Sightseeing in the Loire Valley
Top Sights and Châteaux in Orleans, Tours, Blois, & Amboise, France
The top sights in France's Loire Valley include mostly Renaissance châteaux (palaces), gothic churches, and interesting old towns in Orleans, Tours, Blois, and Amboise.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, a glorious period in French history, the Loire Valley to the southwest of Paris was the political center of France. The French kings spent most of their time in the valley with the court frequently moving to different palaces along the Loire. Only at the end of the 16th century did political power move back closer to the Paris.
The historic towns and châteaux of the Loire Valley are popular sightseeing destinations for travelers to France and can also be visited on rushed daytrips from Paris.
- The Loire Valley is best visited in May and June. During July and August the levels of the Loire River are low while the number of visitors are high.
Orleans and Tours in the Loire Valley, France
Orleans and Tours with about 150,000 inhabitants each are two of the larger towns in the Loire Valley. Although both have interesting histories and once served as capital of France, both also suffered tremendous war damage.
As far as is known, Orleans was destroyed violently for the first time in BC52 by Julius Caesar and last through both German and Allied bombings during the Second World War. In between, Attila the Hun, the English, and religious wars ruined the town.
- Joan of Arc is the most famous person associated with Orleans – an annual festival is held in her honor on May 7 and 8.
The best-known site in Orleans is the Cathedral Sainte-Croix – a neo-Gothic reconstruction of the original church destroyed by the Huguenots in 1568. The interior is impressive but the exterior seems a bit odd. Marcel Proust, who spent some of his compulsory military service in Orleans, described it in Sodome et Gomorrhe as “la plus laide” (“quite the ugliest”) church in France.
Tours is a more pleasant city to visit and a good base from where to visit local châteaux on public transportation. The Cathedral St Gatien here is one of the finest in France. Construction started in 1239 and was only completed more than 250 years later. The long building period allowed the striking Gothic façade to acquire some Renaissance influences. Most impressive are the original 13th-century stained-glass windows.
Blois in the Loire Valley, France
Blois has a pretty old town but the main sight is Château Blois that towers over the town and Loire Valley. It was a principal royal residence until Henry IV moved the court back to Paris at the end of the 16th century.
Château Blois’ construction spans several centuries and architectural styles. Most impressive is probably the Gothic courtyard with an early Renaissance octagonal staircase constructed by King Francis I between 1515 and 1524. In addition to the royal fleur-de-lis, the personal emblems of several kings can be seen on decorations in the palace: the most famous are the porcupine of Louis XII and the fire-breathing salamander of Francis I. Much of the original wall decorations survived while rooms are mostly furnished in period rather than original furniture.
- The walls of Catherine de Medici’s study in Château Blois have secret cabinets for whatever (poison according to novelist Alexandre Dumas) this intriguing and scheming Queen of France had to hide from public view.
Amboise in the Loire Valley, France
The small village Amboise (around 12,000 inhabitants) has good public transportation connections making it a popular base for traveling the valley.
The Château d’Amboise was once an important royal residence but the present building is only about a third of the size the palace was in the 16th century. Several kings lived in Château d'Amboise but only King Charles VIII (1483-98) died here after hitting his head against a low doorway. The palace is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance while the furniture is period rather than original.
Amboise is closely associated with the final three years of Leonardo da Vinci. He is believed to have been buried in the Gothic chapel St Hubert on the ramparts of the castle. Leonardo da Vinci lived in the nearby Clos-Lucé palace as guest of King Francis I. The sumptuous palace is a museum with period furniture, sketches, and working models of this Renaissance genius’s ideas.
- Three of the most popular châteaux in the Loire Valley – Chambord, Cheverny, and Chenonceau – are in the countryside not far from Blois.
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