Now, we are coming to my areas that made me come to France. This is what France is all about, and gorgeous several times over. The region of Centre-Val de Loire is here for you.
The Centre-Val de Loire is a region since 2015 as before it was called simply the Centre. It includes three historic provinces such as Berry, Orléanais, and Touraine with at the extreme south the Bourbonnais. It is partially covered by the natural region of the valley of the Loire. Not to be confused with Pays de la Loire region, next…The old provinces had their old department that continues such as Orléanais with Loiret, Eure et Loir and Loir et Cher, then Berry with Cher and Indre, and finally Touraine with Indre et Loire. It is here that the famous Castles of the Loire came to be known by all such as from Gien to Chinon, passing by Chambord, Blois, Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau , La Ferté-Saint Aubin etc
It includes six departments such as Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher and Loiret. Even if Tours is the bigger city (my next trip !) the regional capital is Orléans. Other major tourist cities of the region are Bourges, Blois, Châteauroux, and Chartres. The Loire river crosses this region from east to west and is the famous name by which we all tend to know the region.
You have several autoroutes or expressways in the region linking all of France such as the Paris to Lyon on the A6, to Bordeaux on the A10, to Clermont-Ferrand on the A71, to Rennes and Nantes on the A11, Nevers on the A77, Toulouse on the A20. And also autoroutes on the width of the region such as those on the Orléans-Sens corridor with the A19, Vierzon-Tours-Angers on the A85 , and Tours-Le Mans-Rouen on the A28. The train is very much used here such as the TER Centre Val de Loire here: https://www.ter.sncf.com/centre-val-de-loire
Also, a one center for transport needs including buses Remi here
https://www.remi-centrevaldeloire.fr/
Some of the Unesco sites here too numerous really, my favorites are:
Notre Dame Cathedral of Chartres, St Etienne (St Stephen) Cathedral of Bourges, Cathedrals of Tours and Orléans ,Jacques Coeur palace at Bourges, the medieval look 9C at Germigny-des-Prés , the basilica abbey of Fleury in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire 11C, Basilica de Cléry-Saint-André 15C near Orléans. And of course the castles too numerous to mention in the valley of the Loire but my favorites are Chambord, Blois, Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau, Cheverny, Villandry, Valençay, Loches, Amboise, Chinon, Ussé, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Blet, Ainay-le-Viel, Bouges, Châteaudun, Langeais, Le Rivau, Chamerolles, Sully-sur-Loire, Gien, Beauregard, Villesavin, Talcy, and Gizeux. Which even I can’t remember them all and thanks to Wikipedia lol!
And the regional page on tourism in French here: http://inventaire-patrimoine.regioncentre.fr/home.html
And still old names ,but official tourist site on the region here:
https://www.valdeloire-france.com/
Enjoy the Valley of the Loire, where the castles=chateaux of renown are located. Cheers!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 