Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As it glides gently east to west, officially separating northern from southern France, the
Loire River has come to define this popular tourist region. The importance of this river
and the valley's prime location, in the center of the country just south of Paris, have made
the Loire a strategic hot potato for more than a thousand years. The Loire was the high-
water mark for the Moors as they pushed into Europe from Morocco. Today, this region is
still the dividing line for the country—for example, weather forecasters say, “north of the
Loire...and south of the Loire...”
Becauseofitshistory,thisregionishometomorethanathousandcastlesandpalaces
of all shapes and sizes. When a “valley address” became a must-have among 16th-century
hunting-crazy royalty, rich Renaissance palaces replaced outdated medieval castles. Hun-
dreds of these castles and palaces are open to visitors, and it's castles that you're here to
see(you'llfindbettervillagesandcitieselsewhere).Old-timearistocraticchâteau-owners,
struggling with the cost of upkeep, enjoy financial assistance from the government if they
open their mansions to the public.
Today's Loire Valley is carpeted with fertile fields, crisscrossed by rivers, and laced
with rolling hills. It's one of France's most important agricultural regions. It's also under
somedevelopmentpressure,thankstoTGVbullettrainsthatlinkittoParisinanhour,and
cheap flights to England that make it a prime second-home spot for many Brits, including
Sir Mick Jagger.
