"Un jour"... in the Loire Valley, discovering its heart of heritage

Inspired by the Renaissance, the gardens spill over four terraces brimming with a rare harmony and diversity. In the mazes of these Haute Couture gardens, visitors are at once deceived, amazed, and led astray.

This fairy-tale estate overlooks the Loire. Its foundations were first laid in the Middle Ages, but this estate – today famous for its gardens and the festival held on its grounds – lives and breathes Romanticism and the Renaissance.

Incorporating four styles – Medieval, Gothic, Renaissance, and Classical – this chateau is a tour of the ages. Seven kings and ten queens of France reigned from here. From atop the fourth story of its monumental staircase, it’s easy to imagine a royal court filled with intrigue and destiny.

Colours, patterns and collections abound in this wallpaper design studio that can trace its roots back to the craftsmanship of the great 18th and 19th century manufacturers. Here, the bespoke patterns are made to dance by hand.

Founded in 1101, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is an amazing place. Over seven centuries, 36 abbesses have supervised the mixed community here! The abbey served as a prison under Napoleon, and is today home to a cultural centre.

This nature park preserves the heritage and natural resources of some 115 towns. Its unique attraction has to be the mysterious troglodyte caves carved into the valley’s limestone rock, known as tuffeau. They are home to mushroom farms, wine cellars, rural guest houses, and happy residents!

Here you’ll find a timid Mona Lisa, Chartres cathedral, Mont-Saint-Michel, birds, and family and biblical scenes... All in mosaic format! The emotive mosaic is the life’s work of a passionate road mender from Chartres, Raymond Isidore, aka “Picassiette”.