Car Hire in The Loire
The Loire region is one of the most important in Frances historical past, and the fact that the who’s who of French aristocracy chose to live there over the past thousand years tells you everything you need to know about the charm and beauty of this fine part of the French countryside. Aptly names chateau county, you’ll run out of superlatives to label this entire region and it’s possible that UNESCO did it best when they just certified the entire region a World Heritage Site.
TheLoireregion can be busy in the summer, although never to the extent of St Tropez or the other beach resorts, but is easy to navigate the rest of the year, and many chose to go on breathtaking bike rides or walks, rather than taking their cars out.
If you do want to explore the chateau on offer, then you’ll want to hire a car as they are well spread out over the region. You’ll get to take in some of the grandest country houses and the most stunning castles, many complete with their fortifications and defensive walls still in full glory.
Getting to theLoireregion is relatively simple. You can fly from Stansted using RyanAir straight into Aeroport Tours-Val de Loire, and hire a car from the airport. You can also catch the TGV straight from Paris into Bordeaux and La Rochellein under three hours, having got the Eurostar from the UK, and then hire a car from the train stations.
Our favourite things to do when you hire a car in the Loire region
Cahteau Royal de Blois
A stunning castle and former royal seat which was actually built as a statement of grandeur, rather than defensive plans in mind, and many French kings have made alterations to the castle as they’ve spent time their over the last several hundred years. You can enjoy four periods of architecture if you stand in the castles courtyard. See if you can work out which wing is from the Renaissance, Classical, Gothic and Medieval eras.
Cathedrale St-Maurice
Located in Angers, this cathedral is yet another reason the whole region is now a world heritage site. Built in the 12th century, and featuring changes in the 16th and 18th centuries this stunning cathedral still has a distinctlyNorman style porch at the front, as well as stained glass windows, some of which are now 900 years old.
Chateau d’Angers Fortress
Stunning as a 13th century castle on its own, the main attraction at this castle is actually inside. Enjoy magnificent views over the entire valley, before visiting the 101m long tapestry, which illustrates the last book of the New Testament, John and was commissioned by the Duke of Anjou, Louis I.
Cointreau
If you are a fan of Cointreau, then this museum will love you. Whilst no one will tell you how what’s in it, you’ll get to see how it’s made, as well as learning about the history of the town which can proudly say it’s made every bottle of Cointreau ever sold anywhere in the world.