Loches, a stroll through medieval times
When you walk through the Royal gateway, you enter 1,000 years of history, firstly with the collegiate church of Saint-Ours where you’ll find the intricately carved tomb of the ‘Lady of Beauty’, Agnès Sorel, the favourite of King Charles VII, then the imposing 44 m high keep built in the 11th century by the fearsome Foulques Nerra.
Keep of Loches castle – France
For those brave enough to climb to the top, the reward is a unique view over the town of Loches. Towers, dungeons and their graffiti, underground rooms, passageways and staircases all guarantee a fantastic atmosphere and you’re half expecting to bump into a character from Game of Thrones down its dark corridors.
Nearby, the house of the french painter Lansyer, a pupil of Courbet, and its romantic garden provide a delightful digression before you go back down towards the Royal apartments and their beautiful terraces, the Chancery façades, then the narrow streets great for getting lost in and the pretty public gardens at the edge of the River Indre. Caravaggio fans will be sure to visit the Saint-Antoine gallery where two paintings attributed to him are on display. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, you simply must not miss the pretty, picture-postcard market with its warm, friendly ambiance.
Loches market
La Citadelle campsite
A medieval street
Loches royal apartments.
A "Game of Thrones" atmosphere
Farniente break, near the Saint-Ours collegiate church.
A holiday house with beautiful bedrooms and a pool, restaurants, a stroll in the sensitive natural area of the royal meadows leading to the neighbouring town of Beaulieu-lès-Loches (french label “Petite Cité de Caractère”), a wellness session at the spa les Bains Douches or a relaxing stopover in the Naturéo aquatic park: the holidays in France smell good!
Les prairies du Roy (The king meadows) – Loches, France.
The beautiful countryside
The nights here in southern Touraine in the Loire Valley put on a magical show, so rare nowadays, of an exceptionally bright starry sky, with an infinity of stars of all sizes. There are some must-see places to visit – if you love roses, for example, you’ll love the streets in Chédigny where they grow quite happily and are perfectly in keeping, as well as the Presbytery garden. Chédigny is the only village in France to be listed as a ‘Remarkable Garden’. And for those keen on prehistory, there is the pretty village of Le Grand-Pressigny and its beautifully built museum about flint and prehistory.
And what about hiking, cycling or scootering? The large national forest of Loches and many other places are criss-crossed by pleasant itineraries.
The Prehistory Museum of Le Grand-Pressigny
Loches national forest
Chédigny, a village-garden.
Chemillé with its swimming area is a welcome place to stop and cool off in the summer heat. On site, the Clic’Lac Aventure park and its tree courses offer other sensations. You can also take a canoe trip on the Creuse River in Descartes, which also houses a museum dedicated to the famous philosopher-mathematician-physicist, and the beautiful René Boylesve public garden.
The village of Montrésor is also a gem worthy of its name with its balconies over the River Indrois, a lovely, rejuvenating walk.
Montrésor and the Indrois River
Off the beaten track, you’ll find La Corroirie château-monastery, the Chartreuse du Liget, and the La Guerche and Bridoré châteaux, where you can spend some time in authentic, peaceful surroundings.
Visit Loches – Tourist office
https://loches-loirevalley.co.uk / +33 (0)2 47 91 82 82
Some ideas for your holiday accommodation: Résidence Pierre et Vacances (Loches), La Citadelle campsite (Loches), Les coteaux du Lac campsite (Chemillé), Best Western Plus Hôtel de la Cité Royale (Loches), bed and breakfast at Charnizay castle and Beaulieu troglos, rental of the gite Le Verger des Hirondelles (Bournan), rental of the gite Les Viollières (Bossay-sur-Claise)…