Centre-Val de Loire must-sees within 1 hour 30 of the cottage
From Romorantin-Lanthenay, the main sights of the Centre-Val de Loire region lie within a 1 hour 30 drive: Cheverny 31 min, Beauval 38 min, Chambord 43 min, Chenonceau and Bourges 52 min, Amboise 59 min, Tours 68 min, Villandry 70 min.
Loire châteaux2 min readUpdated on
What are the must-sees in Centre-Val de Loire?
Fourteen places, all less than 1 hour 30 from the cottage by car. Most major sights are less than an hour away, the furthest 1 hour 30. Times are door to door from the house.
Less than 45 minutes away
- Château de Cheverny (31 min): the furnished château, still lived in.
- Beauval Zoo (38 min): one of the largest zoos in France.
- Château de Chambord (43 min): the largest château of the Loire.
- Royal Château of Blois (45 min): four wings, four periods.
45 minutes to 1 hour away
- La Bélandre (47 min): the cruise on the Cher under the arches of Chenonceau.
- Château de Chenonceau (52 min): the château built across the Cher.
- Bourges cathedral (52 min): a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise (59 min): Leonardo da Vinci's last home.
1 hour to 1 hour 30 away
- Tours (68 min): Saint-Gatien cathedral and place Plumereau.
- Orléans (69 min): Joan of Arc's city and its Loire quays.
- Gardens of Villandry (70 min): terraced Renaissance gardens.
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (71 min): the château set on the Indre.
- Château de Sully-sur-Loire (78 min): the fortress with a water-filled moat.
- George Sand's house in Nohant (88 min): the writer's home, in Berry.
How many days do you need?
A week to see everything without rushing, at one or two places a day. Over a weekend, stay within 45 minutes: Chambord, Cheverny and Beauval fill three days. Keep Tours, Villandry and Nohant for a stay of four nights or more.
What about experiences that are not monuments?
Three take place on the water or in the vineyards: a trip on the Loire in a traditional boat (from 40 min away), the cellars of Vouvray and Montlouis (65 to 69 min) and the deer rut in the Chambord forest in autumn.
Where to find official information?
On the websites of Val de Loire Loir-et-Cher, Touraine Val de Loire, Berry Province and Tourisme Loiret. The list of châteaux open to visitors is kept by Châteaux de la Loire. To stay in the middle of it all, the house sleeps 6 in Romorantin (allow €130 a night for 4 guests, taxes and fees included): see rates and booking and surroundings.
The places in this guide
Hover or tap a place to see its driving time from the cottage.
Jean-Christophe Benoist, CC BY 3.0 Château de Cheverny
31 min by car
Cheverny, 29 km
17th-century classical château still lived in by the same family, fully furnished and known for its hunting hound kennels.
Official website : Château de Cheverny (opens in a new tab)
Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0 Beauval Zoo
38 min by car
Saint-Aignan, 48 km
Zoo in Saint-Aignan, one of the largest in France, known for its giant pandas and manatees.
Official website : Beauval Zoo (opens in a new tab)
Henneveux Marc, CC BY-SA 3.0 Château de Chambord
43 min by car
Chambord, 40 km
The largest château of the Loire, a Renaissance masterpiece in the heart of an enclosed forest estate, with its famous double-helix staircase.
Official website : Château de Chambord (opens in a new tab)
Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0 Royal Château of Blois
45 min by car
Blois, 45 km
Royal château combining four wings from different periods, from Gothic to classical, in the centre of Blois.
- Son et lumière, from April to September
Fab5669, CC BY-SA 4.0 La Bélandre, cruise under Chenonceau
47 min by car
Chisseaux, 62 km
Guided cruises on the Cher from the Chisseaux lock, passing under the arches of the Château de Chenonceau; meal cruises from June to October.
Official website : La Bélandre, cruise under Chenonceau (opens in a new tab)
Antoine Montulé, CC BY-SA 4.0 Château de Chenonceau
52 min by car
Chenonceaux, 62 km
Château built partly over the Cher, nicknamed the Ladies' Château, with a gallery above the river and gardens.
Official website : Château de Chenonceau (opens in a new tab)
Wladyslaw Sojka, CC BY-SA 3.0 Bourges, cathedral and old town
52 min by car
Bourges, 73 km
Gothic Saint-Étienne cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by streets of half-timbered houses and the Jacques-Cœur palace.
