Guest JudgeMental Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Have passed through the Loire and stopped briefly at Saumur in the past. thinking of visiting area during children's easter hol's in April for a week. Have looked at previous posts and mandy & Andy recommend Blois. So how about staring around Blois and meandering westwards along the river..... Any must see or recommendations would be nice. will probably head towards the coast and Noirmoutier-en-l'Île (weather permitting) as we do like a bit of sea side :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Vendome, NW of Blois is a beautiful town, very floral to say the least and there's some lovely architecture if either of these are your bag. A municipal site within easy walking distance of the town is available although there were some itinerants on the opposite side of the road from us on our last visit, but that doesn't bother us though. We can wholly recommend at least a 3 nights stay. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Interesting troglodyte caves and signed village walk at Tourquant as well as wine tasting. Interesting Chateau at Montsoreau - but don't take the van right up to it unless you are very brave or very foolish as it is very narrow with difficult corners and no car park (we had to drive out across the vineyards and find our way back through a farm to the main road as we could not turn round - all good fun though). They have bell practice some evenings at Champtoceaux - and there are two town clocks that both strike - but five minutes apart - neither being correct - as well as an air raid siren they enjoy testing! All have good and (were in 2006) free aires and are interesting just to walk around and relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cronkle Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 The sites in both Montsoreau and Saumur are owned by the same organisation and both are ideally placed for walking into their respective towns. We would also recommend visiting some of the Troglodyte villages; there is one a few miles to the south-west of Saumur but I can't remeber the name. Another place we found that was worth a walk round was the small town of Loche which also has a site within easy walking of the town centre. There is a historic dungeon there which is open to visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 First thing Eddie, is it can be very cold on the Loire at Easter, so you'll need to go prepared!The main attractions of the area are the renaissance chateaux. After them, I guess, its the wines, which seem not to be so popular in UK as the Burgandies and clarets, but which I personally think are at least as good. Saumur is the home of very good bubbly, mainly produced by the major champagne houses from Reims, using the "methode", but much more reasonably priced. Lots of producers in and around. Tasters and purchases at the premises. Also try Vouvray, still and sparkling, with lots of producers around.If the chateaux interest you then there are many to choose from. Personal favourites are Cheverney (inhabited and fully furnished, with a very smelly pack of boar hounds!), Chenonceaux (which spans the Cher, and on a sunny day is sublime), Chaumont (which site on an outcrop overlooking the Loire, and is the perfect fairy castle) and Talcy (which is small, little refurbished, very fragile and extraordinarily atmospheric). Azay-le-Rideau is very pretty and moated. Villandry has a superb ornamental vegetable garden, but I guess not so impressive at easter. Blois chateau is interesting, but more for its history than for its intrinsic architectural merit. Chambord, Louis XIV's hunting lodge is vast and impressive. If you go, try to approach from Bracieux, through the hunting park. This is the approach designed to impress. Louis was into f**k you money, and he wanted everyone to know he had it in spades. Just slow to the speed of a hores drawn carriage and see how long it takes to arrive, and how the chateau appears from the forest. You'd know who was king after that! Most of the towns are also very agreeable, though I thing Orleans not so agreeable. Tours has a lot of interest in the old part. Angers has a superb, and huge, mediaeval castle. No pretty chateau this, it is a proper fortress. Lots of English connection via Plantagenets, esp Henry II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Mmm... the weather. do you think April is to early for the Loire? Maybe further south then....... we have always gone away Easter and yes it can be cold, but as long as it does not rain all the time it can be OK....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Chenonceaux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 JudgeMental - 2008-01-07 8:17 PM Mmm... the weather. do you think April is to early for the Loire? Maybe further south then....... we have always gone away Easter and yes it can be cold, but as long as it does not rain all the time it can be OK....... Too early? No. It's just that spring is a time of variable weather everywhere, and the Loire valley is still in Northern Europe. My first trip there was 1958, and I've been back from time to time ever since. With a warm, dry spring, the Loire is beautiful. If it is a cool damp spring the Loire can be, well, very cool, and also quite damp. If you travel with warm clothing and waterproofs you're covered, and if the year is a bummer - just head further