Showing 57 attractions · Sorted by importance
Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine
📍 Doué-en-Anjou
🦁 ZooA unique wildlife park built within ancient limestone quarries, featuring immersive habitats like the spectacular South American aviary.
Château de Chambord
📍 Chambord
🏰 CastleThe largest and most iconic château in the Loire Valley, featuring distinct French Renaissance architecture and a famous double-helix staircase.
Château de Chenonceau
📍 Chenonceaux
🏰 CastleSpanning the River Cher, this elegant 'Ladies' Castle' is renowned for its arched bridge design and beautifully manicured parterre gardens.
Château des ducs de Bretagne
📍 Nantes
🏰 CastleThe historic seat of the Dukes of Brittany, this palace combines a rugged medieval exterior with an elegant Renaissance interior housing the city's museum.
Château du Clos Lucé - Parc Leonardo da Vinci
📍 Amboise
🔬 ScienceThe final home of Leonardo da Vinci features a vast park with life-sized interactive models of his scientific inventions and engineering designs.
Château Royal d'Amboise
📍 Amboise
🏰 CastleA historic royal residence overlooking the Loire River, home to the Chapel of Saint-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci is buried.
Fontevraud Abbey
📍 Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
🏘 Town / VillageOne of the largest surviving monastic cities from the Middle Ages, notable for its Romanesque architecture and royal Plantagenet tombs.
GR 3 - Sentier de la Loire
📍 Orléans
🥾 Hiking & Cycling1,243km moderate 50-60 day long-distance hiking trail with 15,000m total elevation gain, though the Loire Valley section is mostly flat and follows the river levees and hillsides. It is the first GR ever created in France. Hiking equipment: Au Vieux Campeur (auvieuxcampeur.fr)
La Loire à Vélo (V7)
📍 Cuffy
🥾 Hiking & Cycling900km easy 10-15 day cycling route with minimal elevation gain (approx 2,000m total) following the Loire River through UNESCO sites. Includes sections past Orléans, Blois, and Tours. Bike rental: Detours de Loire (detoursdeloire.com), Loire Vélo Nature (loire-velo-nature.com)
Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans
📍 Orléans
🖼 Art GalleryOne of France's oldest provincial museums, it showcases a vast collection of European paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours
📍 Tours
🖼 Art GalleryHoused in the former Archbishop's Palace, this museum features a prestigious collection including works by Mantegna, Rembrandt, and Delacroix.
Terra Botanica
📍 Angers
🎢 Theme ParkThe first plant-themed amusement park in Europe, featuring boat rides, 4D cinemas, and interactive gardens across 12 hectares.
ZooParc de Beauval
📍 Saint-Aignan
🦁 ZooRanked among the world's most beautiful zoos, this major attraction features over 10,000 animals including giant pandas and a massive tropical dome.
Aqua Mundo at Center Parcs Les Hauts de Bruyères
📍 Chaumont-sur-Tharonne
🌊 Water ParkA massive tropical indoor water park featuring a wild water river, wave pool, and numerous slides under a signature glass dome.
Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire
📍 Chaumont-sur-Loire
🌿 GardenHost to the International Garden Festival, this site offers imaginative contemporary landscape designs and artistic installations for all ages.
Gardens of the Château de Chenonceau
📍 Chenonceaux
🌿 GardenIconic formal gardens flanking a unique bridge-castle, offering sprawling parterres and a whimsical maze for family exploration.
Jardins de Villandry
📍 Villandry
🏔 Scenic ViewOne of the world's most beautiful scenic sites, these Renaissance gardens feature stunning geometric patterns, water features, and vibrant ornamental vegetables.
Route des Vins de Loire (Loire Valley Wine Route)
📍 Sancerre
🚗 Road TripOver 800km of paved touring routes (7-10 days for full length) passing through world-famous vineyards. Key segments include Sancerre, Vouvray near Tours, Chinon, and the sparkling wine cellars of Saumur.
Safari Train - Réserve de Beaumarchais
📍 Autrèche
🐄 FarmA popular tractor-drawn train excursion through a vast park where families can encounter and feed large game animals like stags, wild boars, and bison.
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
📍 Azay-le-Rideau
🏰 CastleOften described as a jewel of the early French Renaissance, this château is built on an island in the Indre River with stunning reflections.
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
📍 Chaumont-sur-Loire
🏰 CastleKnown for its fairytale towers and the annual International Garden Festival, it offers art installations and panoramic river views.
Château de Cheverny
📍 Cheverny
🏰 CastleA classical 17th-century estate that inspired Hergé's Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin comics, featuring remarkably preserved interiors.
