Page 189 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

down in the medieval (%02 47 96 72 60; www.
1 Chinon part of town (along rue chateau-de-langeais.com;
Tucked between the Voltaire), several fine adult/child €9/5; h9.30am-
medieval Forteresse Roy- buildings dating from the 6.30pm Apr–mid-Nov, 10am-
5pm mid-Nov–Mar) – built
15th to 17th centuries.
ale de Chinon (%02 47 93 in the 1460s – is superbly
13 45; www.forteressechinon. 4 p193
fr; adult/child €8.50/6.50; preserved inside and out,
looking much as it did at
h9.30am-7pm May-Aug, to The Drive » Follow the D16
5pm or 6pm Sep-Apr) – a north of Chinon for 10km, then the tail end of the Middle
head 15km east on the D7 past
magnificent hilltop castle the fairy-tale Château d’Ussé Ages, with crenellated
ramparts and massive
– and the Vienne River, (the inspiration for the fairy tale
Chinon is forever etched Sleeping Beauty) to Lignières, towers dominating the
surrounding village.
in France’s collective where you catch the D57 3km
memory as the venue of north into Langeais. Original 15th-century fur-
Joan of Arc’s first meet- niture and Flemish tap-
estries fill its flagstoned
ing with Charles VII, FRANCE 14 CHâTEAux OF THE LOIRE
future king of France, in 2 Langeais chambers. In one room,
a life-size wax-figure
1429. Highlights include The most medieval of
superb panoramas from the Loire châteaux, the tableau portrays the mar-
the castle’s ramparts and, Château de Langeais riage of Charles VIII and
Anne of Brittany, held
here on 6 December 1491,
which brought about the
historic union of France
and Brittany.
# e 0 0 # \ m K 10 miles 20 km Langeais presents two
/ · Loire # faces to the world. From
the town you see a forti-
A10
# \ Chambord
9
#
F G Blois # \ 0¸ Domaine fied castle, nearly window-
8
# ] #
Forêt # 7 D112 National de less, with machicolated
de Blois Huisseau- Chambord
sur-Cosson
Russy 0¸
# \ Bracieux
0 ¸ Forêt de D765 0 ¸ # \ Tour-en-
D102
Onzain D952 # Sologne LINK
# \ #\ #
8
# \ # \ Cande-sur-
0 ¸ # \ Beuvron Cheverny YOUR
D952
0 ¸ Chaumont- LOIR- TRIP
D952
sur-Loire
ET-CHER Essential France
# \ Contres 8
Pontlevoy From Chambord
# \
either head north for
Versailles and Paris, or
Montrichard
0 ¸ # \ south for a longer trip taking
# \
# \ #
# D176 # \ Monthou-
5
Chenonceaux sur-Cher / · in wine, the Alps and the
A85
Sauldre Med.
Luzille C her # \ St-Aignan
# \ a Atlantic to Med
# \
Montpoupon Head south­east to
H
# \ # 0 ¸ La Rochelle (a little over
D675
p189 200km) to begin a leisurely
meander from coast to
coast.
# \ Montrésor # \ Valençay
# \ # \
Nouans-les-
Fontaines
187
I ndre