Loire Valley (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

LOIRE VALLEY

CHATEAUX • SON ET LUMIERE MUSEUMS • RESTAURANTS GARDENS • FESTIVALS HOTELS • MAPS • CHURCHES VINEYARDS • TOURS • HISTORY THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

LOIRE valley

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

LOIRE VALLEY MAIN CONTRIBUTOR: JACK TRESIDDER

CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 6 PRODUCED BY Duncan Baird Publishers

London, England PROJECT EDITOR Stephanie Driver EDITOR Slaney Begley EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Joanne Levêque DESIGNERS Paul Calver, Jill Mumford DESIGN ASSISTANT Christine Keilty PHOTOGRAPHERS

John Heseltine, Paul Kenward, Kim Sayer ILLUSTRATORS

Joanna Cameron, Roger Hutchins, Robbie Polley, Pat Thorne, John Woodcock Reproduced by Colourscan (Singapore) Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd First American Edition, 1996 10 11 12 13 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Reprinted with revisions 1997 (twice), 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010

Copyright © 1996, 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WITHOUT LIMITING THE RIGHTS UNDER COPYRIGHT RESERVED ABOVE, NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN OR INTRODUCED INTO A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED, IN ANY FORM, OR BY ANY MEANS (ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR OTHERWISE), WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF BOTH THE COPYRIGHT OWNER AND THE ABOVE PUBLISHER OF THIS BOOK

Statue in La Lorie

INTRODUCING THE LOIRE VALLEY DISCOVERING THE LOIRE VALLEY 10 PUTTING THE LOIRE VALLEY ON THE MAP 12

Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A CATALOG RECORD FOR THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

ISSN 1542-1554 ISBN 978-0-75666-141-0 FLOORS ARE REFERRED TO THROUGHOUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH EUROPEAN USAGE; IE THE “FIRST FLOOR” IS THE FLOOR ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.

Front cover main image: Château de Chenonceau, Touraine We’re trying to be cleaner and greener:

A PORTRAIT OF THE LOIRE VALLEY 14 THE LOIRE VALLEY THROUGH THE YEAR 38 THE HISTORY OF THE LOIRE VALLEY 44

• we recycle waste and switch things off • we use paper from responsibly managed forests whenever possible • we ask our printers to actively reduce water and energy consumption • we check out our suppliers’ working conditions – they never use child labour Find out more about our values and best practices at www.dk.com

The information in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is checked regularly.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL, Great Britain. Château de Saumur, Anjou

King Louis XIV portrayed as Jupiter, conquering La Fronde

SURVIVAL GUIDE PRACTICAL INFORMATION 230 TRAVEL INFORMATION 240 GENERAL INDEX 248 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 260 PHRASE BOOK 262

The town of Argenton-sur-Creuse

THE LOIRE VALLEY AREA BY AREA THE LOIRE VALLEY AT A GLANCE 62 ANJOU 64 TOURAINE 88

Stained-glass portrait of Agnès Sorel

BLESOIS AND ORLEANAIS 118

TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS WHERE TO STAY 196 WHERE TO EAT 208 SHOPS AND MARKETS 220

Young boys fishing at Pornichet marina in Loire-Atlantique

ACTIVITIES IN THE LOIRE VALLEY 224

Manoir du Grand-Martigny

BERRY 142 NORTH OF THE LOIRE 156 LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE AND THE VENDEE 176

Cathédrale St-Etienne, Bourges

6

H O W

T O

U S E

T H I S

G U I D E

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

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important sights, with maps, photographs and illustrations. Suggestions for food, drink, accommodation, shopping and activities are in Travellers’ Needs, and the Survival Guide has tips on everything from the French telephone system to getting to the Loire and travelling around the region.

his guide will help you get the most from your stay in the Loire Valley. It provides both expert recommendations and detailed practical information. Introducing the Loire Valley maps the region and sets it in its historical and cultural context. The Loire Valley Area by Area describes the

THE LOIRE VALLEY AREA BY AREA

  
    
    
   

   








 

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In this guide, the Loire Valley has been divided into six regions, each of which has its own chapter. A map of these regions can be found inside the front cover of the book. The most interesting places to visit in each region have been numbered and plotted on a Regional Map.

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region is described here, showing how the area has developed over the centuries and what it has to offer the visitor today.

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Each area of the Loire Valley can be quickly identified by its colour coding. 


Introduction

1The landscape, history and character of each

region in relation to the whole of the Loire Valley.

  
    
    
 

 

      



A view of the Château de Chinon, on a cliff above the River Vienne

  


 

The rooftops of Le Grand-Pressigny, as seen from highSIGHTS on the hill AT on which the town is built A GLANCE

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One of Touraine’s renowned vineyards

For additional map symbols see back flap

Chapel of the Château de Langeais, with its curved, wood ceiling

Detailed information on each sight

3 All the important towns

and other places to visit are described individually. They are listed in order, following the numbering on the Regional Map. Within each town or city, there is detailed information on important buildings and other major sights.

 

  

Road map D3. Tel 02 47 96 72 60.  daily. 25 Dec. 

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