The Loire Valley seems to epitomise all that is good about France. Architecturally blessed with fine towns such as Saumur, Orléans, Amboise and Angers, amongst many others, its landscapes are also equally beautiful - the Loire valley is, after all, known as the Garden of France.
Then there are the seemingly countless chateaux and manor houses sprinkled liberally throughout. Culturally too the Loire is known as the cradle of the French language and was an important centre of the Renaissance.
And, of course, we cannot forget the many world class wines produced here. History, art nature and man made marvels go hand in hand here so, unsurprisingly, much of the Loire River valley was made a World Heritage Area by UNESCO.
As the selection committee itself stated it is “an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Chateaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself."
We couldn’t put it better ourselves.