south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks Brian! We went over too Northern Brittany via le Touquet, Honfleur and Mont st Michael same time last year. weather was not that good. But new van, and a good time was had by all. so maybe start oft in the Loire and if weather very poor head down to Bordeux? will it be more reliable there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totallyidle Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 In my opinion the Loire is not really an early season destination. A lot of the Chateaux have been pretty badly knocked about internally and what wasn't nailed down was stolen in the Revolutionary period, it can be a case of seen one seen em all. Just my opinion I can hear the howls. But the gardens are sensational, and they are not at their best until June and July. I would hang on until then and try and work it in so that I was there on Bastille Day, there are loads of shows events, Do,s and jolification at that time. If you are not foot loose and fancy free I would push further South, round Easter. :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 If you visit Turquant, there is a very good aire there, on the right as you arrive at the village from the main road. There is also a good aire near Azay-Le-Rideau, at Villaines-Les-Rochers, where there is an interesting museum of basketwork. Azy is my favourite chateau, then Amboise and Blois. The municipal campsite at Azay is good and well placed for viaiting the chateau. Another wothwhile chateau to visit, with a good aire by the river in the town, is Montreuil Belay. This is one not plundered in the Revolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 any more ideas for an Easter break...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Monet gardens ??? Orador ? I 'm not sure if its open at Easter though ? week in paris Dysney land for the rides ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you go to Blois make sure you go to the Magic House near to the Château, when you get your ticket in the Château they do a deal on 2 o3 different places of interest. We all love the Magic House and the show at the end, tiny little theatre but the children 15 & 7 where fascinated by some of the illusions they did. Have to agree that once you have seen one empty room with a few pieces and very nice wallpaper you have seen them all, we love the views you can get from the top of some of them but the internal are nothing like we come to expect over here. Have a great time where ever you decide, we are going around Strasbourg and the mountains around there for Easter then back up through the Black Forest. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Le Thou Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 We were in the south loire last weekend and enjoted 12degs of wall to wall sunshine once the frost had been burnt off by the sun. Easter last year was superb, frosty mornings but very nice days. Easter doesn't usually see too much rain in the South Loire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Le Thou - 2008-01-31 6:07 PM We were in the south loire last weekend and enjoted 12degs of wall to wall sunshine once the frost had been burnt off by the sun. Easter last year was superb, frosty mornings but very nice days. Easter doesn't usually see too much rain in the South Loire.it was 12degs, wall to wall sunshine, no frost in bournemouth last weekend, today 70mph winds and monsoon rain,personally if i were looking for sun i,d go a lot further south,or disney as michelle said and you could also do parc asterix, largest wooden coaster in europe, the rides are generally scarier than disney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 We always go away at Easter, usually the west country. so not expecting sun in particular just somewhere interesting.... as said previously, we went to Brittany last April and weather not great but all in all a decent break. have booked 5 returns with eurotunnel and determined to make use of new van which has more or less sat there since last summer. or else I might as well sell it and go on a couple of cruises every year! *-) oft to Brugge again for half term in a a couple of weeks. PS.thanks Michele but euro disney not my idea of fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 We went to the Loire some years ago in the Easter holidays and had snow. Langeais and Serrant (west of Angers) both lovely Chateaux also, Villandry is good at any season as the planting is changed every three months. Isn't Chaumont the place where they have a different exhibition each year, often water based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Plans change....So we went to Goa for 2 weeks at Easter instead and boy it was hot! Between 35 - 40 deg C during the day and 30 at night lol, it was an excellent well needed holiday......... So going to Loire for Whitsun instead. Maybe the weather will be better lol. Taking our Electric bikes and heading for Blois, then Saumur after that not sure? We are more gardens/general sightseeing, villages etc....then Chateaus .Maybe end up on to the coast for a few days....... Recommendations for nice stops/must see’s welcome. It’s our first time without the kids for longer than a weekend!*-) P.S. Just noticed this thread started last year...... was sure I started one re this season, Ah well! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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