The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
France:
The Loire Valley
If Brittany is stubbornly independent and Paris is arrogantly cosmopolitan, then the Loire Valley is France, pure and simple. Joan of Arc's first battleground, the playground of Valois kings, and the center of French Renaissance architecture, the region is a living reminder of France's glory days. Dotting this fertile 300-km long valley, the famous châteaux range from medieval fortresses like Chinon to Renaissance country homes like Azay-le-Rideau, with everything in between. Builders, digging into hillsides to create these Renaissance homes for trendy dukes and counts, left in their wake two other unique Loire Valley sights: caves champignonnières (mushroom cellars), where more than 60% of France's edible fungi grow on the walls, and maisons troglodytiques, residences built directly into the cliffs. These odd houses, along with the mushrooms, the wine, and the fairy-tale splendor of the hundreds of châteaux, lure swarms of tourists yearly to the poppy-covered hills along the Loire.
The region's dearth of train and bus lines means that it's possible, but extremely difficult, to reach the châteaux by public transport. To visit lots of châteaux in little time without your own wheels, you might have to deal with day-long tours with the private bus companies out of Tours and Blois. If you're traveling with two or three friends, it might be worthwhile to rent a car, but the best way to get around the valley is by bike; the countryside is fairly flat, the châteaux are within easy reach, and you can usually take your bike on trains and buses. Rent in cities to avoid the high prices in smaller towns. A good map like Michelin 64 will steer you away from congested main routes.
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