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CASTLES OF THE LOIRE & TOURS
Description of the destination :
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Nb. of visits : 27
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Tours is is the largest city in the Centre region. This region is often called "The Garden of France". Tours was a major pilgrimage city of the Middle Ages including a stage to Saint-Jacques de Compostela. In the ninth century, Tours is one of the hotbeds of the Carolingian Renaissance. The First World War has deeply scarred the city with its 25 000 American soldiers arrived in 1917. Tours was also marked by World War II. In 1940, it was destroyed and then suffered four years of barracks and bunkers. A portion of the city center was completely destroyed during the massive fire, fire which was caused by incendiary German shells. The recent history of Tours is marked by the personality of Jean Royer, the mayor helped save the Old Tours of the total demolition and made one of the first sectors saved, example of restoration that inspired the law of Malraux preservation of historic centres.
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27 VISITS CORRESPOND TO YOUR SEARCH |
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1. Château d'Amboise
Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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 Walking Tour |
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The castle overlooking the Loire Amboise in Amboise in the department of Indre-et-Loire. It is part of the castles of the Loire. Before being attached to the crown in 1434, the castle was, for over four centuries, the powerful family of Amboise. During the Renaissance, it is home to several kings of France. It was largely destroyed after the Revolution. Le site d'Amboise, inhabited since ancient times, is a strategic step along the Loire. An oppidum is Chantelliers built on a plateau between the Loire and collected. In 504 Clovis, king of the Franks, and Alaric, King of the Visigoths, meet on the Ile d'Or. Shortly after, Clovis defeats the Visigoths at Vouillé in 507. These leave the Loire and retreat south. |
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2. Château de Blois
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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The royal castle of Blois, in the department of Loir-et-Cher, is one of the Loire castles. It was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, on the right bank of the Loire, the royal castle of Blois meet around the same court a panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period which makes it a key building for understanding the evolution of architecture over the centuries. Restored the royal apartments are furnished and decorated with polychrome decoration of the nineteenth century, created by Felix Duban in line with contemporary restaurant Viollet-le-Duc. |
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3. Château de Chambord
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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The Chateau de Chambord is the largest of the Loire castles, built on the orders of François Ier. Chambord is undoubtedly one of the castles to the most recognizable figure, and is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. The name of the architect is unknown, but analysis showed the influence of Leonardo da Vinci, who worked as an architect of the court of Francis I. The construction began in 1519. The site of Chambord was one of the most important sites of the Renaissance. It is said that workers were around 1700-1800 people. It took about 220 000 tons of stones. |
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4. Château de Chenonceau
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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Furnished castle, decorated with tapestries and rare paintings, flowered each season, the private historic monument the most visited in France, set with several ornamental gardens, a park and a winery. The castle was built in the bed of the Cher, on the piles of a bridge became a fortified mill around 1230 and then a castle built by the family of Trademarks. In the aftermath of the royal splendours of the Renaissance, Chenonceau returns in the private sphere through multiple inheritance and various mutations. |
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5. Château de Villandry
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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The château of Villandry, completed around 1536, is the last of the great castles that were built on the banks of the Loire during the Renaissance period. Jean Le Breton, to build the present castle had to destroy an old fortress of the XII century, there remain only the foundations and the dungeon we guess behind the courtyard. The Marquis de Castellane became owner of the castle in 1754, he built the Classical style outbuildings visible from both sides of the front yard. In the nineteenth century, it destroyed the traditional garden to create an English-style park around the castle. In 1906 the castle was bought by Dr Joachim Carvallo who dedicated solely to Villandry. He thus saved the chateau which was about to be demolished. |
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6. Château d'Amboise + Clos Lucé + Chenonceau
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Tour Guide
Max. 9h
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 Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include The Amboise Castle, Clos lucé Manoir and Chambord castle and Chenonceau castle. The origins of the Amboise castle climbed back to the eighth century. Nowadays, it always has the same appearance it had in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Clos Lucé Manoir was the last remains of Leonardo da Vinci. With a fantastic park, the mansion has a cave where the models of inventions made by the genius are set ahead of his time. The Chenonceau Castle, furnished, decorated with tapestries and rare antique paintings, is located in Indre-et-Loire. Called the Chateau des Dames, it was the venue for sumptuous feasts during the Renaissance. |
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7. Château d'Amboise + Manoir Clos Lucé
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Tour Guide
Max. 6h
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Coach tour |
