In the heart of the Loire Valley, at the junction of the ancient provinces of Touraine, Poitou and Anjou, the city of Chinon is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It also belongs to the French network of Cities of Art and History. In 2010, after six years of unprecedented restoration work, the Royal Fortress of Chinon has regained its former military splendour. Take the time to visit this heritage and follow in the footsteps of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henri II of England, Joan of Arc, who walked the streets of this fort-city, Richard the Lionheart and the Templars, who were detained at the Fortress.
Wines & Terroirs
Vouvray | Montlouis | Chinon | Bourgueil | Saint-Nicolas | Azay | Saumur | Champigny | Anjou.
More about wines here
Gastronomy
Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine (goat cheese) | Safran from the Val-de-Loire | Mushroom caves| Rillons de Tours (cold cured pork ribs) | Rillettes de Tours (pulled pork sandwich spread) | Dried pears from Rivarennes | Black Touraine truffle (Melanosporum) | Game | Loire fish | Roi rose (pink king, the local pig breed).
Restaurants
Chinon : Le Chapeau rouge | La Part des anges | Les Années trente | L’Océanic | L’Ardoise | Un Air d’Antan | Côté Jardin.
Around Chinon : Auberge des Coteaux (Cravant-les-Coteaux) | Auberge du Val de Vienne (Sazilly) | Auberge du XIIème siècle (Saché) | Le Pavillon bleu (L’Île-Bouchard) | Le Gambetta (Saumur) | L’Helianthe (Turquant) | Charles Barrier (Tours) | La Roche le Roy (Tours) | La Liodière (Joué-lès-Tours) | Vincent Cuisinier de campagne (Ingrandes-de-Touraine). More about restaurants here
Arts & Litterature
Musée du Carroi | Seuilly and la Devinière, birthplace of French writer Fançois Rabelais, creator of the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel | Saché, and its Balzac museum | L’Islette, the property where the sculptor Auguste Rodin hid his tumultuous relation with his pupil Camille Claudel | Montsoreau (the Dame of the castle is the heroin of one of Alexandre Dumas novels) | Angers and its two Apocalypse tapestries | Champigny-sur-Veude, its royal chapel and its unique cycle of stained glass panels | Calder sculpture in Saché | Max Ernst’s house in Huismes | Henri Dutilleux’s house in Candes.
History
Chinon, first step of Joan of Arc military adventure | Candes, where Saint Martin of Tours died and was buried | Fontevraud l’Abbaye, the Plantagenêt necropolis | Richelieu, the city the Cardinal designed and erected to hold court| Loudun and the scandal of the demoniac nuns.
Fortresses
Royale fortress of Chinon | Royal city of Loches | Fortress of Montbazon | Angers castle| Brézé castle.
Castles
Azay-le-Rideau | Langeais | Gizeux | Ussé | Montreuil-Bellay | Montsoreau | Le Rivau | Saumur | Villandry | Brissac | Candé | Luynes.
Small cities and villages
Chinon | Richelieu | Turquant | Montreuil-Bellay | Crissay-sur-Manse | Villaines-les-Rochers | Candes-Saint-Martin | Langeais | Saumur | Cunault.
Nature & Gardens
Chinon forest | Regional nature park Anjou-Touraine | Villandry | Le Rivau | La Bourdaisière | Chaumont-sur-Loire | Roseraies de Doué-la-Fontaine | Oriental park and gardens of Maulévrier | Valmer.
Mysterious Touraine
Troglodites | Mégaliths | Archéology | Templars | Ufos.
Flea markets
1st sunday of the month : Bourgueil | 2d sunday of the month : Fontevraud | 3d sunday of the month – Chinon | 4th sunday of the month – Montsoreau | 5th sunday of the month – Azay.