Valentine’s Day in Touraine: a beautiful trip for lovers!

Général

Valentine’s day – Royal château of Amboise

Thus, the Royal Castle of Amboise is planning to shoot arrows at Cupid during a “Romantic Candlelight Tour” during which charming attentions are being prepared…

That said, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Wednesday this year, it’s not the ideal time to plan a romantic weekend away. The good news is that there’s nothing to stop you offering a romantic getaway on the day itself, which you can then plan over the following weekends! A Valentine’s Day break full of love and “I love you” in Touraine… now that’s a gift!

Dream Valentine’s Day in Touraine for a romantic weekend

Having only a few steps to climb after a gastronomic dinner with eyes in the sky has its advantages… for sure! Once again, the hotel restaurants will have the best part. For the most “love” day of the year, it is therefore quite natural to find in these establishments Valentine’s Day or “lovers” packages, enhanced with a few little touches. This is the case at the Château de Rochecotte (near Bourgueil), at Château de Beauvois, at the Château Belmont and Les Trésorières (Tours), at the Best Western Plus Hotel de la Cité Royale (Loches) and at the Château Louise de la Vallière and the Château de Pray (near Amboise). No doubt about it… your romantic weekend will bring you closer than ever!

Valentine’s day at the Château de Rochecotte – Loire Valley

Wellness area at the Best Western Plus Hotel de la Cité Royale – Loches

Château Louise de la Vallière – Reugny

Charming hotels for a romantic weekend

Some examples of other hotels for a romantic weekend :

• Tours and surroundings: Oceania L’Univers, Hôtel du Cygne, Mercure Tours Sud, Les Hautes Roches;
• Near Azay-le-Rideau: Troglododo and L’auberge du XIIème siècle;
• In Richelieu : Le Puits Doré;
• Near the thermal spa of La Roche Posay: the Relais de la Mothe;
• In Chenonceaux: the Auberge du Bon Laboureur;
• In Bléré: the Cheval Blanc;
• On the Amboise side: The Clos d’Amboise, Au charme Rabelaisien, Le Manoir Les Minimes, Le Choiseul, and the Domaine des Thomeaux, .

Auberge du Bon Laboureur – Chenonceaux

A romantic cottage for Valentine’s Day

Unless you prefer to celebrate this Valentine’s Day in the romantic Boudoir de Nana, or for a nice guest room, like the ones in the Relais Saint Maurice (Chinon), the Château de Valesne (Saché), the Domaine du Val Sauvage (Langeais), the Dixmeresse (Bourgueil vineyard), the Domaine de Basse Chancelée, or the Nazelles castle, near Amboise!

Nordic bath of the castle of Nazelles

Valentine’s Day menus lovingly concocted by our chefs

Mille feuilles foie gras and fig, crumbled crab flavored with clementine and curry, scallops in a velvety endive sauce, veal mignon Rossini style, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine aumônière, Cupid’s whirlwind and other thrills… Here is a small glimpse of menus for Valentine’s Day, imagined by the talented chefs of Touraine  A word of advice: don’t wait too long to make a reservation, many gourmets want to share a gastronomic dinner for lovers concocted by a Michelin starred restaurant, but also:

• at Léonard de Vinci and la Deuvalière  (Tours),
• at the Lion d’Or (Amboise),
• at Le Liberté (Neuillé-le-Lierre),
• at La Cave (Montlouis-sur-Loire),
• at Le Cheval Blanc (Bléré),
• at Arbore et Sens and Le George (Loches),
• at l’auberge de Montpoupon (Céré-la-Ronde),
• at Les Roseaux Pensants (Cormery),
• at Le Clapotis (Saint-Avertin),
• at the Liodière (Joué-lès-Tours),
• at La Mère Hamard (Semblançay),
• at l’auberge de Port Vallières (Fondettes),
• at Au coin des Halles (Langeais),
• at the Aigle d’Or (Azay-le-Rideau),
• at Au Local (Chinon).

Useful: the restaurants of Touraine 

Unless you let yourself be seduced by the cabaret shows of Extravagance, Ovation or Chez Nello!  😉

Origin and history of Valentine’s Day

In the land of the Loire castles, one cannot help but be interested in history. So, in order to shine in society and with your other half, here is a brief summary of the origin of Valentine’s Day. In ancient Rome, Faunus, the god of the forest and the herds, was celebrated during the Lupercalia (the Lupercians were priests, and the Lupercal cave is located at the foot of Mount Palatine in Rome, where the she-wolf is said to have suckled the twins Romulus and Remus), an annual festival that runs from February 13 to 15. According to tradition, during the ceremony, two young men designated by the priest had to run around the city and whip the women who crossed the city wishing to have a child, in order to make them fertile. Pagan, the feast of Lupercalia is then replaced by the feast of February 14, day of three martyrs called Valentine, at the initiative of Pope Gelasius I, in 495.

It is in the 14th century, in England, that the notion of a lovers’ day was born, based on a belief from the Middle Ages evoking February 14th as the day when birds choose their partner. With the birth of the custom of exchanging cards and sweet bills between the Valentine and his partner.

Tichodrone at the Royal Castle of Amboise

Celebrated on February 14, Valentine of Terni (beheaded on February 14, 269 for having celebrated marriages against the will of the emperor Claudius II The Gothic, who sees it as an obstacle to send young men to war) was then designated by the Catholic Church as the patron saint of lovers, in 1496, by Pope Alexander VI.