Villandry in the Spring

We are often asked if it is worth visiting the world famous gardens of Villandry early in the year.

It's true they don't reach their peak until the summer, but the formal structure of the garden means that there is still something to see earlier in the year. The photo above was taken in late March, just as the first of the seedling vegetables for the potager were being planted out, and the tulips were up in the Garden of Love, but not yet flowering. It's still quite an impressive garden, even if the green of the clipped box is not set off by a myriad of cleverly arranged bedding plants. As gardeners like to say, it has good 'bones'.

Obviously we won't spend as much time in the garden as we would in the summer. There isn't as much detail to take in, and some of the garden is not open to the public in the early spring. But we have that covered. Because we know this area well, we offer a short visit to the gardens, together with visits to other, less well known sites. It could be to a local artisan, or a medieval church with a fabulous interior, or even a remarkable 2000 year old Roman monument. On a typical tour we will also visit one other major chateau and a winery.

If you like the idea of being able to tap into our local knowledge to get the best out of the Loire Valley at any time of year, please email us and we will design a tour that works with the local conditions for you.