A region rich in heritage, the Loire Valley was even inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000 for its living cultural landscapes spanning 280 km. The Loire Valley actually defines the “bed” of the longest and wildest river in France (also the last wild river in Europe). It is also home to the most beautiful castles (we will cover this in a future article), gardens, manors, and abbeys that have settled along the banks of this waterway. A true journey through time!
In this article, I invite you to join me along this river, which we followed during a short few-day road trip with my favorite photographer from Tours to Orléans, passing through Blois. I am actually going to write several articles (coming soon) about this journey:
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Table of Contents
Sleeping in a ‘Toue Cabanée’ boat on the Loire
This unusual accommodation on the Loire, 20 minutes from Tours, allows you to sleep in a boat resting on the river, for a romantic night for two, far from everything. We stayed on the boat named Toue Reine (one of the two boats/bed & breakfasts run by Selma and Sébastien Trova), a reconstruction of a traditional late 19th-century boat, the Toue Cabanée, moored in Bréhémont. It really is a unique experience. The boat is super beautiful and cozy, and there is a regal calmness; you feel disconnected from the rest of the world…
However, the only problem is that, as I told you in my article about unusual accommodations in the Vienne region, I am arachnophobic. And spiders love wood and are also drawn by water… In short, let’s just say that despite all the care taken by the owner to remove them before our arrival, my brave favorite photographer had to commit a real genocide so that I could sleep without being too stressed… Anyway, all this to say it is a wonderful place to spend a night or more, but if you are truly very afraid of spiders, it’s not the best idea…
In our little meal basket “A dinner on the banks of the Loire” (option at €25 per person) delivered directly to our boat in the evening, we discovered a very nice organic wine from the region, from the Nicolas Paget estate, the Melody cuvée.
Basket “A dinner on the banks of the Loire”: local appetizer, hot or cold regional main course and mixed salad, Touraine cheese, farm-fresh dessert, local fruit, and 1 bottle of Touraine wine.
So, a very good selection of local products (including those from the brand Les Pêcheries Ligériennes, made with fish caught in the Loire), which is a real plus.
In the morning, another basket is delivered for breakfast with pastries, a hot drink, fresh bread, fruit juice, artisanal jams, seasonal fruit, and farm-fresh yogurt (option at €10 per person).
La Batelière sur Loire Bréhémont Price: between €100 and €160 per night for 2 people depending on the number of nights
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Lise and Bertrand’s Wine Bar
The wine appeal of the region is another of the area’s strengths because the AOC Loire Valley wines are globally recognized and they are also, above all, delicious! So if you are staying in the area, you absolutely must taste the treasures of this appellation.
In this theme, I highly recommend you take a little trip to Montlouis-sur-Loire to discover the lovely wine bar that winemakers Lise and Bertrand Jousset have very recently opened on their estate. On-site, it’s the perfect opportunity to discover the estate’s wines, but also the wines of Lise and Bertrand’s winemaker friends and also wines from around the world. To accompany all this, the establishment also offers small sweet and savory food, such as tapas (between €4 and €10) or platters (€15).
And then after the tasting, it is also the opportunity to chat with the winemakers and go for a little tour of their estate and their cellar, why not?…
Edit May 31, 2021: Lise & Bertrand’s pop-up wine bar will reopen for a fourth season on June 4, 2021!
Domaine and Lise and Bertrand Jousset 36 rue des Bouvineries 37270 Montlouis-sur-Loire open from Thursday to Monday from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM and from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM in summer (June, July, and August) Price: wine by the glass between €4 and €5 / bottle between €23 and €58
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Visit the Max Vauché Chocolate Factory
This chocolate factory is located between Chambord and Cheverny. We took advantage of our time in the area to discover it and follow the guided tour that explains the transformation of the cocoa bean into chocolate. The visit ends with a nice tasting, and I obviously advise you to end your visit at the chocolate factory shop to bring back some chocolate treats. This guided tour takes place all year round in French (duration 1 hour), from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:30 AM, 3:30 PM, and 4:30 PM, and on Sundays and holidays at 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
Rates: €4.50 for adults / €3.60 for children
On the program: tour, tasting, workshops, choco’bar, and chocolate sales
Max Vauché Chocolate Factory 22, les Jardins du Moulin 41250 Bracieux
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Thanks to the Centre-Val de Loire Tourism Office for this welcome.
I hope that with all this, I have made you want to discover or rediscover the Loire Valley, and if you also have your recommendations and good addresses for this area, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Find all my articles on the Loire Valley in the Centre-Val de Loire region below:
⇒ All my articles on the Loire Valley
⇒ All my articles on the Centre-Val de Loire
MY ARTICLES ON THE LOIRE VALLEY
⇒ The Loire Valley Castles
⇒ Visiting Orléans
⇒ Visiting Blois
⇒ Visiting Tours
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer authorization mandatory before any use
