Regional info

France

Château de Maintenon, the castles of Châteaudun, Sully-sur-Loire, Chambord, Villandry, Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau... do you know them all? There isn't another river in Europe with so many beautiful castles. The hunting castle of Chambord with its 365 towers is especially photogenic and the river itself is also unique. At over 1000km it is the longest river in France, crossing almost the entire country – from the Cevennes in the south east with a graceful turn to Saint Nazaire at the north west coast, south of Nantes. It is one of the few rivers left in Europe with its original stream and the whole section between Chalonnes and Sully is on the UNESCO world heritage list. Because of the many shallow sections it is hardly used for transport. Alongside the river are many cities that played a major role in French history, like Angers, Blois, Tours and Orléans. Kings built their palaces here and at the Place du Martrois square in Orléans is a statue of Joan of Arc, the 'Orléans virgin', who liberated the city in 1429 and thus ended the 100 year war.