Tracing the history of the 24 Heures du Mans (Le Mans 24 Hour Race), this museum has around 100 vehicles, many of them race winners, displayed in a modern and informative manner. Display cases, models and touch screen technology recount the story of ..

Mounted on its hill and protected by a Gallo-Roman wall, the old town of Le Mans shaded by its cathedral is made up of cobbled lanes punctuated by stairways and bordered by half-timbered and stone houses. This tranquil place, where time seems to stan..

This magnificent château, lying on the bank of the Loir, offers visitors a fascinating mixture of styles: medieval and Gothic, with its big, round towers; Italian Renaissance, in its layout, its dormer windows and medallions; and Louis XVI, with its ..

Started in the middle of the 13C and finished in the 16C, this cathedral illustrates the whole evolution of the Gothic style. The Flamboyant façade is particularly beautiful. Inside there is great purity of line. The chancel , one of the most beau..

This fine château has no architectural unity of style. It retains imposing remains of its past magnificence. The St. Hubert Chapel, located on the terrace, houses the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who died at Amboise in 1519. In the castle itself, succe..

The feudal stronghold of Langeais, with its high walls, round towers, crenellated sentryway and drawbridge, has survived intact through the centuries. Built between 1465 and 1470 by Jean Bourré, Louis XI's treasurer (1423-1483), the castle houses unt..

The natural defensive site of Loches has been exploited since at least the 6C. The counts of Anjou and Henry II of England strengthened its defences, prior to King Louis IX transforming it into a royal residence in 1249. A number of imposing medieval..

The keep was built in the 11C by Fulk Nerra to defend the fortified town from the vulnerable south side. It is a solid square construction with two towers, the Ronde and the Martelet. Inside the keep, the floors of the three storeys have vanished, bu..

Built between 1067 and 1107 in pale Nivernais stone (although the nave was only finished in the late 12C) this site was at the forefront of western intellectual life. The belfry-porch is a particularly fine example of Romanesque art. Note the carve..

This zoo offers over 500 animals the chance to live in semi-liberty in an exceptional and most unusual troglodyte setting . Waterfalls, acacias and bamboo enhance the environment of the species that live here, most of which are endangered. Don't mis..

Beauval Zoo is a rose-strewn paradise spread over 22ha. The tropical bird house , a glass house reproducing the luxurious conditions of an equatorial forest, is home to many exotic species. Outside there are almost 2 000 birds, including 400 parrots..

Situated on the edge of the forest of Chinon, overlooking the Indre, the château of Ussé inspired Charles Perrault's tale of Sleeping Beauty . It was built on the foundations of an 11C fortress in the 15 and 16C. The interior contains Flemish tapest..

Incorporating part of an ancient castle on the banks of the River Eure of which the large keep survives, Jean Cottereau, Minister of Finance under Louis XII, François I and Henri II, began construction of this Renaissance-style building, in 1509. In ..

Valmer’s 80ha-park and gardens are in a remarkable spot overlooking the Brenne Valley . The château was destroyed in a fire in 1948, but its grounds retain terracing and the layout of fine italianate gardens . The terraces head down to a histori..

On the river, this museum is located in the old Romorantin-Lanthenay quarter. The collection is housed in three buildings. The moulin du Chapitre , which retains its 19C flour mill exterior, focuses on the natural world, the region’s fauna and his..

Built between 1527 and 1537 for Jean Le Breton, lord of Villandry and superintendent of works at Chambord , this Renaissance château heralds the return of classicism: italianate dormer windows embellish a façade which is simple yet exudes grace and ..

This Renaissance residence near the valleys of the Loire and the Beauce is redolent of the poetry of Ronsard, who was inspired by Cassandre, a former chatelaine of Talcy. Visitors are charmed on entering the first galleried courtyard with its rose-de..

Built between the 11C and the 13C, this sober building has an imposing stone steeple, a semi-circular chevet and its original transept with rounded trefoil ends. From behind the chevet, there is a good view of the church and the castle , an extraord..

Renowned for its many pools, this region is bordered to the east by the Sancerrois hills and to the west by a line linking Selles-sur-Cher to Cheverny via Chémery, Thenay and Sambin. Its heathlands, ponds and melancholy woodlands are ideal for hunt..

Built in the 15C, this majestic royal church owes its splendour to Louis XI who wanted a fitting legacy to his memory, and now rests in the vault off the nave. Especially noteworthy is the chapelle St Jacques with its rich Gothic decoration; it w..