Blois

Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours. The famous Château de Blois, a Renaissance château once occupied by King Louis XII, is located in the centre of the city, and an 18th century stone bridge spans the Loire. As Blois is built on a pair of steep hills, winding and steep pathways run through the city, culminating in long staircases at various points.

Chateau Loches

The Château de Loches is a castle located in the département of Indre-et-Loire in the Loire Valley in France; it was constructed in the 9th century. Built some 500 meters above the Indre River, the huge castle, famous mostly for its massive square keep, dominates the town of Loches.

Futuroscope IMAX Cinema

Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope is a French theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic futorscope and audio-visual techniques. It has several 3D cinemas along with other attractions and shows, some of which are the only examples in the world. It is located in the department of Vienne, 10 kilometres north of Poitiers, on the territory of the communes of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou and Jaunay-Clan.

Le Train du Bas-Berry

There is a small train station at Ecueille which is run by a group of enthusiastic and very friendly volunteers and enthusiasts. They maintain a collection of old autorails and trains and the 27km metre-guage track through the woods and meadows of the lovely Berry countryside. We took the train to Argy where there is a 16th chateau which used to host the National Archive for maps and other old documents. This was a lovely fun day out for us, the children and grandparents!

Distance from house: 20 mins.

Parc de la Brenne

The Parc naturel régional de la Brenne is a 646 sq mi park, founded in Dec 1982 and like all French national and regional parks, people live in the park. The park has 47 communes, of which the capital is Le Blanc. There is also beautiful lake "Bellebouche in the Brenne" with pedalos and kayaks for hire. Look out for wild boar in the forest.

Distance from house: 1/2 hr

Tours Botanical Garden

The Jardin botanique de Tours is set in 5 hectares of land, is a municipal botanical garden and arboretum, open daily with free admission.
The garden was established by public subscription in 1843 at the initiative of pharmacist Jean-Anthyme Margueron (1771-1848), and is the oldest public garden in the city. It contains over 2000 species of exotic plants.

Aquarium du Val de Loire

Situated 3 minutes drive to the west of Amboise, this is the best aquarium in the Loire with a spectacular array of fish, in a very imaginative setting. You can walk under tunnels of water with shark swimming above you and tickle some very friendly coy carp. A good option should you have some bad weather!

Distance from house: approx 40 mins.

Note: Aquarium and Mini-chateaux are good to visit together as you can purchase a discounted combined ticket.

Festivals, Fetes and Son-et-Lumieres

The Loire chateaux host wonderful Sons et Lumiere and other spectacles within their grounds. Most are held in July and August and are widely advertised. They usually start quite late (10ish), so as to get the most effective light show effects. Some chateaux / villages host smaller events and fetes in the daytime aimed at families. There is a very good fete in Loches – The Fetes des Fous (or Fetes of Fools), with medieval knights, ladies and fools, marching through the town to the castle. Montrichard Castle has a good open-air play, with knights and their ladies, the former showing great talents with their swords, axes and jousting! These events are great for children, with a basic ‘good vs evil ‘ story meaning an understanding French is not needed!

Zoo Parc de Beauval

A great day out for children who may have had enough of chateaux visiting! I’m not a particular fan of wildlife parks, but this is probably one of the best we’ve ever visited, with absolutely loads of different species of wildlife, many of them roaming quite freely. You can easily spend a whole day here and there are several nice places to eat, but do ensure that you don’t leave it too late to eat as the restaurants close after around 2.00pm leaving only a creperie open.

Distance from house: approx 40 mins.

Mini Chateaux Val de Loire

Brilliant for children and adults who again, may have got a little “chateaux fatigue”! On the outskirts of Amboise, this site depicts all of the most famous chateaux in miniature in amazing detail. The children (and adults if you wish!) can dress up as knights or medieval princesses so you can wander around feeling truly in keeping with the historical period!

Distance from house: approx 40 mins.