For the Love of the Loire

If you're gay and over 30, you've been to Paris. (If not, please get online now and book your tickets or I'm coming to take away your gay card.) Chances are you've been there more than once, had a hot romance with a Frenchman, went to Paris for your honeymoon, and/or went to school there. Paris is fabulous- in fact it's my favorite city in the world. There is however, much more to France than the City of Light, as wonderful as it is. Outside of her fabulous, chocolaty, Louis Vuitton-carrying arms, the regions surrounding Paris have much to offer in the way of interesting sights, amazing landscapes, excellent adventures, relaxation, and romance.

The Loire Valley is huge and has a diverse landscape that allows the region's winegrowers to produce wines as varied as the region. In fact, the Loire is the third largest wine region in France, something often overlooked, as the wines of the Loire tend to be overshadowed by the castles.

The Loire was the preferred region of the French royalty and nobility for centuries due to its natural beauty, lush climate, and easy access to the rest of the country. During their time, these men and women (with way too much money on their hands) built castle upon castle, always trying to outdo one another and improve upon the castles built by those who came before them. And while only a handful of the original families still own or occupy the chateaux (there was that whole Revolution thing...), hundreds remain, and many of them have been restored and opened to the public as museums, gardens, hotels, and B&Bs.

Before you run off and try to book a flight to "the Loire," you should know that the Loire Valley is an area of France in the Region Centre, or Center Region. Within the valley and region there are dozens of cities, towns and villages; it's not just one place. All of the towns are charming, and each has a personality of its own. When you visit the region, unless you're crazy (or studying chateaux), you're going to want to pick a few towns to visit and take day trips from one or two "home bases" to see them. The number of trips you take should be based on how many castles, museums, cathedrals and other fabulous French historical sites you want to see. I recommend a minimum of two nights in each town/hotel, but depending on how (much) you pack, you may want to do more or less.

Planning Your Trip

Although it might sound a bit daunting to do it on your own, skip the large tours offered by travel agencies and plan your own tour, use a higher-end tour company offering personalized small tours, or ask your hotel, inn, or B&B about tours when making your reservation. Big tours may be easy to book, but they're usually moneymaking machines offering pre-packaged, generic crap. They also don't allow you to change your mind, stay later than you'd initially planned for a special event, or let yourself get lost in the mazes of the beautiful gardens. Getting around in France isn't difficult, and the scenery is beyond compare. Hertz has great rates (and often very good specials), and they make it easy to book and pickup a car in Paris, or at the first town on your itinerary if you opt to take the high-speed train (TGV) that makes traveling in France a dream.

Before you leave home, pick up a copy of France from Lonely Planet. More than just a simple guidebook, Lonely Planet incorporates information on the history and culture of both the Loire and the country as a whole, as well as offering information on where to stay, eat, shop, etc. It also offers great ideas for day-trips, tour planning, sightseeing, and even gives info on LGBT bars and clubs.

Loire ? V?lo

Knowing that I said that it's better to pick a half-dozen-or-so towns that you want to see rather than trying to see dozens in one trip, there is- of course- one exception to the rule. (Isn't there always?) If you're physically inclined, an incredible way to take-in the beauty of the Loire is to do the Loire ? V?lo.

Loire ? V?lo represents 250 miles of paved, signed "trails" that run along the Loire river and its effluvials all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The trail is part of a network designed by the EU, which will eventually run from the Atlantic in France all the way to Budapest. There are a few great companies in most of the larger cities and towns in the Loire that offer bicycles for day-rentals as well as bike tours (both large and small) that take you to anywhere from 3 to 30 castles, sites and towns depending on your interest and fitness level. For more info, go to www.LoireaVelo.fr

I had just under a week in the Loire, and put together an itinerary based on what I had read in Lonely Planet's France guide, talking to friends who had been there before, and doing a bit of research on the region and various towns through their official websites (see If you go at end of story). I chose to visit three main cities, with day-trips to a few smaller towns. You may choose more or less depending on your interests, time, and inclination to move hotels. Any way you do it, you're guaranteed to see things that will blow your mind and stay with you forever.

Day One :: Tours

I opted to take the
After arriving in Tours I decided to take a walking tour of the town on my own using a map from the front desk. (Hint from a frequent traveler: no matter how much you want to take a nap when you arrive, DON'T. You'll adjust much more quickly to the time change if you force yourself to stay awake as long as you can and go to bed at your regular time.) The layout of the town is very straightforward, and the history is incredible. One of France's "royal towns," it was a major seat of power, and thus full of important art, architecture, squares and buildings. I recommend stopping at the Cathedral St. Gatien as well as taking a stroll down the long streets of Colbert and Briconnet to admire the stunning houses that border them. If you have time, check out the Grand Market as well.

In Tours I stated at the Hotel l'Adresse, a small modern hotel in the center of town that offers everything you need and nothing more. Simply furnished in a clean, comfortable, contemporary style, it reminded me of my dorm room in Paris- and that's a good thing. The hotel is located on a cute street with dozens of dining options within blocks, they offer a traditional French breakfast, each room has an LCD TV and WiFi, and rates start at just 50?. Unless you plan on spending all afternoon in your hotel room- in which case you'd want something a bit larger- I highly recommend it.

Day Two :: Chateau de Villandry

After a light breakfast at the hotel, I rented a bike from a shop I found on www.LoireaVelo.fr and headed to the trails. As an "introduction to the region," nothing's better than spending a morning pedaling through beautiful trees, huge fields of lavender and mustard, and passing cute little towns, all the while hugging the Loire River. For couples on a romantic getaway, I recommend packing some cheese, wine, baguette and chocolate and making a day of it. Being a bit physically inclined but not wanting to break a sweat, I only rode about 10 miles, although I could have easily continued if I hadn't had an appointment with my first castle, the Chateau de Villandry.

The Chateau de Villandry (pictured) is one of the greatest chateaux of the Loire Valley. Built during the Renaissance, it's most famous for its exceptional gardens, although the chateau itself is extremely impressive as well. The original medieval castle was built by Jean Le Breton, Minister of France under Francis I, although the only part that remains from this time is the keep; the rest was razed when the chateau was build in 1754. The property was bought by Joachim Carvallo in 1906, and today his great-grandson is the present owner.

Start with the tour of the chateau (make sure to look out the windows- most of the rooms have incredible views of the gardens), then step outside to explore the multi-layered terraces and finally the gardens and maze. The chateau has four major gardens: the ornamental garden (AKA the love garden!), the water garden, the herb garden, and the kitchen garden. At the end of your tour, take lunch at the chateau restaurant, a beautiful outdoor space offering fabulous regional fare and wonderful ros?s.

Chateau du Rivau

My favorite memories of the Loire are centered on a long afternoon spent cooking, walking, eating and lounging at the