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The origins of the Amboise castle climbed back to the eighth century. Nowadays, it always has the same appearance it had in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Clos Lucé Manoir was the last remains of Leonardo da Vinci. With a fantastic park, the mansion has a cave where the models of inventions made by the genius are set ahead of his time. The new park of Leonardo da Vinci is a new approach to visit a monument. More than ever, the soul of Leonard da Vinci is present in this exceptional place. It also referees models on real size of its key inventions. Most fascinating are those that Leonardo had in fact never had the means to assemble itself. Not only do they have been made, but their effectiveness was proven, through the efforts of students in Arts et jobs in Paris. |
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8. Chateau de Blois + Chambord + Champignonnière
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include Blois Castle, Chambord castle and Champignonnière castle. The Chateau de Blois was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, on the right bank of the Loire, the Royal Castle of Blois meets around the same court a panorama of French architecture of the Middle Ages to the classical period. The Castle of Chambord is without doubt one of the most recognizable figures castles, and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. The Champignonnière of Bourré is the place, where for centuries, have been extracted toffee stones to build the different castles of the Loire. In that place, different varieties of fungi, including the famous mushrooms are found today. |
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9. Châteaux de Blois + Chambord + Cheverny
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include Blois Castle, Chambord castle and Cheverny castle. The Chateau de Blois was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, on the right bank of the Loire, the Royal Castle of Blois meets around the same court a panorama of French architecture of the Middle Ages to the classical period. The Castle of Chambord is without doubt one of the most recognizable figures castles, and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. This is also the largest of the Loire Valley. As the Cheverny castle, Sologne, has maintained its furniture and decoration of the seventeenth century. This is also the largest of the Loire Valley. |
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10. Château de Blois + Cathédrale d'Orléans
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Tour Guide
Max. 6h
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Coach tour |
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The Blois Castle was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, it gathers around the same court a panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period. The Saint-Croix Cathedral of Orleans has a Gothic style and it is classified as an historical monument. It is the diocese of Orleans and was classified as an historical monument. The first church was built around 330 in the north-east corner of the walled city then known Aurelianum. In 1278, Bishop Robert Courtenay, decided to build another church in the new style that flourished in France in that moment. |
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11. Château de Chambord + Chenonceau + Amboise
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Tour Guide
Max. 9h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include Chambord Castle, Chenonceau castle and Amboise castle. The Castle of Chambord is without doubt one of the most recognizable figures castles, and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. The origins of the Amboise castle climbed back to the eighth century. Nowadays, It always has the same appearance it had in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Chenonceau Castle was built in the bed of Cher on the piles of an old fortified mill, A new feature is the Chenonceau staircase ramp, more convenient and better suited for the receptions that the spiral staircase. The history of the castle is marked by women who were the owners and builders, hence its nickname of "Chateau des Dames." |
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12. Château of Chenonceau + Cruise over the River Cher
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Tour Guide
Max. 6h
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Coach tour |
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Chenonceau Castle was built in the bed of Cher on the piles of an old fortified mill and of a strong castle bought to the Brands Family. It was built by Thomas Bohier, the Secretary General of Finance of the King Francis I. The square which is the original castle was built between 1513 and 1521. A new feature is the Chenonceau staircase ramp, more convenient and better suited for the receptions that the spiral staircase. The history of the castle is marked by women who were the owners and builders, hence its nickname of "Chateau des Dames." The castle is surrounded by the river Cher, which takes its source in the Central Massif and flows into the Loire. |
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13. Chinon + Loches + Gardens of Château de Villandry
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Tour Guide
Max. 9h
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Coach tour |
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Built on the slopes of the Vienna, the old town of Chinon is composed of small streets rather steep, while the district "Hucherolles", more residential, is placed on a shelf. Overlooking the Vienna, the shelf ends in Chinon spur, almost touching the river and was fortified from the Roman era. Loches is a small medieval town topped the oldest in Europe dungeon built in the High Middle Ages by Folk III Nerra. Counted as a City of Art and History, floral city and ranked among the Most Beautiful roundabout ways of France (label specially created by Loches), it is now very popular among many Britain people who settled in this part of the Touraine, Thereby reviving with their ancestors Plantagenêt. Villandry, concluded around 1536, is the last of the great Castles of the Loire, which were built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. Known for its 3 gardens, the tower dominates the decorative vegetable garden, ornamental garden and water garden. |
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14. Abbey of Fontevraud + Saumur + Rochemenier