Château de Villandry
📍 Villandry
🏰 CastleWorld-famous for its spectacular Renaissance gardens, including a decorative vegetable garden, water garden, and ornamental flower beds.
International Garden Festival
📍 Chaumont-sur-Loire
🎭 EventLate April - early November, seven-month landscape architecture and garden design exhibition, approximately 500,000 annual visitors, highly family-friendly with interactive artistic gardens, sculpture paths, and access to a historic château.
Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin
📍 Blois
🔬 ScienceLocated opposite the Royal Château, this museum explores the science of illusion and magic through interactive galleries and mechanical dragon displays.
Parc Floral de la Source
📍 Orléans
🌿 GardenA vast park featuring themed floral displays, a tropical butterfly house, and the natural spring where the Loiret River begins.
Parc naturel régional de la Brenne
📍 Rosnay
🌲 NatureKnown as the 'Land of a Thousand Ponds,' this park is a haven for family birdwatching and peaceful nature walks through marshlands.
Réserve de la Haute-Touche
📍 Obterre
🦁 ZooThe largest wildlife park in France, spanning 435 hectares where visitors can see over 1,000 animals in vast, natural forest enclosures.
Royal Château de Blois
📍 Blois
🏰 CastleA unique architectural showcase of four different styles surrounding a single courtyard, serving as the residence for seven French kings.
Centre Aquatique du Lac
📍 Tours
🌊 Water ParkA sophisticated modern swimming complex with multiple indoor and outdoor pools, slides, and wellness facilities in southern Tours.
Gardens of the Château du Rivau
📍 Lémeré
🌿 GardenFairy-tale-inspired themed gardens featuring giant sculptures, lavender fields, and hundreds of rose varieties perfect for family walks.
GR 655 - Via Turonensis
📍 Tours
🥾 Hiking & Cycling400km (regional section) moderate 20-day hiking route with 3,000m elevation gain. This is the historic Way of St. James route passing through Orléans and Tours toward the Pyrenees. It features urban heritage and rural landscapes. Equipment: Decathlon Tours (decathlon.fr)
Léo Parc Aventure
📍 Orléans
🧗 AdventureLocated on the scenic Île Charlemagne, this center features extensive treetop circuits, an inflatable water park, and outdoor laser games for active families.
Les Châteaux à Vélo
📍 Blois
🥾 Hiking & Cycling400km easy to moderate network of 15 circular cycling loops ranging from 1 to 7 days with roughly 1,500m cumulative elevation gain. The routes connect major estates like Chambord, Cheverny, and Chaumont-sur-Loire. Bike rental: Les Vélos Verts (les-velos-verts.fr)
Loisirs Loire Valley
📍 Valloire-sur-Cisse
🧗 AdventureA diverse outdoor activity hub near Blois offering a unique barefoot sensory trail, treetop net courses, and 3D archery paths through the forest.
Mini-Châteaux Park
📍 Amboise
🎢 Theme ParkA charming family park featuring over 40 high-detail 1/25 scale models of the famous Loire Valley castles set in landscaped gardens.
Old Town of Tours (Vieux Tours)
📍 Tours
🏘 Town / VillageA historic district centered around Place Plumereau, famous for its beautifully preserved medieval half-timbered houses and vibrant atmosphere.
Route Jacques Cœur
📍 Gien
🚗 Road TripA 200km paved historical route (2-3 days) established in 1954. It links iconic sites like the Château de Gien, the Palace of Jacques Cœur in Bourges, and the fortress of Culan, showcasing Berry and Loire heritage.
Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans
📍 Orléans
🏛 LandmarkA stunning Gothic cathedral famous for its association with Joan of Arc and its impressive twin towers.
FRAC Centre-Val de Loire
📍 Orléans
🖼 Art GalleryAn innovative art center focusing on the intersection of art and architecture, housed in a unique futuristic structure known as 'Les Turbulences'.
Jardin Botanique de Tours
📍 Tours
🌿 GardenA traditional botanical garden featuring historic greenhouses, specialized plant collections, and a small animal park for children.
Les Grottes de Savonnières
📍 Savonnières
🏔 Scenic ViewThese natural limestone caverns fascinate visitors with petrifying fountains, prehistoric fossils, and impressive stalactite formations in an underground world.
Muséum des Sciences Naturelles d'Angers
📍 Angers
🔬 ScienceSet in a historic building, this museum presents evolution and biodiversity through impressive fossil collections and botanical exhibits.
Royal City of Loches
📍 Loches
🏰 CastleA massive medieval fortress featuring one of the best-preserved 11th-century keeps in Europe and a royal lodge.