Loire Valley, France (2022) - Itinerary

Please note: our week in the Loire Valley was built around a bike tour in which we followed a guided route to multiple locations each day. The details of those routes can be found in the travelogue.

Check in to hotel: Château de Beaulieu
Stroll around the neighborhood and nearby parks - get walking rec from concierge
Hotel includes access to the spa for 2 hours
Dinner at hotel (included – restaurant closed Monday but room service available and included?!?)
Dinner in Place Plumereau
- Walk to Guinguette de Pont Wilson on the banks of the river
- Patio with river view, bar, and entertainment
Sleep in Joué les Tours

Breakfast at hotel
ORIENTATION AT 10:00 AM in hotel lobby
Taxi to Les Halles de Tours for light lunch
- Indoor marketplace with gourmet food stalls
- https://goo.gl/maps/ja3faNbH6KthBoU9A
Walk 15m to Cathédrale Saint-Gatien
- Gothic cathedral with construction spanning over 300 years
- Also visit the neighboring cloisters with temporary exhibits
// Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours
- Art seized during multiple waves of conflict compiled in an archbishop’s palace
Chenonceau / Amboise ?!
Dinner in Place Plumereau
Walk to Guinguette de Pont Wilson on the banks of the river
- Patio with river view, bar, and entertainment
Sleep in Joué les Tours

Morning - Sparkling Wine Houses:
- Ackerman, Saumur’s oldest sparkling wine producer (established 1811)
- Bouvet Ladubay (11 Rue Jean Ackerman; bouvetladubay.com; open daily; tours €2, second oldest), which has some striking sculptures in its underground cellars, and many an award-winning Brut to sample
Farmer’s Market in central square - gather lunch here! Then picnic on the grass by the chateau.
Chateau, on a bluff overlooking the river (chateau-saumur.com; €5/£4)
Afternoon - Distillery
- Combier (48 Rue Beaurepaire) is a tiny, boutique operation that uses a fascinating array of traditional copper equipment to distill its liqueurs. Pre-dating Cointreau by several decades, it has been revitalised with some wonderful, inventive flavours. The Royal Combier and the rose liqueur are personal favourites, but making up your own mind is part of the fun.
7.30pm - Dinner along the river - Crêperie Côté Jardin
Sleep in Saumur