Loire Valley A World Heritage Site

Table of Contents

Cover

Discover the Loire Valley

LOIRE VALLEY

Maps

World Heritage

History

The cultural landscapes

Bicycle Itinerary

From Sully-sur-Loire to Jargeau

Sully sur Loire (45600)

Saint Benoît sur Loire (45730)

Germiny des Prés (45110)

Chateauneuf sur Loire (45110)

Jargeau (45150)

Orléans

Maps

History

Tourist Office

Visit of the city

Transport

Events

Eating

From Cléry Saint-André to Saint-Dyé sur Loire

Cléry Saint André (45370)

Meung sur Loire (45130)

Beaugency (45190)

Saint Dyé sur Loire (41500)

Chambord and Blois

National Estate of Chambord (41250)

Blois (41000)

Château de Blois

Visit of Blois

Events

Eating

From Chaumont sur Loire to Rochecorbon

Chaumont sur Loire (45150)

Amboise (37400)

Montlouis sur Loire ( 37270)

Vouvray (37120)

Rochecorbon (37210)

Tours

Maps

Tourist Office

Visit of the city

Transport

Eating

From Villandry to Ussé

Villandry (37510)

Langeais (37130)

Azay le Rideau (37190)

Château d'Ussé

From Chinon to Fontevraud

Chinon (37500)

Seuilly (37500)

Montsoreau (49730)

Fontevraud (49590)

From Saumur to Chalonnes-sur-Loire

Saumur (49400)

Saint Mathurin sur Loire ( 49250)

Practical guide to Angers

Chalonnes sur Loire (49290)

The 10 criteria used by UNESCO

This Travel Guide

Discover the Loire Valley classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2000. Find all the information necessary to prepare and enjoy your stay. 

Enjoy reading and especially, … bon voyage !

Here you’ll find all the information necessary to prepare your trip and your stay in Loire Valley in order to discover this exceptional site of indisputable universal value. You will find the following under the sections: the reasons for its selection for the World Heritage list, the history of the site, information on Tourist Offices and suggested tours, general information about museums in the area, an events calendar, practical information on transport (getting there and getting around at the site), and a selection of accommodation and restaurants. Informations, prices and opening hours shown are for 2019.

But most importantly, this Loire Valley, a World Heritage Site travel guide also offers a suggested itinerary for visiting each site and monument. You'll also find tips (transport, pricing, activities ... ), anecdotes and all the possibilities for family-friendly visits to encourage children and families in their discovery.

The other travel guides from the France's World Heritage Sites collection

Join us on www.france-world-heritage.com. In addition to the content, you will find news, events not to be missed, interactive maps, hundreds of photographs, social networks...

LOIRE VALLEY

Visit time : 1 week.

The Loire Valley is the largest site ever registered in France as World Heritage site by UNESCO. The site crosses a multitude of historic towns and villages, rich with architectural heritage and ancient history. It reveals religious buildings and castles, each more sumptuous than the last, cultivated land and wild landscapes exploding with biodiversity. This ensemble, which witnessed thousands of years of interactions between man and nature, is a cultural landscape of exception. The Loire River is at the heart of this landscape. Indeed, without it, none of this would exist. The largest river in France, and the wildest, it is nicknamed the Royal River. The Loire Valley was chosen as a royal residence in the 15th and 16th century. Several days are needed to explore the natural and cultural heritage of these landscapes. Take the time to soak up the history, culture and landscapes, and your stay in the Loire Valley will be unforgettable ...

Maps

Online interactive Map with all addresses and locations. Street View. On the website, at the bottom of page.

World Heritage

Classified area listed as a World Heritage Site of Humanity by Unesco in 2000.

Covering 800 km², the Loire Valley is classified on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as a living cultural landscape since 2000. At about 280 kilometers long, from Sully-sur-Loire in the Centre region to Chalonnes-sur-Loire in the Pays de la Loire region, the classified site crosses two French regions and four departments.

The classification of the Loire Valley was a prestigious recognition for the river and its history, its architectural and cultural heritage, its natural landscapes and its strong ties that unite the communities living in the the valley. But beyond recognition, the UNESCO classification presented a challenge for preserving the fragile harmonious balance between man and nature.

A stay in the Loire Valley is primarily a rendezvous with nature, untamed along the currents of the river, along its banks or on its islands, and tamed at the heart of its many gardens, sometimes prestigious but always beautiful.

A stay in the Loire Valley is also a historical voyage, whether visiting the medieval and Renaissance castles or the religious heritage and its ancient abbeys. Two thousand years of history have shaped the historical, cultural, religious, military and civilian heritage of the valley.

A stay in the Loire Valley is also the discovery of terroirs and vineyards that dot the banks of the Royal River.

