Paris, Chartres, Nogent le Rotrou, Le Mans (140 miles)

Today will be a short journey in distance but with many sites to see along the way it will be slow at times. For example as we depart Paris we pass many of the city’s famous sites including the Bastille, the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Eifel Tower before we reach the Palace of Versilles. Touring these sites takes a very long time largely due to the queues and so we will stop for those wanting to take pictures but will otherwise continue on our journey

Our first refreshment break of the day will be at Chartres a town of about 40k population it was once the principal town of the area and has some wonderful old buildings including the Cathedral. As our departure from Paris is likely to have been slow we shall break here for lunch.

Our next stop is at Nogent le Rotrou. The Chateau Saint-Jean here has a twin towered entrance that you will find in other Chateaux in this region such as the Chateau at Langeais. Most of these designs date back to the 100 year war with England. We take a further refreshment break here before completing our journey to Château Ragotterie where we shall stay for the next three nights.

Le Mans, Vendôme, Orleans, Châteaudun (195 miles)

This is a very relaxing ride mainly through the French countryside and at times along the banks of the Loire. We begin by leaving Le Mans heading east to Vendome where we take our first break of the day. Vendome is one of the main towns along the Loir with a population approaching 20k. The town has medieval origins and features a ruined castle and gothic church.

We depart Vendome and continue our journey eastwards to Orleans where we break for lunch at a lovely restaurant just beside the Cathedral. The Loire also runs through Orleans and the city has many bridges crossing the river. You will quickly realise that there is much to see and do in Orleans and will undoubtedly add it to your list of places to revisit at some future date.

After our lunch break we begin our journey back west to Le mans. The return trip stops at Chateaudun. The Chateau is of 11th century origin with later additions and major expansion in the early 15th century. It is an interesting historical site and so we shall take the short tour before making way back to Le Mans.

Le mans, Chinon, Angers (210 miles)

On this route we deviate from our typical 3 stop plan taking only two breaks. The first of these stops is at Chinon which is a regularly overnight stop in one of our other tours. Our second stop is at Chateau de Serrant, one of the more unusual grand houses of the Loire.

We begin by heading south making our way to Chinon a town nestling on the banks of the Vienne river close to its joining the Loire. During the Hundred Years’ War the future Charles VII of France stayed here and this was where Joan of Arc visited the King to request permission to raise an army. The defensive nature of the Chateau at Chinon becomes evident as we approach, you will see that it dominates the landscape and will be seen from a distance.

After our break we follow the Loire towards Angers and onwards to Chateau de Serrant. The Chateau has radically different aspects; from the South East it has the rounded towers that are synonymous to the medieval fortified keeps of the region whilst viewing from the North West it resembles a Palladian mansion of the late renaissance period. It should therefore come as no great surprise that the property has medieval origins albeit most of what can be seen was built post 1600’s.

The final leg of this trip skirts around the north of Angers and then north easterly back to Le Mans.

Le Mans, Beaugency, Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Etamps, Paris (190 miles)

For the return journey to Paris we depart Le Mans heading east to Beaugency which was an important town in the area back in the 11-13th centuries. Today the town is home to about 8k inhabitants. There is a medieval tower, a chateau and church among the more interesting buildings.

After a short break we continue east to Chateauneuf-sur-Loire which is located on the banks of the Loire east of Orleans. The Chateau in the town is modest in comparison to others we see on this trip but the suspension bridge over the Loire is quite exceptional for 1841 when it was erected.

We now begin the journey north back to Paris making our final refreshment break for this journey at Etampes then onwards to Paris.

Paris Sightseeing

This is intended as a tourist day. Enjoy the sights of Paris which are easily accessible from the hotel. Indeed a very pleasant days walk begins by leaving the hotel and heading north passing the Hospital on your right to reach Bois de Vincennes, continue north through the park and you will reach Chateau de Vincennes, an ancient French Royal residence, (depending upon the route you took through the park this will be about 2 miles)

Exit the park at the north gate and turn left into Avenue de Paris. This is a typical wide Parisian avenue with shops and businesses on the lower floors and residences above. If walking keep in a straight line passing through roundabouts (note that the road changes name a few times) and you will come to Place de la Bastille. It will take about an hour to walk from the park to the Bastille, but you can hop on a bus down this road if you prefer.

Turn left (south west) to join Boulevard Henri IV and at the river you will discover Notre-Dame Cathedral. Consider buying a river bus ticket, this allows you to hop on and off the ferry. Alternatively continue walking to the Louvre through the Jardin des Tuileries containing the Musee de r'Orangerie and onwards round to the Eifel tower. Next cross the river Seine and either walk along the river side or cross through another park, Esplanade des Invalides, to reach the Parc du Champs de Mars where you will find the Eifel Tower. Cross the river again to the Palais de Chaillot and proceed north to the Arch de Triumph before making you way back along the Chams-Elysees to begin your return to the hotel. If you bought the ferry ticket hop on to Quai de Bercy and follow the course of the river back to reach the hotel. This walk is about 17 miles (~27km) and, excluding time to view the attractions, will take at about six hours but if you are flagging use the excellent public transport.

The above is just a small taste of what Paris has to offer, there is so much more to see and do in Paris that we would suggest you prepare a list of attractions you want to visit and we shall point you in the right direction. Don't forget that Paris also has a superb underground rail network "the metro" with some very striking Art Nouveau entrances. There are 15 individual lines and 368 stations ensuring that no matter where you are in Paris a metro is within 500 meters.

For those wishing to partake in Sunday Service Notre Dame Cathedral is along this route and St Maurice church is a little further along the Rue du Marechal Leclerc from the hotel.