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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The Abbey of Fontevraud, situated near to Saumur in Maine-et-Loire, it was built from 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel and includes a splendid abbey choir with a slender and stripped and a wider aisle. There were several golden ages in Fontevraud, each of which has left traces. It is also the necropolis of Plantagenet. Born at the foot of a fortress built on the hill of the castle, housed behind urban confines from the fourteenth century, the town of controls a hotly contested passage on the . It is especially known for its national school riding black frames. cave is the most comprehensive place of the . Since 1967, we visit two old farm houses and outbuildings dug into the rock, hosting hundreds of tools and furniture peasants, a yard with the old breeds of poultry, a chapel and an underground cave house modernized. |
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15. Abbey Fontevraud + Château Villandry + Tours
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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The Abbey of Fontevraud, situated near to Saumur in Maine-et-Loire, it was built from 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel and includes a splendid abbey choir with a slender and stripped and a wider aisle. There were several golden ages in Fontevraud, each of which has left traces. It is also the necropolis of Plantagenet. Villandry, concluded around 1536, is the last of the great Castles of the Loire, which were built at the time of the Renaissance. Known for its 3 gardens, the tower dominates the decorative vegetable garden, ornamental garden and water garden. Tours, shows a prestigious past. Capital of the Kingdom of France in the fifteenth and sixteenth century the city has treasures that it has managed to preserve and promote. Since 2000, Tours and more generally the Loire Valley are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under cultural landscape. |
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16. Château de Villandry + d'Azay-le-Rideau + Tours
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Tour Guide
Max. 9h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include the Villandry Castle or the one of Azay-le-Rideau. Villandry, concluded around 1536, is the last of the great Castles of the Loire, which were built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. Known for its 3 gardens, the tower dominates the decorative vegetable garden, ornamental garden and water garden. Azay-le-Rideau, meanwhile, remains a house of the Italian Renaissance with its rich sculptural decoration, leaving traces of the Renaissance Flemish tapestries with magnificent style exhibited in several parts of the castle. Tours is the prefecture of the department Indre-et-Loire and the largest city in the Centre region. The city is classified City of Art and History; it is classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. |
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17. Tours
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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Tours is the prefecture of the department Indre-et-Loire and the largest city in the Centre region. The city is classified City of Art and History, it is classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and has often received the Big Prize of the National flowering. The former habitat is grouped around two clusters, comprising the Old Tours: the district of the Saint-Gatien Cathedral built on the ruins of the Gallo-Roman city and the Châteauneuf district, born in the Middle Ages around the St Martin Basilica and the current Plumereau Place. Rich with a historical and architectural heritage well preserved, Tours is a city with captivating charm. It managed to compile with his legacy while keeping an eye toward the future. Today, Tours is a modern pole, vibrant and dynamic with a blossoming economic development. |
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18. Chateau d'Amboise + Blois + Chambord
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Tour Guide
Max. 10h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include The Amboise Castle, The Blois Castel and Chambord castle. The origins of the Amboise castle climbed back to the eighth century. Nowadays, it always has the same appearance it had in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. As for the Blois Castel, it was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. It meet around the same court a panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period which makes it a key building for understanding the evolution of architecture over the centuries. Finally, The Chambord Castel is the largest of the Loire castles, built on the orders of François Ier. It is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance. |
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19. Château Blois + Chambord + Cathedral Orléans
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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The Blois Castle was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, it gathers around the same court a panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period. The Castle of Chambord is without doubt one of the most recognizable figures castles, and it is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance, where Francis I made his place of hunting. This is also the largest one of the Loire Valley. Regarding the Orleans Cathedral, it has a Gothic style and this is the diocese of Orleans and is classified as a historical monument. In 1278, Bishop Robert Courtenay, decided to build another church in the new style that flourished in France in that moment. |
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20. Discovering day : 2 Châteaux de la Loire
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Tour Guide
Max. 8h
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Coach tour |
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The castles of the Loire are mostly buildings built or heavily reworked the French renaissance, when royal power was located on the banks of the river, its tributaries or adjacent to them (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). Most castles nevertheless draw their origins in the Middle Ages they retain important architectural features. Usually 42 can be called castles of the Loire Castles. The remarkable concentration of monuments in the area justified the classification of the Val de Loire World Heritage by UNESCO, between Sully-sur-Loire (Loiret) and Chalonnes-sur-Loire (Maine-et-Loire). |
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21. City of Tours + Château Blois + Cathedral Orléans