The borders of the World Heritage Site include the Loire River at its center, with its banks and hillsides above. In places where the Loire passes through the communities, the historical center of the city is included in the classified area. Here and there, extensions include certain tributaries of the Loire, allowing castles or religious buildings to be included in the Loire Valley site.

Criteria for selection

Criterion (i): The Loire Valley is noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord.

Criterion (ii): The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape along a major river which bears witness to an interchange of human values and to a harmonious development of interactions between human beings and their environment over two millennia.

Criterion (iv): The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design.

Source Unesco / ICOMOS

History

The history of this cultural landscape began in Roman times. The Loire was already one of the major lines of communication and trade in Gaul. The legacy of this era is reflected in the organization of sites, the urban forms and the communication network.

The history of the Loire Valley was marked starting from the 4th century by Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, who founded an abbey in Marmoutier. This building would be later used as a model for many monastic buildings in the valley. The religious heritage of the area is so dense because the sanctuary of Tours was one of the most important pilgrimage centers in Europe, before that of Saint-Jacques de Compostela gained the prominence that it has today.

Without the importance of these religious sites, the history of the valley would probably not have been the same. The many monasteries that occupied the valley during the first millennium would incite the establishment of communities and their surrounding villages. From the 10th century onward, local lords erected medieval fortresses, which in turn influenced the establishment of new communities in their immediate vicinity, strongly marking the landscape.

But the history of the Loire Valley was not without turmoil : the valley is at the heart of the Hundred Years War. This conflict forced the king to frequent stays in Tours. Once the war ended (15th century), it was here that the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance took off in France. The appearance of the medieval fortresses would change, transforming these austere mansions into magnificent castles of elegance and exceptional refinement, dedicated to pleasure and entertainment, defining the Renaissance style.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the economic growth of the valley developed thanks to the Loire, as industrial, artisan and commercial activities were bolstered by the river. This trade and river traffic would make the Loire the most important communication network in France. After the arrival of the railroad in the 19th century, the economic importance of the river faded. It would then be neglected, and finally rediscovered, seen in a new light by becoming a place of leisure of outstanding natural wealth.

The cultural landscapes

The selection of this area for the World Heritage List of UNESCO recognized the universal value of the Loire cultural landscape in its authenticity and integrity. Its loss would be considered irreplaceable for the collective memory of humanity.

The Loire is considered the last untamed river in Europe because it has never been channeled. And although it has many exceptional natural sites, it is indeed a cultural landscape that has been shaped by man for over 2000 years. Whether agrarian landscapes or buildings, these fit perfectly into the natural environment that surrounds them.

Historically, the communication channels, which had existed since Antiquity, led to the establishment of the first settlements. These Roman roads followed the ridgeline of the right bank of the river. Successively, Benedictine abbeys and local lords structured the landscapes of the Loire Valley. The castles and the gardens bequeathed by the greatest royal dynasties (Plantagenet, Capet, Valois ... ) resonate like jewels that made the Loire Valley renown the world over.

These diverse historical influences led to the definition of the Loire landscape: a harmony between the river, stone, vines and garden.

Though men have largely shaped the landscape, the Loire River has also influenced the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the valley. It is this thousand-year interaction that has shaped the cultural landscape of the Loire Valley.

This landscape is the expression of a natural complexity, patiently woven over time, that now belongs to all those who inhabit the Loire Valley, and it is for them to understand, maintain and preserve for the better for future generations.

Composition of the Loire landscape

The Loire has always been built transporting people and goods, as well as for flood prevention, as evidenced by the 600 kilometers of levees (dikes) and wharfs, witnesses to the economic activity of the river. The many natural habitats distributed along the river make it an essential area for European biodiversity. The banks of the river are home to floodplains and particularly fertile agricultural fields.

Human communities were established near the river crossing (fords, then bridges) on high vantage points that allowed them protection from floods. Towns and cities were developed around the churches and the harbors. This ensemble makes up the building front.

Discovering the Loire landscape

To get to the heart of the Loire landscape, it’s necessary to go from castles to abbeys, from great historic cities to charming villages where all the stones of the Loire color the landscape in white limestone and black slate. The river and its banks offer an opportunity to encounter a rich flora and varied fauna. And even when tamed, the surrounding nature expresses its beauty in the old, grand and intimate gardens, Renaissance castles and medieval abbeys. It is here that French gardens were first born. This expressive nature participates in its own way to the beauty of the Loire landscape.

Remarkable and protected animal species

Many protected species live around the river. When walking or biking along the river, respect for all inhabiting species is essential. Considered as a migration corridor, the Loire hosts migratory birds (terns, little ringed plovers)