Loire valley villages

There is more to the Loire Valley than castles and cathedrals and scattered across the countryside of the region there are many small towns and villages to explore.

These include several villages that have received the award for being among the 'Most Beautiful villages of France' - villages with this classification in the area of your visit are well worth hunting down and exploring. These Loire Valley villages include:

Lavardin (Loir-et-Cher)

Candes-Saint-Martin (south-east of Saumur)

Apremont-sur-Allier (south-west of Nevers)

Montresor (east of Loches)

Saint-Benoit-du-Sault (south-west of Argenton-sur-Creuse)

Gargilesse-Dampierre (south-east of Argenton-sur-Creuse)

(photo credit and copyright)

Crissay-sur-Manse (south-west of Tours)