A day trip to Loire valley

A day trip to Loire valley. There’s an enchanted valley south of Paris, a valley of magnificent parks and renaissance gardens, of fairy-tale châteaux and scenic landscapes full of vineyards. Loire valley is often referred to as the Cradle of the French and the Garden of France. 

With its more than 1000 castles turned from fortresses into country estates when the wars and battles finally ceased the nobles turned their feuds into a competition for the most impressive gardens to the joy of all of us today. It was only natural that UNESCO added this valley to its World Heritage Sites umbrella.

The most famous of the lot is Chateau Amboise , a place of residence for French kings from the 15th to the 19th centuries and the burial place of the near-mythical figure of Leonardo da Vinci, Château Chenonceau  a Renaissance masterpiece that dazzles visitors with its bright white facade and its turrets’ sensual curves. Its highly refined style reveals the influence of the great “Ladies” of history on its architecture. And in particular the builder queen, Catherine de’ Medici.

The third is Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art ,  the only chateau of the Loire Valley to have ever been built in the river bed built in 1450 by one of the kingdom’s richest men, it holds today the world’s largest collection of Art & Language movement works. There are many organized guided tours that include food and wine tasting since the Loire valley is one of the main wine-producing regions of France with Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir being the principal grapes. Do yourself a favor and make this epic day trip. You most certainly won’t regret it.