Official website : Bourges, cathedral and old town (opens in a new tab)
Nadège Villain, CC BY-SA 3.0 Château du Clos Lucé
59 min by car
Amboise, 71 km
Leonardo da Vinci's last home, where he lived from 1516 until his death in 1519, with his reconstructed workshops and a park displaying full-size models of his machines.
Official website : Château du Clos Lucé (opens in a new tab)
Gerard Jalaudin, CC BY-SA 4.0 Tours, cathedral and old town
1 h 08 by car
Tours, 102 km
Capital of Touraine on the Loire, with Saint-Gatien cathedral and the half-timbered houses of place Plumereau.
Official website : Tours, cathedral and old town (opens in a new tab)
Patrick, CC BY-SA 2.0 Orléans, cathedral and Loire quays
1 h 09 by car
Orléans, 87 km
Joan of Arc's city on the Loire, with Sainte-Croix cathedral, the old centre and the quays.
Official website : Orléans, cathedral and Loire quays (opens in a new tab)
Frédérique Voisin-Demery, CC BY 2.0 Château and gardens of Villandry
1 h 10 by car
Villandry, 110 km
Renaissance château west of Tours, visited above all for its terraced gardens: decorative kitchen garden, ornamental garden and water garden.
Official website : Château and gardens of Villandry (opens in a new tab)
Rolf Kranz, CC BY-SA 4.0 Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
1 h 11 by car
Azay-le-Rideau, 109 km
Renaissance château built on an island in the Indre, its façades mirrored in the water, run by the Centre des monuments nationaux.
Official website : Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (opens in a new tab)
Pline, CC BY-SA 3.0 Château de Sully-sur-Loire
1 h 18 by car
Sully-sur-Loire, 74 km
Medieval fortress ringed by a water-filled moat beside the Loire, once the home of the Duke of Sully, minister to Henri IV.
Official website : Château de Sully-sur-Loire (opens in a new tab)
Manfred Heyde, CC BY-SA 3.0 George Sand's house in Nohant
1 h 28 by car
Nohant-Vic, 122 km
Home of the writer George Sand in Berry, still furnished, with its garden, open for guided tours through the Centre des monuments nationaux.
Official website : George Sand's house in Nohant (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
Sources and official websites
Opening hours and prices change every season: check them on each place's website or with the tourist office before you set off.
See every place around the cottage- Château de Cheverny, Official website (opens in a new tab)chateau-cheverny.fr
- Beauval Zoo, Official website (opens in a new tab)zoobeauval.com
- Château de Chambord, Official website (opens in a new tab)chambord.org
- Royal Château of Blois, Official website (opens in a new tab)chateaudeblois.fr
- La Bélandre, cruise under Chenonceau, Official website (opens in a new tab)labelandre.com
- Château de Chenonceau, Official website (opens in a new tab)chenonceau.com
- Bourges, cathedral and old town, Official website (opens in a new tab)bourges-cathedrale.fr
- Château du Clos Lucé, Official website (opens in a new tab)vinci-closluce.com
- Tours, cathedral and old town, Official website (opens in a new tab)tours-tourisme.fr
- Orléans, cathedral and Loire quays, Official website (opens in a new tab)tourisme-orleansmetropole.com
- Château and gardens of Villandry, Official website (opens in a new tab)chateauvillandry.fr
- Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Official website (opens in a new tab)azay-le-rideau.fr
- Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Official website (opens in a new tab)chateausully.fr
- George Sand's house in Nohant, Official website (opens in a new tab)maison-george-sand.fr
- Châteaux de la Loire, Official website (opens in a new tab)chateaux-de-la-loire.fr
The list and map of châteaux open to visitors, with opening hours.
- Val de Loire Loir-et-Cher, Official website (opens in a new tab)val-de-loire-41.com
The tourism agency of the Loir-et-Cher department: châteaux, Beauval and trip ideas.
- Blois Chambord Val de Loire, Official website (opens in a new tab)bloischambord.com
The tourist office for Blois, Chambord, Cheverny and Chaumont-sur-Loire.
- Val de Loire World Heritage, Official website (opens in a new tab)valdeloire.org
Mission Val de Loire, which looks after the Loire Valley's UNESCO World Heritage listing.
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