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Tour Guide
Max. 12h
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Coach tour |
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Tours is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire and the largest city of the Centre region. It is classified like a City of Art and History, and classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. The Blois Castle was the favorite residence of the kings of France during the Renaissance. Located in the heart of the city of Blois, it gathers around the same court a panorama of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period. The Saint-Croix Cathedral of Orleans has a Gothic style and it is classified as an historical monument. The first church was built around 330 in the north-east corner of the walled city then known Aurelianum. In 1278, Bishop Robert Courtenay, decided to build another church in the new style that flourished in France in that moment. |
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22. Gardens Château of Villandry + Langeais + Ussé
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Tour Guide
Max. 9h
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Coach tour |
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Among the most remarkable castles and most famous, we include the Villandry Castle, Langeais Castle or the one of Ussé. Villandry, concluded around 1536, is the last of the great Castles of the Loire, which were built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. Known for its 3 gardens, the tower dominates the decorative vegetable garden, ornamental garden and water garden. Langeais castle, today known for its rich collections of furniture and remarkable tapestries, it was at the origin a medieval fortress built at the end of the tenth century by Fulk Nerra, on a rocky promontory overlooking the Val de Loire. The Ussé Castle has two architectural styles, one of medieval and Gothic inspiration and the other from the Renaissance. It is built along the Indre, a tributary of the Loire and it is the castle of the beautiful Sleeping because the castle and the place have inspired Charles Perrault. |
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23. Castle of Azay le Rideau + Ussé
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Tour Guide
Max. 6h
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Coach tour |
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The first medieval castle of Azay was built around 1119 by one of the first lords of the place, or Ridel Rideau Azay, knight of Philip Augustus, who built a defensive fortress intended to protect the route between Tours and Chinon. But it was burned by Charles VII in 1418 when the king of Azay to stay on the road to Chinon, is caused by Burgundian troops occupying the stronghold. The captain and 350 soldiers were executed. The village also will keep until the eighteenth century the name of Azay-le-Brûlé. Castle Ussé this architectural styles, one inspired by medieval and Gothic and other Renaissance. It is built on the banks of the Indre, a tributary of the Loire is the castle of Sleeping Beauty Castle as the site and have inspired Charles Perrault. |
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24. Abbey of Fontevraud
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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The Abbey of Fontevraud Royal Abbey is not dependent on any order, founded in 1101 by Robert Arbrissel, and located near Saumur in Anjou, near the confluence of the Loire and Vienne. The outstanding feature of the abbey has been host to both men and women in convents and separated from its foundation have been directed exclusively by abbess, under the rule laid down by its Abbey fondateur. The Abbey of Fontevraud is a testimony of medieval architectural style of Angevin Gothic. The Abbey is a listed monument since 1840 as World Heritage by UNESCO. . |
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25. Langeais + Chinon + Abbey of Fontevraud
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Tour Guide
Max. 8h
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Coach tour |
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It is the Chateau de Langeais was celebrated, December 6, 1491, the marriage of Anne de Bretagne and King Charles VIII of France, the first step of connecting the Duchy of Brittany to the kingdom of France. The castle of Chinon form the central part of the medieval city. The gap between the Fort Saint George is spanned by a wooden bridge leading to a drawbridge. Located in the entrance tower of the castle, the Clock Tower, the Musée Jeanne d'Arc. It presents a collection of artworks and objects relating to Joan of Arc and her stay in Touraine. The Abbey of Fontevraud Royal Abbey is not dependent on any order, founded in 1101 by Robert Arbrissel, and located near Saumur in Anjou, near the confluence of the Loire and Vienne. |
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26. Loches medieval city
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Tour Guide
Max. 2h
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Walking Tour |
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Loches is a small town over from the valley of Indre on the old merchant road from Amboise to Poitiers which has long competed with the commercial route of Aquitaine from towers or Langeais. Very soon, this bridge appears to have been fortified. Loches is a small medieval town topped the oldest tower in Europe built around the millennium by Fulk III Nerra. In 840, Charles the Bald Alalande appoint one of his lieutenants, Governor of Loches. His grand daughter Roscille married Fulk I of Anjou, giving particular dot Loches in the county of Anjou in 887. |
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27. Loches Royal City
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Tour Guide
Max. 3h
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Walking Tour |
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Loches is a small town over from the valley of Indre on the old road dealer Amboise in Poitiers which has long competed with the commercial route of Aquitaine from towers or Langeais. Very soon, this bridge appears to have been fortified. Loches is a small medieval town topped the oldest tower in Europe built around the millennium by Fulk III Nerra. In 1249, the lordship of Loches definitely going to French royal domain after St. Louis purchases with the one of Chatillon-sur-Indre for 600 pounds. |
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