and the carvings were intricate and whimsical Please note there are not English tours offered every day. The day we went was French only and they do not list on their signage or their website which days are which so you'll take your chances. Wednesday was not an English day.....we still did the tour but missed out on the translation with all the pertinent details

Beyond what I expected! You MUST do the tour if you are staying or driving through this area of the…read moreLoire Valley! Bring a warm coat! It gets cold underground & tour goes really deep within the caves. A unique experience, with beautiful caved walls by local artisans reminiscent of the chateaux interiors you will be visiting in the area. You will have a tour through the cave & see difference types of mushrooms & hear an amazing history of the region & the different ways different mushrooms are grown, it's just fascinating! Our tour guide was an amazing woman who told us to excuse her because she didn't speak such good English, but she was just perfect & did a great job! We went on this tour & then brought jars of mushrooms from the store, bread & cheese in the town center & headed for a lovely makeshift at Chenenceaux which is a short 18-20 minute drive.

The house in the Tintin comics is based on this chateau so they had a Tintin exhibit on the…read moregrounds. The comic series was never that big in the US so the exhibit meant little to me. I learned though that Tintin was huge in France so all the French fam were oohing and aahing. Afterward we took a tour of the chateau. Lots of very ornate decorations and paintings of dead folks. Considering we've got small kids the pieces they had relating to child care were pretty interesting but the jackpot, the real money shot, at least for this dude, was the war room on the second floor. Lots of spears and lances and armor. Even several early firearms and a couple of crossbows. It was amazing to consider that every piece was unique and handmade and that every repair or alteration was a custom job. So much work! And just when you thought the fun was over you read a little more about that massive head in the stairway. It's a prehistoric Moose fossil. This dude was given the head of a bleeping prehistoric moose because some dude in Russia knew he was interested in geology?! And the thing's mounted 10 feet off the ground and they think that that was about the correct living height of the animal. Now that right there was worth the price of admission!!

A great chateau with a treasure trove of period furniture that is still occupied by one of the…read moreoriginal families - the count of something and his young family. Unlike many of the other places in the valley, this one escaped much of the destruction and looting that stripped most chateau to their bones. Here you can see ornately painted rooms and furnishings and even the current Countesses' wedding dress (that's one clever way to recycle your dress!). One of the other big attractions are the kennels of hunting dogs. I am not sure of the breed but they are much taller than what I was expecting sort of the size of coon hound with the markings of a beagle. Several dozen reside together in a large enclosure and are managed by one guy who knows all their names. Each has a "V" snipped with tiny scissors on its side sort of like branding a steer, to identify their ownership. A great spot for a visit.