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The Center region includes the Departments of: 45 Loiret with its capital city of Orléans; 41 Loir et Cher with Blois being the capital of the department; 37 Indre et Loire with Tours as the capital; 36 Indre with Châteauroux as the capital; 28 Eure et Loir with Chartres as the capital of the department and 18 Cher with the capital city of Bourges. With those names, many will recognize this as muchof the Loire Valley. |
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From my very first trips to France back in 1986 this is a Region that I have always enjoyed. A week of so of driving along the Loire Valley to tour the châteaux - well, does it get any better? | |
Blois Châteaux at night. |
Chambord |
The Center Region may not be know by its offical name, but it is known by many who have travelled to France.
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| It is comprsied of the following Departments: [45] Loiret - Orléans, capital city; [41] Loir et Cher, with the city of Blois as the capital; [37] Indre et Loire, Tours is the capital; [36] Indre, with Châteauroux as the capital; [28] Eure et Loir where Chartres is the capital city; and [18] Cher wtih Bourges the captial of the department. | ||
During the Renaissance Period, the Kings of France made the Loire Valley their desintation for residences.
Azay le Rideau is considered one of the top château along the Loire. The Château de Chambord is one of must-see château, and you will surely be asked: "Did you go to Chambord" - well yes you should. It just screams royalty on a grand scale! Leonardo de Vinci designed the magnificant center stairway. Chenonceau was ,built on a bridge across river Cher for the mistress of .King Henry II. The Château de Chaumont is a large fortress that over looks the Loire. Chateau de Villandry is know for its formal gardens and has superb interior decorations and furnishings. The Chateau d’Usse is a known as a dream castle, inspiration for the book "Sleeping Beauty". Blois is known fir is Renaissance castle with its thousand windows and magnificent staircase. There are many more places to visit. Give yourself some time and enjoy a slow drive along the River. With the mid day closings you can on some days visit three châteaux a day. But they may look relatively close together on the map. The distance you can cover is limited. Slow, windy roads. Or straighter roads with plenty of trucks. Give youself the time you need to enjoy. Onto page two for more information and photos.
