The weather was perfect last week-end in the Loire Valley. Guillaume and I took the opportunity to go back along the Loire and explore it 2 different ways.

We first took a gabarre tour at sunset. The gabarre used to be the big barge that were transporting all goods until the train was built. In the Loire river it used to be 300 gabarres a week, up and down the river. These boats would be pushed by the currents on their way to Nantes...and to come back, they would use a square sail navigating downwind.

While touring, you can taste some local products such as Ste Maure goat cheese, Rillettes de Tours and a local "saucisson"...with some rosé wine made from a very old grape variety that was used in the XVIth century because of its excellent conservation potential.

We could see all kinds of birds:  Egrets and Herons, troglodyte Swallows that dig their nests in the sand of the river banks, even an Osprey...which is rare in the Loire Valley. Getting closer to an island we could look at a beaver swimming along the shore.

An excellent way to discover this amazing river is to rent a bike for a day and ride through the small villages, get to Langeais castle or Villandry gardens through country paths...and at your own pace. You can stop at a quaint restaurant, or have a picnic on the beach. We have found a new itinerary that follows the river...and coming back, we went through the apple and pear orchard...and some vineyards as well! A very nice day to relax and enjoy Touraine sweet life!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Dan
I communicated directly with Emilie who is very serious about their business of providing self guided tours. She prepared a proposal that matched what I had requested. Payment arrangements were easy. We really got to visit with local people. We rarely saw a tour bus. France - Just For You arranged visits with guides (wine tasting day in St. Emilion …
Jackie & Joe
Our trip to Paris, Normandy and the Lore Valley could not have been more enjoyable thanks to all the personalized attention that Emilie gave our requests! She even delivered on the perfect weather we asked for! All of the accommodations were very comfortable and the hosts were so friendly, helpful, and fluent in English. Although I am not usually a …
Sheldon
We began planning this trip over a year before our departure date. We have done a lot of traveling but this trip was for our 25th wedding anniversary! Once we decided upon France as our destination all that was left was to get all the details taken care of. Based on previous adventures, we knew that we wanted to drive ourselves on a self- directed …
Joel
We highly recommend Emilie’s services. She put together an excellent itinerary. She made all the arrangements and the guides she retained for us where top notch. The B&B accommodations were very good, the hosts were terrific and we enjoyed the other travelers we met at breakfast. We did two table d'hote dinners which were excellent and her …
Jena
Our trip was exactly as expected, planned perfectly with so many amazing tips on where and how to get around like a local. 25 days, with lots of driving and so much to see. Paris, Versailles, Normandy, Loire Valley, Sancerre, Dordogne and Bordeaux. We were warmly welcomed at all B&Bs and felt that we really got a local feel everywhere we went. All …
Elle
Laura and Emilie planned such a professional, authentic and fantastic trip that it has become one of my favorite vacations! Excursions, accommodations, and suggested activities were flawless -- such that the only difficult decision for us was what to select from scrumptious French cuisine. I was hesitant at first to trust an unknown online trip …