Tour guides France > Centre-Val de Loire

5 ideas for guided tours in the Loire Valley

• Vendôme

  

  Crossed by the Loir, Vendôme blends old stone with quiet riverbanks. Three walks reveal its different sides. The first winds through the center, past medieval houses, bridges, and shaded courtyards.

  Another climbs to the remains of the castle of the counts and dukes of Vendôme. Along the way, you pass churches, a bell tower rising above the rooftops, then the covered market in Baltard style, lively on market days.

  The third stroll invites you to linger in the gardens. The flowerbeds shift with the seasons—sometimes vibrant, sometimes more subdued. Ronsard Park keeps its shaded paths and centuries-old trees.

• Chenonceau castle

  

  Set on arches spanning the Cher, the Château de Chenonceau seems to float above the river. Nicknamed the “Ladies’ Castle,” it has been shaped by remarkable figures such as Katherine Briçonnet, Diane de Poitiers, and Catherine de’ Medici. Each left a mark—sometimes subtle, sometimes dazzling.

  Inside, the rooms retain a refined elegance. The walls display works by Van Loo, Murillo, and Nicolas Poussin. Light shifts throughout the day, filtering through windows that open onto the river.

  The gardens, carefully designed, extend this sense of harmony. You wander from flowerbeds to a neatly arranged kitchen garden, along paths lined with boxwood. In places, the scent of blossoms mingles with the damp fragrance of the Cher.

• Saumur and its equestrian center

  

  On the left bank of the river, Saumur keeps a discreet yet proud charm. The town is known for its Cadre Noir, a riding school founded at the end of the 16th century, where the art of dressage is still carried on today with remarkable precision.

  A visit to the stables lets you step into this world, to feel the discipline and the closeness that bind riders and horses. Back in the center, you’ll find pale houses built from tuffeau stone, the same soft rock that also shaped the region’s castles.

  The old heart of Saumur reveals its treasures step by step. Lanes lead toward Nantilly Church, then to the chapel of Notre-Dame des Ardilliers, still visited by pilgrims. Each turn recalls a history both long and patient.

• Apremont Floral Park

  

  On the outskirts of Nevers, the Apremont-sur-Allier floral park opens like a secret garden in the heart of a medieval village ranked among the most beautiful in France. Behind stone walls and houses, grassy paths lead from one space to another with no set order.

  You’ll come across the white garden, dazzling in spring with its Japanese cherry trees. Further on, a wisteria-covered pergola scents the air, surrounded by plants from faraway places. More than 1,500 species grow here, from flower beds to rare trees.

  As you walk, you hear the sound of a waterfall before you see it. The water flows into a peaceful pond crossed by an elegant Chinese bridge. Colors, shapes, and scents shift with every step.

• The Chambord Castle

  

  Chambord Castle is recognizable from afar, with rooftops bristling with spires and tall chimneys rising above meadows crossed by the Cosson. Commissioned by Francis I in 1519, it was designed as a hunting lodge. Long before that, the site had already been home to a medieval fortress.

  Inside, it’s easy to lose your bearings. More than 400 rooms, dozens of staircases, 365 fireplaces—the numbers alone are dizzying. You move from a vast hall to a narrow corridor, then into a bright gallery opening onto the estate, all within a maze of sculpted vaults.

  Around it, the park stretches across nearly 5,000 hectares. The French formal gardens alternate between straight avenues and more secret corners. You can wander them on foot, but cycling lets you go farther, to feel the sense of space that seems to stretch endlessly around the château.