Summer is a wonderful time to explore the northern half of France, from the Loire River to the Normandy Beaches, generally the weather is mild, and without the excessive heat so often found in the south.
What could be finer than to immerse oneself in French history, to be inspired by the rich patrimony of the grand castles, explore local vinyeards and search for French antiques in brocantes?
We took a break from the summer heat of Paris for a few days and headed south to the Loire Valley.
I'll share with you two of the most inspiring châteaux I visited whilst there; Chambord and Villandry and would love to know your favourites, tell me in the comments. On previous holidays, I visited Amboise (where Leonardo da Vinci is buried) and Chenonceau, both of which are not to be missed!
Château Chambord
Only two hours drive from Paris, Chambord was built (commencing in 1519) by the dashing young King François I, the quintissential Renaissance man, as a symbol of his power, wealth and vision. It centred around the impressive central double helix staircase inspired by Leonardo da Vinci.
The famous double helix staircase
Topped by an impressive dome, you step out onto the château roof terrace and the skyline and views are breathtaking.
The castle is not well furnished as originally it was more of a hunting lodge on a very grand scale, the architecture impressed rather than the soft furnishings!
Further generations of owners made adjustments to make it more homely, but its grand and impressive not cosy! We loved the little details, like the hinges in the shape of an F, King François' momogram and his salamander motif were used everywhere.
The details in the château were fascinating, can you see the graffiti is from 1655?
How to get the most from your visit:
What worked for us was to buy tickets on line in advance and then arrive just before it opened to be one of the first few inside the castle. We headed straight for the double helix staircase, and went right up to the top. We were alone on the amazing roof for about 15 minutes, soaking in the architecture and the views.
Then you can work your way down from the top and enjoy all the other spiral staircases and galleries, with perhaps a coffee break in the courtyard.
One of the smaller spiral staircases
The grounds are worth exploring and you can take a boat on the moat or a golf buggy which is great especially after scampering up and down spiral staircases all morning!
There is a silver service restaurant on the estate, but most of the catering is a row of cafés and they were crowded so we found a sweet little bar brasserie in a local village, although the town of Blois is nearby with plenty of cafés and restaurants.
Chambord is also the venue for a great antique and brocante fair of 1st May. For more details make sure you're subscribed to my email newsletter from my website QuintessentiallyFrench.com
Château Villandry
Futher along the Loire Valley, near the city of Tours, Villandry is a different type of Château, although construction started in a simiar époque to the Royal Chambord in 1532.
Whereas Chambord is now owned by the French state, Villandry is a family owned château open to the public, it is treasured and carefully cared for by, it seems, a small army of gardeners and staff.
It is best known for the gardens; from an intricate maze to a vast potager, vine covered walks, less formal flower gardens, a lake and woodland, Villandry is a gardener's paradise, and this was my main reason to want to visit.
But I was very impressed with the 'house' itself, it is a home you can live in comfortably. It is grand but homely with tasteful antique furnishings, paintings, leather bound books and of course chandeliers - I found it fabulous and inspirational.
There are some exceptional architectural details. Below is a magnificent ceiling in one of the older rooms.
It is of course possible to find similar furnishings and accessories in antique markets and Paris fleamarkets, if you search hard enough, in fact I bought myself a gilded wood mirror very similar to one hanging in the salon at Villandry at a local antique shop.
How to get the most from your visit
We didn't book in advance and that wasn't a problem. Start with the house, if you climb to the top of the Keep tower you have a magnificent view of the gardens, seeing them from above is a great way to appreciate the beauty of the layout.
Parking is fairly easy, but the roads are narrow and can be busy. The views however, as you drive alongside the Loire, the wine caves and vinyards, are worth it.
For refreshments, there is a good quality café in the Château and a couple more in the village and other little brasseries in the villages along the way as well as the main town of Tours nearby.
What else to do in the Loire Valley
Tasting wine in a couple of the smaller wine 'caves'
The Loire region is, of course, famous for its vinyards. You can taste wine in a huge numer of wine caves, some have a visit 'experience' which you may need to book, others, usually smaller vinyards, will take you into the blessedly cool wine maturing caves to try the wine and some are just like shops in a château which offer a wide variety of wines to try.
Just driving around the area you will pass many. Some people charge for tasting, others won't if you buy wine. I found it very interesting, especially when we had the chance to speak to the person who made the wine and they explained the process and what made their's special.
Brocantes; French antiques and vintage shops
Stop the car!
Of course! As always in France, its always great to take the chance to buy vintage and antique treasures! We did stop at a few brocante shops, but the professional fleamarkets are on Sundays so weren't happening when we were there, the same for the 'vide greniers' which is like a yard sale or car boot sale for private sellers, also usually held on a Sunday.
I did find a few pieces to bring home, especially these lovely antique ironstone château plates which have just arrived on the website.
Summer isn't always the best time for antiquing as many dealers are on holiday too. I plan to come back for some of the larger antique fairs as it's an easy trip from Paris.
Where to stay
There are many hotels, chambre d'hôtes (guesthouses where the owner lives on site) and Air B&B or gîtes as they are called in France.
The quality varies, we stayed in a Château Chambre d'hôte which was wonderful and a farmhouse one which was plain creepy, we left and moved to a large chain hotel, which was just what chain hotels are, but perfectly clean and friendly, so its diffucult to call other than use a booking site and read the reviews carefully!
Self catering can be a bonus as in the Loire Valley you have access to farmers' markets and wonderful fresh produce.
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