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Imagine a veritable history book of natural splendor, the Center Val de Loire region offers you the opportunity to discover centuries past. Travel back in time using the course of the Loire River and its tributaries as your hourglass. The Châteaux of Kings and Nobles are nestled within immaculate grounds like diamond rings in a jewelry box. The area has inspired many poets and writers giving rise to some of the great French literary texts. This fervent land is not only home to the Cathedrals of Chartres and Bourges, classed as world heritage by UNESCO, but also to many well known abbeys and delightful romanesque churches.

Discovering the Loire Valley is an eye-opening experience: a proliferation of park-lands and forests with huge natural reserves right next door, such as the Brenne with its many lakes, the spectacular game forests of Sologne, the verdant valleys of the Perche or the Loire-Anjou-Touraine park with its troglodyte dwellings...take your pick.

Discover the gentle relief of the Loire Valley on foot, on horseback or even by bicycle. Set off on a canoeing adventure where you'll doubtless encounter the native beavers.  Hire a house boat and sail gently down the Briare Canal.  Take a hot air balloon ride and fly above the Châteaux, nestled in the twists and turns of the Loire.  Here, the unexpected meets the spectacular, from the Witchcraft Museum at Concressault to the International Park and Garden Festival at Chaumont sur Loire, from the veritable maze of cereal cropland at « Labyrinthus » in Touraine to the Maison Picassiette at Chartres. 

Listen:  The Centre Val de Loire boasts a diversity of rich scenery, becoming the setting for many a memorable encounter. Admire the Châteaux which come alive with their night-time illuminations, evoking in an instant the magnificent receptions to which they would have played host. Glide along the path of the rivers and listen out... abbeys, busy towns or village squares; all vie with each other to inspire the imagination, letting their music flow with the currents of the river.

Even the seasons associate themselves with different notes and rhythms. The Spring sets the town of Bourges to music, the Summer witnesses a symphony of different musical genre : classical, romance, baroque, folk, jazz... From Noirlac to Chartres, from Saint-Chartier to Montoire, from Orléans to Tours... Let the music be your guide.

Taste the delights, along with its gentle pace of life, the Centre Val de Loire offers a wide variety of charming resting places; simple or loaded with history in beautiful historic residences and châteaux. From traditional hotels to campsites or country gîtes (traditional family guest houses)...Come and enjoy the night-time peace and tranquility of the Centre Val de Loire.

Its varied landscape punctuated by harbors offers a multitude of culinary delights. Amongst the specialities to be savored: pâté from Chartres, pithiviers (almond paste), cotignac (quince preserve) from Orléans... Try the region's cheeses: crottin of Chavignol, Selles-sur-Cher, Sainte-Maure de Touraine... Perhaps accompanied by a glass of superb vintage wine, from grapes nurtured on vineyards bordering the river and its tributaries. From Sancerre to Bourgueil, via Valençay and Menetou-Salon, 22 fine wines go to make up the Loire's own private cellar, and all are available to sample. Land of tradition and culinary savoir-faire, the local chefs take their inspiration from the gentle climate and their own instinct as to what makes a good dish... Their menus speak for themselves.